By Daniel Hunter
Overall shop price inflation fell to 0.4% in April from 1.4% in March, according to data released by the British Retail Consortium (BRC). Food inflation fell to 2.9% in April from 3.5% in March. Non-food returned to deflationary territory, down 1.0% after a 0.2% rise in March.
"Household finances are still under pressure but it's clear that isn't coming from the shops," Helen Dickinson, British Retail Consortium Director General, said.
"In April, overall shop price inflation was sharply down on the previous month, to its lowest for three and a half years, as a result of retailers working harder on promotions to encourage customers and the easing of some commodity costs.
"In particular, price competition on non-food goods intensified in the face of average incomes rising at their slowest for more than a decade and poor demand for seasonal products. Spring lines, in fashion and gardening for example, have not taken off in the way they did last year because warmer weather has been much more reluctant to take hold.
"Food inflation slowed in April, for fresh as well as tinned and packet items, thanks to promotional activity and falls in a number of key costs working through.
"The big drop in overall shop price inflation has given us the largest gap for over a year between the SPI and the wider Consumer Price Index which includes energy and housing costs."
Mike Watkins, Head of Retailer and Business Insight, Nielsen said: "The good news for shoppers is that, aside from some seasonal price changes, there is a trend of price reduction in many food categories and price deflation in non-foods. This time last year food prices were on the increase during the washout of early summer 2012.
"Retailers will now be looking to keep prices competitive over the next few weeks to keep whatever momentum there is in sales growth going, and for high street retailers this could require summer discounts to start sooner rather than later."
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