The shortage of truck drivers in the UK is now also affecting the Swedish furniture giant IKEA, writes BBC Sunday. Due to a shortage of drivers, every store is missing about a thousand product lines, which amounts to about 10 percent of the products.

IKEA is the umpteenth company in the United Kingdom that has supply problems due to a shortage of truck drivers. Supermarket chains like Tesco and Iceland have already warned of empty shelves in the run-up to Christmas, and McDonald’s fast food chain recently reported a shortage of milkshakes due to staffing problems.

According to the British Industry Association, the shortage of people behind the wheel has increased to 100 000 in recent months. The industry points to, among other things, the Brexit and the coronavirus pandemic, but also to the working conditions as the main causes of the shortage. Transport companies are now trying to attract drivers with higher wages, but so far without much success.

These logistical problems, combined with increasing demand, also lead to empty shelves at the Swedish furniture giant. As a result, products such as mattresses are less to be found in British stores.