Flat-pack furniture enthusiasts and meatball lovers alike might be in for a bit of a shock next time they visit their local IKEA, with the Swedish retailers being forced to raise prices by up to 80 per cent.
The go-to furniture superstore - which has an outlet in Gateshead near the Metro Centre - has blamed the increasing cost of materials and shipping for price surges, in some cases linked to the impact of the global Coronavirus pandemic and ongoing war in Ukraine.
Birmingham Live reports that research by Retail Week found the Swedish firm’s Jokkmokk set of dining table and chairs had increased by 80 per cent, from £99 to £179, while also uncovering that a Glostad two-seater sofa that cost £90 was now £150 – an increase of more than 60 per cent.
Read more: 30 years of flatpacks: How the region's first IKEA store opened in Gateshead in 1992
Elsewhere, a Brimnes chest of drawers went up by 47 per cent from £85 to £125, a Vatnestrom super king mattress increased by 32 per cent from £650 to £859 and bed frames, such as the Fyresdal and Slattum, were also in-turnup by 46 per cent.
On the matter, Ikea said that it kept its prices low so that 'as many people as possible are able to afford them [and] this remains our focus'.
But it went on to add: "We are not immune to the macro-economic developments that businesses, retailers and the public are currently facing, from the increased cost of materials and transportation to the war in Ukraine and inflation. We have had to adjust our prices to reflect this increased cost base.
"Our approach during this period has sought to protect the prices of our most-loved and lowest-priced products."
Ikea said that pricing continued to be a 'key cornerstone' of the business, and it intends to keep them as low as it can and reduce them when possible.
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