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- Ikea is struggling to stock popular products due to the driver shortage and shipping crisis.
- Around 10% of its product line is unavailable in its UK and Ireland stores, a spokesperson said.
- Popular products, such as mattresses, are difficult to find in store, they said.
- See more stories on Insider's business page.
Ikea is struggling to stock popular products and meet high customer demand amid the UK's truck driver shortage, the BBC first reported on Sunday, with 10% of its products unavailable.
A lack of truckers and global shipping delays have disrupted supply chains, the Swedish retailer told Insider.
The shortage of products like mattresses is affecting the company on a global scale, an Ikea spokesperson told Insider.
Of around 9,000 product lines, 1,000 are unavailable in the Ikea's 21 stores in the UK and Ireland, they 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," the spokesperson said.
"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," the spokesperson said.
Customer demand has soared as people spend more time at home during the pandemic and purchase items for their house, the spokesperson said.
"As a result, we are experiencing low availability in some of our ranges with approximately 10% unavailable," they said.
Ikea apologized for inconvenience to customers, the spokesperson said, but added they hoped the situation would improve in the coming weeks and months.
The shortfall of truck drivers in the UK - 100,000 according to the UK's Road Haulage Association - has also led McDonald's to run out of milkshakes and Nando's to run out of peri-peri chicken.