Falls in the cost of personal computers and filling up at the pumps helped ease the overall rate of inflation last month, while prices accelerated for cinema tickets, women’s clothes and – ahead of Easter – cocoa and powdered chocolate.
Petrol and diesel both saw price cuts picking up pace.
The average cost of petrol last month was 5.0% lower than it was a year earlier, a larger drop than the 2.1% fall seen in February.
Diesel also enjoyed a sharper decline, down 6.0% year on year in March compared with a fall of 3.2% in February, according to figures published by the Office for National Statistics (ONS).
Among everyday groceries, prices fell faster in March for rice (down 4.7% year on year) than in February (down 3.1%), as they did for fish (down 2.2% in March, down 0.7% in February) and jam and marmalade (down 3.0% in March, down 1.1% in February).
The cost of pizza and quiche saw a big swing from positive inflation in February (up 3.9% year on year) to negative inflation last month (a 2.2% drop).
Several items saw prices continuing to rise, but at a slower rate – for example, olive oil, which was up 3.2% year on year in March compared with 11.2% in February, and mineral water, up 1.9% in March following a jump of 4.1% in February.
One of the sharpest slowdowns in inflation was for computer software.
Here, prices rose by 4.5% year on year in March – a sizeable increase, but one that was much smaller than the huge 15.9% jump recorded in February.
The average price of a personal computer was down 9.5% year on year last month, a bigger drop than the 6.6% fall in February.
One of the largest movements in the other direction was for cocoa and powdered chocolate, where prices were up 12.5% year on year, compared with a more modest jump of 6.3% in February.
Shoppers are likely to see this reflected in an increase in the cost of Easter eggs and related treats.
The average price of a cinema, theatre or concert ticket was up 4.2% year on year in March, larger than the 1.6% increase in February.
Women’s clothes have swung from positive annual inflation in January (up 4.2%) to negative inflation in February (down 0.2%) then back to positive inflation in March (up 2.7%).
Potatoes, cheese, breakfast cereals and yoghurt all saw an acceleration in inflation last month, as did the cost of both new and second-hand cars.
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 February, followed by the average rise in price in the 12 months to March.
– Examples where annual inflation has eased, ranked by the size of the change:
Software: February up 15.9%, March up 4.5%Olive oil: February up 11.2%, March up 3.2%Pizza and quiche: February up 3.9%, March down 2.2%Personal computers: February down 6.6%, March down 9.5%Sugar: February up 0.8%, March down 1.4%Hotels and similar accommodation: February up 0.9%, March down 1.3%Mineral or spring waters: February up 4.1%, March up 1.9%Jams, marmalades and honey: February down 1.1%, March down 3.0%Coffee: February up 8.6%, March up 6.7%Rice: February down 3.1%, March down 4.7%Fish: February down 0.7%, March down 2.2%Eggs: February up 5.0%, March up 4.1%Bread: February up 1.4%, March up 0.6%Crisps: February up 3.2%, March up 2.5%Fruit: February up 4.2%, March up 3.6%
– Examples where inflation has accelerated:
Cocoa and powdered chocolate: February up 6.3%, March up 12.5%Margarine and other vegetable fats: February down 2.4%, March up 1.9%Yoghurt: February down 1.2%, March up 2.3%Women’s clothes: February down 0.2: March up 2.7%Cinemas, theatres, concerts: February up 1.6%, March up 4.2%Potatoes: February up 3.2%, March up 5.5%Cheese and curd: February up 2.1%, March up 4.0%Children’s clothes: February down 2.5%, March down 0.7%Pasta and couscous: February down 5.3%, March down 4.0%Breakfast cereals: February up 1.6%, March up 2.8%New cars: February up 2.3%, March up 3.1%Second-hand cars: February no change, March up 0.6%
