IKEA product shortages could last until summer 2022
The interiors powerhouse has warned you may be without your favorite product until mid-2022
Ikea has revealed that shortages of around 1000 of its products are forecast to last until next summer in the UK. The news comes while tens of thousands of containers continue to congest ports around the country, which are delaying the process of bringing goods to the shelves.
Whether you’re ready to renovate your living room or experiment with an IKEA hack – you may need to wait for several more months, as the chief executive of Inter Ikea (owner of the Ikea brand), Jon Abrahamsson Ring, predicted the shortage could last until the end of August.
In conversation with the Financial Times, Jon shared that the limited availability and raw materials challenge will ‘continue for the better part, if not the whole, of [the financial year to the end of August].’ This is longer than the brand anticipated at the start of the stock crisis.
Ikea has already purchased additional shipping containers and charter vessels in a bid to improve the stock crisis. However, the traffic in the port in Felixstowe means IKEA (like many other retailers) continues to face a shortage – and may continue to do so for as many as ten months into the future.
The problem at the Sussex port comes from a shortage of lorry drivers – as a result of the pandemic and business problems following Brexit. These factors are causing problems with supply chains that are consequently affecting the modern decor label.
In his interview, Jon added that IKEA was unlikely to make significant changes to its supply chain – as the brand continues to work through a surge in demand that came from the Covid lockdowns in 2020.
He says the brand will ‘continue to work very closely with a focused number of suppliers’ to ensure they work through the shortage as efficiently as possible.
Be The First To Know
The Livingetc newsletter is your shortcut to the now and the next in home design. Subscribe today to receive a stunning free 200-page book of the best homes from around the world.
'Like many retailers, we are experiencing ongoing challenges with our supply chains due to a combination of factors including COVID-19, Brexit, and HGV driver shortages, with raw materials, production, and transportation all having been impacted,' an IKEA spokesman also shared with Livingetc.
The spokesperson continues: 'As a result, we are experiencing unavailability across some of our ranges, and apologies for the inconvenience this might cause.'
'Since the start of the pandemic, we have explored and implemented alternative routes, including increasing transportation by rail, to secure the best possible product availability for our customers,' they add.
Across all 22 of its UK stores, IKEA reported that they are experiencing ‘low availability in some ranges, including mattresses’ meaning your modern bedroom ideas may need to remain on hold for a little while longer.
Megan is the Head of Celebrity Style News at Homes & Gardens. She first joined Future Plc as a News Writer across their interiors titles, including Livingetc and Real Homes, before becoming H&G's News Editor in April 2022. She now leads the Celebrity/ News team.
Before joining Future, Megan worked as a News Explainer at The Telegraph, following her MA in International Journalism at the University of Leeds. During her BA in English Literature and Creative Writing, she gained writing experience in the US whilst studying in New York. Megan also focused on travel writing during her time living in Paris, where she produced content for a French travel site.
Megan currently lives in London, where she relocated from her hometown in Yorkshire. In her home, she experiments with interior design trends and draws inspiration from the home decor ideas she observes in her everyday work life. Her favorite pieces include her antique typewriter and her expansive collection of houseplants. When she isn’t writing, she is browsing London’s coffee shops and bookstores to add to her ever-growing library, taking over the open shelving in her apartment.
-
How to Clean a Table Runner — Even if Yours Isn't Fabric, There's Always a Way
If your decorative furnishing happens to find itself in stains, this guide is exactly what you need to bring it back to its pristine appearance
By Amiya Baratan Published
-
I've Just Found the Coolest Iron Garlands From Anthropologie — They'll Not Just Work for Christmas, but Year-Round
Whether styled inside or out, these unique garlands might just be the coolest way to decorate these holidays
By Olivia Wolfe Published