Covid and Brexit brew ‘perfect storm’ as Ikea stores hit by supply issues
Ikea has been hit by the UK’s current lorry driver shortage, as it confirmed it is struggling with supplying around 1,000 of its product lines.
The shortages, including mattresses in some stores, has been ignited by both the pandemic and Brexit, the Swedish furniture giant said.
“Like many retailers, we are experiencing ongoing challenges with our supply chains due to Covid-19 and labour shortages, with transport, raw materials and sourcing all impacted,” Ikea said in a statement.
“In addition, we are seeing higher customer demand as more people are spending more time at home.”
Ikea is the latest retail giant to be experiencing material supply chain disruptions, due to the collision of Covid-19 and Brexit, at a time when brick and mortar retail should be rebounding.
So far 22 of its UK and Ireland stores have been hit by the supply issues, which Ikea said it hopes will improve “in the coming weeks and months”.
“What we are seeing is a perfect storm of issues, including the disruption of global trade flows and a shortage of drivers, which have been exacerbated by the pandemic and Brexit,” Ikea added.
The government has previously made a statement saying it is “working closely with industry to address sector challenges”.