Shop price inflation rose in September, boosted by increasing costs of non-food goods including DIY and gardening products.
Shop price inflation grew to 1.4% year-on-year in September, compared to an annual rise of 0.9% the month prior, according to the British Retail Consortium (BRC) and NielsenIQ.
Non-food items were up 0.3% over the period, driven by an increase in DIY and gardening tools.
Food inflation stayed at 4.2%, remaining the same for the first time in seven months.
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The Office for National Statistics (ONS) official food inflation measure increased to 5.1% in August, reaching a 19-month high.
Non-food product prices declined 0.1% on an annual basis in September, making it above the yearly 0.8% drop in August.
BRC CEO Helen Dickinson said: “A year and a half of non-food deflation looks set to come to an end, as inflationary pressures spread beyond food.
“DIY and gardening saw rising prices, while some back-to-school categories continued to see reductions as retailers offered promotions on electricals such as laptops ahead of the new academic year.”
Last week, the BRC warned that rising costs could fuel a fresh wave of food inflation.
A survey of 2,000 people, conducted by Opinium for the trade association, found the biggest worry for the year ahead was “prices rising faster than wages”, cited by 57% of respondents.
Earlier this month, it was also reported that consumer confidence fell in September amid fears over the state of the UK economy and the potential of higher taxes.
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