Grammar fix
shut up shop
close a business
To stop running a business permanently, especially a small shop or company.
How oftenNow and then
LevelB2
Used inSpeech & writing
Hear it in context
Notice where the phrase sounds natural.
After thirty years on the high street, the family decided to shut up shop.
A few independent cafés in my area have had to shut up shop because rents have become so expensive.
Fix the pattern
One small grammar move makes it sound right.
Not: The shop shut up last year.
Say: The owners shut up shop last year.
Use the full idiom 'shut up shop' when you mean that a business stopped trading.
Don't confuse it
Other ways to say it
A business stops trading for good
How formalCasualNeutral
shut up shopYou're here · British and informal: a business stops trading.
close downA shop, business, or organization stops operating permanently.shut downA business, factory, or operation stops operating.