"The rate of deflation has been decelerating month-on month as retailers battle with inflationary pressures resulting from the impact of the weaker pound on input prices," Helen Dickinson, BRC chief executive. "Prices are undoubtedly on an upward trajectory, which we expect to gradually play out over the course of the year." Food prices rose 0.9 percent in the year to April, the BRC said, slowing marginally from March. Inflation hurts the poorest in particular because rising prices for essentials like food and transport take up a bigger share of their disposable income.
Copyright Reuters, 2017