Ikea Is Having Delivery Troubles Due To A Driver Shortage.
Key Sentence:
- Furniture giant Ikea is struggling to supply about 1,000 product lines as a truck driver shortage affects the business.
- The company said product shortages, including mattresses in some stores, were caused by Covid and Brexit.
Companies ranging from suppliers of flu vaccines to food and beverage companies are also experiencing supply problems. The government previously announced that it would "work closely with industry to address the challenges facing the sector." According to Ikea, all 22 stores in the UK and Ireland are experiencing supply issues with 10% of their inventory or about 1,000 product lines.
"Like many retailers, we face ongoing challenges with our supply chain due to Covid-19 and labor shortages, which are affecting transportation, raw materials, and resources. In addition, we are seeing greater customer demand as more people spend more time at home. "Because of this, we experienced low availability across some of our ranges, including mattresses."
The retailer apologized and said it hoped the situation would improve "in the coming weeks and months." The pandemic disrupted the global container shipping industry.
How severe is the shortage of truck drivers?
The National Pig Association warned Sunday that due to a significant slaughterhouse staff shortage, 85,000 pigs were being charged for surgery, and that number was increasing by 15,000 per week.
"If processors still don't pick up pigs, they have to go somewhere," said Zoe Davis, the National Pig Association executive director. "Unless the government takes immediate action to down labor shortages in crop fields, farmers will be forced to make difficult choices.
Companies everywhere are affected by supply chain issues that transport companies are blaming Covid and Brexit.
Flu outbreaks in England and Wales have been delayed due to a shortage of truck drivers, and food companies, including Tesco and Island, have announced that there could be a shortage of some products on Christmas Eve.
Wetherspoon does not have several types of beer but downplays the Brexit connection and says the shortage is due to industrial action. However, unions say this industrial action never happened. Heineken and Molson Coors breweries and fast-food chains McDonald's, KFC, and Nando were also affected by the delivery issues.
Britain lost more than 100,000 drivers, according to the Road Transport Association. Many European truck drivers returned to their home countries with travel restrictions during the pandemic and then decided to work elsewhere. There has also been a tax change which means it is now more expensive for foreign drivers to work in the UK.