First month-on-month increase this year
Overall shop prices in May rose by 0.42 per cent in April, according to the British Retail Consortium's Shop Price Index (SPI) - the first month-on-month rise this year.

The price of non-food items also increased for the first time so far this year and after two consecutive months of falling prices, food showed an increase.

However, prices were down 0.48 per cent on May last year, although this was a smaller decrease than the 1.28 per cent comparative year decline reported in April.

Food sales in May rose 0.49 per cent on April and clothing sales jumped 1.42 per cent. Electrical and hardware sales also rose, but furniture sales declined slightly.

BRC director-general Kevin Hawkins warned: 'For the eighth consecutive month prices have remained lower than a year ago: with a trend like this, no-one can deny that retail price deflation is here. It is understandable that May saw a slight increase in prices compared with April, after the Easter sales ended. But the underlying trend is clear, and has been for the past year.'