Irish retailer Mattress Mick says it's "inevitable" that Irish customers will soon face higher costs for bedding and other furniture due to soaring shipping costs.
Freight costs for many consumer and industrial goods have dramatically increased over the past year.
Demand for shipping has soared, while the prolonged grounding of many passenger jets has decreased the usual capacity for air freight.
Meanwhile, Irish and British retailers are dealing with the logistical and cost impacts of Brexit.
The global shipping industry also faced major disruption earlier this year when the key Suez Canal route was blocked for a week after a ship got stuck on the busy trade route.
Michael Flynn - better known as Mattress Mick - told Lunchtime Live all these problems have impacted suppliers and retailers.
He explained: “We try to sell as many Irish made mattresses as possible, but the parts and components come from abroad.
“12 months ago, the cost of a container to bring in these components was averaging around $3,000. Now, the current price of a container is approximately $13,000 - the price has gone up significantly.
“What’s in the containers is going to cost the supplier or manufacturer more. Unfortunately, wood - which is the main component of a bed base - has gone up over ten times in the last year.
"Obviously, the manufacturing price is going to go up, and unfortunately that’s going to be added to the retail price eventually.”
Other supplies for beds and mattresses - such as springs, foam and cloth - have also been impacted.
Mick said shop owners don't like to raise prices for customers, but retailers can’t carry all the cost increases themselves.
He said it's therefore "inevitable" customers will soon see furniture prices increase, even as retailers will continue working to offer a better quality of service to customers.
He said: “As a retailer myself and speaking to my competitors, we all want to keep our businesses going. We will try not to be exorbitant in our price increases.
“I don’t want to be charging more for a mattress that was €100 last year. I don’t want to be charging €130-140 this year.
"I’m trying to balance it out, and hopefully by doing that I’ll get volume which will compensate for the lower margin.”
Mick said he hopes that an improving COVID-19 situation and the resolution of the recent Suez Canal delays will help reduce costs.
He "genuinely believes" that prices will stabilise within the next year, as demand is still there for the components and the end products.
However, he said transport costs will remain high in the meantime.
