Reuters reports that figures from the British Retail Consortium showed that prices in British shops fell more slowly this month than in September, reflecting the smallest discounting for non-food items since the start of the coronavirus pandemic.

The BRC said its shop price index showed a 1.2% annual fall in prices in October compared with a 1.6% drop in September

Food prices rose by an annual 1.2% in both months, but the fall in non-food prices slowed to 2.7% from September's 3.2%.

Official data showed purchases of non-food items exceed pre-pandemic levels last month, but BRC chief executive Helen Dickinson said she expected the squeeze on many retailers' profit margins to continue.