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Blu-ray Discs added to shopping basket to calculate UK inflation
The UK Office for National Statistics has added rotisserie chicken, rosé wine and Blu-ray discs to a typical basket of goods used to calculate the country’s inflation. MP3 players and rentals from DVD high street stores have been removed to make way for Online DVD rental subscriptions and MP4 players, which play video as well as audio.
The ONS updates its 650-strong basket of goods and services annually, to better reflect public spending habits. The basket is used to calculate the Retail Prices Index inflation measure.
Freeview TV receiver box has been added as a new item to show the increase in spending associated with the digital TV switchover. "Trends in consumer technology often impact on the inflation basket and this year is no exception," the ONS said. Portable DVD players are new entrants. MP3 music players only forced CD players out of the 'shopping basket' in 2006.
The changes to the basket of goods - from which the ONS collects 120,000 prices each month to calculate inflation - will come into effect for the February price indexes to be published on 24 March.
Story filed 23.03.09
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