Ljubljana, 31 July (STA) - Slovenia's annual inflation rate declined to 1.9% in July from 2.1% in June, as prices dropped by 0.9% on average at the monthly level due to summer apparel and footwear sales.
Fuel prices were the main driving force of annual inflation, accounting for 0.5 percentage point of the headline inflation rate on the back of double-digit increases in the price of petrol.
The prices of food rose by 2.6% on average, contributing 0.4 points to the annual price growth.
Cars, on the other hand, got 4.5% cheaper, mitigating the overall price growth.
At the monthly level apparel and footwear prices, which dropped by 14.6% and 12.4%, respectively, exerted deflationary pressure to the tune of 0.7 percentage points.
Prices of food, furniture and fuels also decreased over June, whereas holiday packages were about a tenth more expensive.
The harmonised index of consumer prices, an EU benchmark, declined by 0.2 points from June to 2.1%.