Clothing and other items

Women are feeling the squeeze most on the high street as their clothing prices rise at a faster rate.

While overall clothing inflation has picked up to 8.8pc, prices for women’s garments have jumped 12pc, according to the ONS. The cost of footwear has risen 9.1pc with an 11pc increase for women’s shoes.

Clothing stores are passing on higher costs from wages, shipping and energy, with retailers also offering fewer discounts than last year when the UK was in lockdown. Martin Beck, chief economic adviser to the EY ITEM Club, said the jump in clothing and footwear prices was “reflecting unusual seasonal pricing patterns”. 

Several retailers, including Next and Superdry, have warned they will have to increase prices as the cost of raw materials surges, with the former anticipating a 3.7pc increase in the first half of this year, and 6pc in the second. 

The price of a standard men’s crew-neck T-shirt from Next has already increased from £6 to £6.50 since last May. Primark, the discount fashion giant, has pledged to freeze prices.

Rising raw material costs have pushed up furniture prices, which rose 15pc year-on-year, while carpets and flooring costs have jumped 9pc. The price of Ikea’s Malm double bed frame has risen from £129 in March 2021 to £179.

White goods are suffering from supply shortages and rising commodities prices, affecting their multiple components and complicated production chains.

AO.com’s highest-rated washing machine, a Bosch Serie 8, costs £920 – up 15pc from the £799 charged at the start of last year.

However the site’s most popular fridge-freezer, a Swan Retro model, is unchanged at £449.