Shop price inflation increased marginally to 2.5% in April from 2.4% in March, as rising food inflation outweighed slowing non-food inflation, according to the latest BRC-Nielsen Shop Price Index.
While food inflation increased to 4.7% in April from 4% the month before, non-food inflation slowed to 1.2% from 1.5% in March.

In the DIY, gardening and hardware sector, annual inflation fell to 3.8% in April from 4.5% in the previous month. Glassware, tableware and tools and equipment for the house and garden all reported slowing inflation.

Nielsen's senior manager for retail services Mike Watkins said: "With higher inflation likely to be with us for the near future, shoppers need to make the most of their more limited budgets and this will include looking for further savings when shopping. Supermarkets have responded by maintaining the highest-ever levels of promotional offers on groceries and non-food retailers are also delivering more price cuts and mid-season sales."