IKEA has hiked the price of its products across all 22 stores in the UK – with some popular items up by 50%.
The furniture giant said it has been forced to increase prices due to a rise in supply chain costs as a result of the pandemic, with the changes coming into affect after Christmas.
IKEA confirmed that it has raised its prices by around 10%, which is above the global average of 9%.
But analysis by the Daily Mail found that the price of some products, such as sofas, beds and drawers, have surged by as much as 50%, reports The Mirror.
The price hike was first pointed out by customers online, who noticed prices go up drastically after Christmas.
A chest of Malm drawers was found to have gone up from £99 in mid-December to £150 today – a jump of 52%.
The newspaper also found that a Hemnes daybed frame has increased from £215 to £279, and a Klippan two-seater sofa has risen from £199 to £229 – 15% more.
Responding to shoppers concerns, IKEA said: “Unfortunately, there has been a significant increase in costs across the supply chain, including in raw materials, transport and logistics.
“As this is still ongoing it is necessary to increase prices across many of our products.”
As the pandemic and supply chain issues have caused a shortage of HGV drivers and workers being off sick due to Covid, retailers have been forced to increase prices.
This has caused shipping and raw material costs to rise significantly.
IKEA first announced that it was being affected by supply chain issues in September 2021, impacting at least 1,000 of its products.
A spokesman said: “The effects of Covid-19 continue to evolve and impact industries all over the world.
“Since the start of the pandemic, IKEA has managed to absorb the significant cost increases experienced across the supply chain while keeping prices as low and stable as we possibly can.
“Now, like many other retailers, we have had to raise our prices to mitigate the impact on our business.
“As prices are influenced not only by the raw material prices but also by transportation, logistical costs and local market conditions, price adjustments differ from country to country.
“Whilst individual price increases vary, the average increase is 10% in the UK, in line with the global average of 9%.”