Prices of non-food items in UK supermarkets have fallen year on year for the first time since 2021, taking overall shop inflation below 1 per cent, according to industry data that will come as a relief to consumers hit by higher living costs.
The British Retail Consortium said on Tuesday that annual shop price inflation slowed to 0.8 per cent this month from 1.3 per cent in March, the lowest rate since December 2021.
Non-food items entered deflation at minus 0.6 per cent in April, which the trade body attributed in part to retailers offering promotions. The reading was down from a 0.2 per cent increase in March, the lowest since October 2021 and the first negative reading since December 2021.