(Stockholm) Swedish furniture giant IKEA is forced to increase prices by an average of 9% in 2022 amid persistent shortages and expensive transportation issues in the global economy, the group that owns most of the goods said Thursday. its stores.
“Unfortunately, for the first time since higher costs started to affect the global economy, we are going to have to pass some cost increases on to our customers,” said Ingka Group, an IKEA holding company of more than 90 % of its stores.
“Like many other industries, IKEA continues to face significant constraints on transportation and raw materials that drive costs, with no break expected in the near future. The disruptions are expected for most of 2022, ”underlines Ingka, who is based in the Netherlands.
By far the main franchise network of IKEA with nearly 400 stores, Ingka differs from another main holding company of the Swedish giant, Inter IKEA, which owns the brand and franchises the brands around the world.
According to Ingka, the main cost increases related to transportation and supply prices “are felt mostly in North America and Europe.”
“The average increase at Ingka Group will be 9% worldwide, with variations depending on the group’s countries and the range, reflecting local inflationary pressures”, indicates the group.
Until now, IKEA had absorbed the significant costs generated by these major logistical tensions, caused in particular by the rebound in demand at the end of the first phase of the pandemic.
This announcement comes against a backdrop of sharp acceleration in inflation across the world, driven by the deep disruption of distribution chains and shortages of products essential to international trade.
The phenomenon was accompanied by a surge in the prices of raw materials (wood, copper, steel) and energy (gasoline, gas, electricity).
In the euro zone, inflation thus reached 4.9% over one year in November, a record since the introduction of the single currency in 1999.
In the United States, the price increase was 6.8% last month compared to November 2020, its highest level in 39 years.