Consumer confidence still fragile
Year-on-year shop prices rose 0.8 per cent in April, driven by food inflation.
Food prices climbed 3.9 per cent over the year, but deflation persisted in non-food, which showed prices 0.6 per cent lower over the period.
The BRC-Nielsen Shop Price Index revealed there was no change in shop prices month on month, when a small rise in food prices was outweighed by a 0.1 per cent decrease in non-food prices after two consecutive months of increases.
BRC director-general Kevin Hawkins said: 'With food inflation continuing to ease and deflation in non-food still showing no signs of abating, the high street is still not generating any real inflationary pressure. Consumer confidence remains fragile and recent interest rate rises, combined with rising living costs, have started to affect consumer spending.'
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