Prices in retail shops rose by an average of 15.5% y/y in July this year, according to a report by UCE Research and WSB Merito University. In the previous two months, the increases were 18.1% and 19.9% respectively.
Food and non-alcoholic beverages alone rose by 14.6% y/y, which is also lower than in June and May – by 16.8% and 18.4%. So, the results clearly show that the dynamics of rises are getting weaker with each month, but that the price tag in the shops is still high. At its peak for another month in a row are vegetables, whose prices went up by 32.4% y/y. Next is household chemicals, up 24.6% y/y. This is followed by food additives (ketchups, mayonnaise, mustards, spices) with 22.4%, and children’s items with 21.8%. The top five in terms of price rises is closed by bread – 20.4%. At the end of the list is meat – 6.5% y/y. Of the 17 categories analysed, only fat products saw a year-on-year decrease of 20.4%.
Analysts at UCE Research pointed out that, once again for the past three months, not all categories observed have become more expensive. Fatty foods recorded an average fall of 20.4% year-on-year in July. This compares to 8.1% in June and 3.9% the month before. It can therefore be seen that the price growth rate is clearly declining in this category. In addition, the authors of the study remind us that not so long ago, fats were the category that weighed most heavily on Poles’ shopping budgets, with oil and butter breaking record after record – rising by up to triple digits y/y.
The rest of the commodity groups analysed went up. The increases in the 16 categories were mostly in double digits again, ranging from 6.5 to 32.4% y/y. June’s range was from 7.8% to 38.2% y/y. In May, increases ranged from 10.7% to 39.9% y/y.
The double-digit increases clearly indicate that it is still expensive in the shops. This is not altered by the overall downward trend in price growth. Products are not getting cheaper, but continue to increase in price, but at a slower pace, concluded analysts from UCE Research.
The survey covered 17 categories and more than 100 of the most frequently chosen everyday products by consumers. A total of nearly 70,000 retail prices from more than 31,000 shops belonging to 61 retail chains were collated.
Source: UCE/WSB and ISBnews
