The BRC said retail spending increased by 4.9% in annual terms in June - roughly in line with its average this year, though stronger than May's 3.9% and a 1.0% drop a year earlier.
However, the BRC data is not adjusted for inflation, so last month's increase in spending still reflects a fall in the volume of goods purchased.
Previous BRC data showed prices among its members were up by an annual 8.4% on average in June, rising to 14.6% for food, despite a drop in the cost of some food products.
Over the second quarter as a whole, food spending was up 9.8% while non-food spending grew just 0.3%.
Paul Martin, UK head of retail at accountants KPMG, who sponsor the data, said stubborn food inflation was reducing shoppers' ability to spend on non-essential items.
Persons:
Paul Martin, Martin, Will Hobbs, Hobbs, Suban Abdulla, David Milliken
Organizations:
British Retail Consortium, KPMG, Consumers, Bank of England, Barclays, Thomson
Locations:
Britain