The unprecedented number of asylum seekers in Europe is taking a toll on local IKEA stores.
Germany and Sweden have accepted such high numbers of asylum applications that local IKEA stores are running low on beds. Germany has accepted the most migrants than any other country in the European Union, and Sweden has accepted the highest number per capita. As local authorities scramble to accommodate these influxes of people, the Swedish furniture retailer has been struggling to keep up with the demand.
Josefin Thorell, a spokeswoman for the Swedish furniture retailer, told Bloomberg that stores in Germany and Sweden have had “some shortages of bunk beds, mattresses and duvets.” He added: “If the situation persists we expect that it will be difficult to keep up and maintain sufficient supply.”
This isn’t the first time this has happened to IKEA—in September, NBC News reported that German authorities bought so many bunk beds that the local retailer was bringing in more from China.
Sweden’s finance minister, Magdalena Andersson, told Bloomberg that the financial strain on the country “is not acute,” but that officials may not be able to house all new arrivals. Migration minister Morgan Johansson said that some who arrive in Sweden may have to arrange housing for themselves, or “have to go back to Germany or Denmark again.”