Coronavirus, labour shortages and higher customer demand have been blamed for empty shelves pictured at IKEA's Bristol branch.

The Swedish retailer is currently experiencing lower availability of stock due to the current supply chain issues, which is affecting transport, raw materials, and sourcing of products.

Pictures have emerged of empty shelves throughout the Eastgate store, with 'out of stock' labels in various locations including the kitchen hall and the furniture warehouse.

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It comes after national reports at the weekend, in which shoppers complained that some IKEA stores had completely run out of various items including mattresses.

In a statement shared with Bristol Live this morning (Tuesday, September 7), IKEA revealed that “approximately 10 per cent” of its product range is currently unavailable due to the supply issues.

It cited a higher demand for products due to "more people spending time at home", which has resulted in fewer products being available on the shelves.

An IKEA spokesperson said: “Like many retailers, we are experiencing ongoing challenges with our supply chains due to COVID-19 and labour shortages, with transport, raw materials and sourcing all impacted.

"In addition, we are seeing higher customer demand as more people are spending more time at home.

“As a result, we are experiencing low availability in some of our ranges with approximately 10 per cent unavailable.

"We hope this will reduce as the situation improves in the coming weeks and months.

"Going forward, we’re constantly looking for more opportunities to secure product availability for our customers and apologise for any inconvenience this may cause.”

The pictures included in this article were taken by two separate shoppers on Friday (September 3) and today.

This time of year is usually busy for the chain as students stock up in preparation for moves to university.

Shortages are being seen on the retailer's online shop as well as in stores, with separate notices on both its office furniture and mattress pages advising of demand outstripping supply.

Other major chains have also been reporting shortages in recent weeks, with some also blaming Brexit for a lack of lorry drivers to carry out deliveries.

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