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UK shop price inflation slowed in June helped by a second consecutive month-to-month decline in the expansion of meals costs, in accordance with the most recent industry knowledge.
The value of shop objects rose at an annual price of 8.4 per cent this month, down from 9 per cent in May and beneath the three-month common of 8.7 per cent, figures printed on Tuesday by the British Retail Consortium confirmed.
The easing was helped by a decelerate in meals price progress — the place inflation has been notably acute — to 14.6 per cent in June from 15.4 per cent in the earlier month and down from an all-time record excessive of 15.7 per cent in April.
Sharply rising meals prices and excessive vitality costs in the wake of Russia’s full-blown invasion of Ukraine final 12 months have been the primary drivers of the price of dwelling disaster, with inflation in the UK remaining stubbornly high.
“Households up and down the country will welcome the easing of shop price inflation in June,” mentioned Helen Dickinson, chief government of the British Retail Consortium.
She mentioned contemporary meals costs have been a key driver of the slowdown as retailers reduce the price of many staples, together with milk, cheese and eggs. The annual progress of contemporary meals costs in June was 15.7 per cent, down sharply from 17.2 per cent the earlier month.
The price of ambient meals inflation — objects that may be saved at room temperature — fell barely to 13 per cent, down from 13.1 per cent in May.
“If global supply chain costs continue to fall, we may now be past the peak of [food] price increases,” mentioned Mike Watkins, head of retail and enterprise perception at NielsenIQ, which helps compile the info.
Official meals and non-alcoholic drinks inflation fell to 18.4 per cent in May from 19.1 per cent in the earlier month, an additional decline from the 45-year excessive of 19.2 per cent reached in March. The BRC figures recommend the slowdown will proceed this month.
The BRC knowledge confirmed retailers have been discounting on clothes and electrical items, serving to non-food inflation ease 0.4 share factors to five.4 per cent in June.
But costs stay excessive by historic requirements and Watkins mentioned he anticipated buying behaviour for the remainder of this 12 months was “still likely to shift towards essential needs with discretionary consumption being deprioritised or delayed”.
Data published last week confirmed that family items gross sales volumes have been 7.6 per cent beneath their pre-pandemic February 2020 ranges, as customers reduce on purchases in response to increased costs.
