The jump last month in the overall rate of inflation to 3% was driven by changes in plane and bus fares, along with price rises across a range of everyday items including coffee, chocolate and fruit juice. The average cost of air travel fell by only 2.0% year-on-year, a much smaller drop than is typical for January, and followed a large fall of 26.0% in December. Bus and coach fares leapt by 8.7% year-on-year, after rising by just 0.7% in December, according to figures published by the Office for National Statistics (ONS).
Inflation accelerated for many household groceries, including coffee, which was up 11.6% in price in January compared with 0.2% in December; butter (up 18.3% in January, up 10.2% in December); chocolate (14.1% in January, 11.7% in December); fruit and vegetable juices (6.2% in January, 2.5% in December); and cheese (2.5% in January, 0.9% in December). Some products swung from negative to positive inflation.
The average price of pizza and quiche fell 4.6% year-on-year in December, then rose 0.7% in January; frozen vegetables were down 0.2% in December but jumped 2.0% last month; and carpets and rugs saw a drop of 2.9% followed by a rise of 0.8%. Other items experienced a slowing down in price cuts. Fridges and freezers were down 4.1% year-on-year in December, but this slowed to a drop of just 0.6% in January.
Washing machines and dishwashers fell by only 0.4%, after a decrease of 2.8% in December. Both petrol and diesel recorded a negative rate of inflation last month, but by a smaller margin than in December, reflecting a rise in the cost of filling up at the pumps. The average price of petrol in January was down 2.0% year-on-year, compared with a fall of 4.6% the previous month, while diesel fell 2.8% compared with a previous drop of 5.8%.
Not everything jumped in cost last month, however. Prices fell faster for pasta and couscous in January (down 5.9% year-on-year) than December (down 2.4%), as they did for sugar (down 2.1% in January, down 0.6% in December), men’s shoes (down 2.0% in January, down 1.2% in December) and rice (down 3.0% in January, down 2.7% in December). Annual inflation slowed for olive oil, up 16.6% compared with 22.3% in December; for potatoes, up 3.0% compared with 6.5%; and children’s shoes, up 1.4% compared with 4.6%.
Below are some examples of how the Consumer Prices Index (CPI) inflation rate has eased or accelerated. Two figures are listed for each item: the average rise in price in the 12 months to December, followed by the average rise in price in the 12 months to January. – Examples where annual inflation has accelerated, ranked by the size of the change:. Coffee: December up 0.2, January up 11.6%Butter: Dec up 10.2%, Jan up 18.3%Bus & coach travel: Dec up 0.7%, Jan up 8.7%Pizza & quiche: Dec down 4.6%, Jan up 0.7%Fruit & vegetable juices: Dec up 2.5%, Jan up 6.2%Carpets & rugs: Dec down 2.9%, Jan up 0.8%Mineral or spring waters: Dec up 1.6%, Jan up 4.4%Chocolate: Dec up 11.7%, Jan up 14.1%Frozen vegetables other than potatoes: Dec down 0.2%, Jan up 2.0%Cheese & curd: Dec up 0.9%, Jan up 2.5%Breakfast cereals: Dec up 1.0%, Jan up 2.5%Women’s clothes: Dec up 3.4%, Jan up 4.2%Crisps: Dec up 2.0%, Jan up 2.7%Ready meals: Dec up 1.1%, Jan up 1.6%.
– Examples where inflation has eased:. Olive oil: Dec up 22.3%, Jan up 16.6%Coffee machines & tea makers: Dec down 0.8%, Jan down 5.6%Pasta & couscous: Dec down 2.4%, Jan down 5.9%Potatoes: Dec up 6.5%, Jan up 3.0%Children’s footwear: Dec up 4.6%, Jan up 1.4%Ice cream: Dec up 3.9%, Jan up 2.2%Tea: Dec up 5.2%, Jan up 4.3%Fresh or chilled fish: Dec up 3.4%, Jan up 2.6%Men’s clothes: Dec up 1.5%, Jan up 0.9%Eggs: Dec up 4.6%, Jan up 4.1%Dried fruit & nuts: Dec up 6.4%, Jan up 5.9%Heaters & air conditioners: Dec up 2.6%, Jan up 2.1%Restaurants & cafes: Dec up 3.8%, Jan up 3.5%.
