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2d ago

ONS Overhauls UK Inflation Gauge With Supermarket Scanner Data From Next Month

February figures will draw on over a billion loyalty‑adjusted grocery transactions with only a slight expected effect on the headline rate.

A range of artichokes is displayed at gourmet grocery store Andreas, in London, Britain, March 28, 2024. REUTERS/Isabel Infantes
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Overview

  • Scanner data will be incorporated for February price collection, with the impact reflected in the March CPI release.
  • The new method captures checkout and online purchases, including loyalty-scheme discounts such as Tesco Clubcard prices.
  • The shift reduces reliance on manual sampling and enables granular tracking of product-level prices and quantities, the ONS said.
  • ONS testing shows the change would have lowered CPI by about 0.03 percentage points on average from January 2019 to June 2025, reflecting partial market coverage and groceries’ limited basket weight.
  • The agency will also cut volatility in accommodation inflation by doubling hotel sampling each month, and it confirmed the rollout comes a year later than first planned due to complexity.