IKEA Delays Blamed on UK Port Congestion

SWEDISH FURNITURE giant Ikea has apologised to angry customers for massive delays caused by UK port delays and the surge in demand during the lockdown.

Angry customers across Britain took to social media to complain of long delays, missing parts, and lack of helpline response from Ikea. The flat-pack furniture tycoon has blamed their poor service on heavy congestion in UK ports, an ‘unprecedented’ demand during the pandemic, Brexit stockpiling, and the Christmas rush.

An Ikea spokesperson said that the company had found themselves unable to keep up with a surge in demand as their supply chains have been badly hit by the pandemic. She said “these continue to be extraordinary times and we apologise unreservedly for the inconvenience caused to our customers”. The UK is currently experiencing major congestion at several key ports including Southampton, Felixstowe, and Gatwick Airport.

“We fully understand their frustration and want to assure them that we are working intensively to resolve these challenges as soon as possible,” the spokesperson added, referring to customers awaiting their deliveries after massive delays.

On Saturday the British Ports Association said delays were due to a “perfect storm of a global surge in container movements, the traditionally busy pre-Christmas period and people moving more goods before the UK’s Brexit transition ends”.


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Oisin Sweeney

Oisin is an Irish writer based in Seville, the sunny capital of Andalucia. After starting his working life as a bookseller, he moved into journalism and cut his teeth as a reporter at one of Ireland's biggest news websites. Since joining Euro Weekly News in November, he has enjoyed covering the latest stories from Seville, Spain and further afield - with special interests in crime, cybersecurity, and European politics. Anyone who can pronounce his name first try gets a free cerveza...

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