THE collapse of a number of big name retailers has been an astonishing thing to see this year, and sadly shows no sign of slowing down.

In recent months there have been national attention on names such as Mothercare, Toys R Us, Fraser, Maplin, Debenhams and New Look.

In our county, Countrywide Farmers troubles were a big story.

It has got to the point where it is almost becoming expected, yet I can remember a time all this was rare. Woolworths collapse in 2008 was a shock. Big-name stores on the High Street being in trouble today has almost become routine.

So how have we got here?

At this point I should say I have no expertise in business, I'm just commenting how I see things.

Based on what experts say, the biggest problem is shoppers - generally faced with declining wages - have changed shopping habits and turned to online for bargains. If the famous names failed to properly adapt they were punished through lack of sales, and we now seeing the fallout.

If sales at physical stores continue to fall, firms will decide to close them and the worst hit will be the smaller towns and industrial estates, where retailers will be quick to close units to save costs.

Of course it's not just the retail industry which has suffered this year, with the collapse of Carillon, a construction services company making news.

Even a former premier league football club, Aston Villa - which has many supporters around the county - is rumoured to be in financial difficulty according to reports.

Any business being in trouble creates headlines, but it is easy to forget the stress it causes for thousands of workers employed by the businesses involved.

Every possible company's collapse could lead to job losses, and families suffering. The 'job for life' seems a thing of the past, leaving many - especially Millennials - with constant job insecurity.

I remember after the Brexit result, many said things would get worse - but all these issues have been playing out long before that vote. It remains to be seen what, if any, effect leaving the EU will have next year.

I just think for things to change there needs to be more longer term planning by businesses, properly adapting to the world we now live in, and less risk taking generally.