Inflation in UK shops slows amid price cuts on clothes and shoes

Prices in non-food stores are lower in April than a year earlier as stores offload summer stock

Prices in UK shops rose at their slowest rate since late 2021 in April as deep discounts by clothing and footwear retailers put the brakes on inflation, the latest snapshot of high street spending trends has shown.

The monthly bulletin from the British Retail Consortium (BRC) – the lobby group for the industry – found that the battle by store owners to offload summer stock in cold and wet weather meant prices in non-food stores were lower this month than a year earlier.