With reports of a nationwide garden and patio furniture shortage, getting our hands on something nice for our outside space is likely to be a little more challenging.

Some customers have reported a lack of patio sets, sunloungers, barbecues and other outdoor products when browsing at garden centres and homeware chains to get ready for the warmer weather.

The shortage is largely down to supply issues between China and the UK. The Leisure and Outdoor Furniture Association (LOFA), which represents 70 manufacturers and wholesalers, confirmed the problems.

LOFA marketing manager Gina Hinde said the main cause of the problem was a shortage of shipping containers, which has pushed up freight prices.

Ms Hinde said container issues had started to worsen last November, and members had been alerted then that delays would lead to increases in shipping costs.

She said……..

“There are shipping issues because of Covid hitting the supply chain and a shortage of empty containers, which has led to prices being put up. The Covid pandemic has also caused issues with containers full of PPE blocking ports.

“Outdoor leisure items are typically quite bulky and so our members need a lot of containers, around 30 to 40 to get a supply of stock into the UK for the season.

“The same applies to any large items coming over from the Far East including indoor furniture, though it’s the shortage of outdoor products that is going to be really obvious at the moment as people start to get their gardens ready for summer.

“On top of this, we have high demand. No one has been going on holiday for the past year, they have been in their own homes and gardens instead. Everyone went crazy for garden furniture last year and this could carry on well into this year.”

This is the time when people decide they want a barbecue, parasol, patio table and chairs or other outdoor items – but they are likely to find many empty sections in stores and out of stock notifications on websites.

“Stores are selling out because of demand, there are going to be long waiting times for customer orders to be delivered and we foresee the usual season carrying on into August and September as a result.”

So, let SOUTH WALES LIFE come to the rescue as our friends at THE RANGE have told us their Welsh Stores have the answer in the nationwide garden & patio furniture shortage

From patio swings to bistro and dining sets, The Range truly is saving summer 2021! With shopper’s scrambling to find any outdoor living products available, they can rest easy knowing that Wales’ twelve Range stores have plenty available for them to browse and buy, once the government deems it safe to allow non-essential shopping. From Newport and Carmarthen, all the way up to Rhyl, there’s a Range store bound to hold your dream patio set.

Their Padstow Outdoor Bistro Table is only £57.99, with matching chairs available, perfect for alfresco dining and livening up your outdoor space. Despite the shortage, The Range is sticking to their values, always ensuring they are providing affordable pieces that don’t break the bank!

Followers of The Range on Instagram are also loving the new collection, with a patio furniture video having been seen by over 330k and commented on over 3k times, tagging friends and family exclaiming “So clever!!!! Love It!!!👏❤️” and “How cool 😎 is this!”.

The Range stores across Wales are……

• The Range Newport: East Retail Park, Maesglas Industrial Estate, Newport, NP20 2NW
• The Range Cardiff: 372 Newport Road, Cardiff, CF23 9AE
• The Range Culverhouse Cross: Patreane Way, Culverhouse Cross, Cardiff, South Glamorgan, CF5 4UG
• The Range Bridgend: Waterton Retail Park, Bridgend, Mid Glamorgan, CF31 3TN
• The Range Swansea: Trallwn Road, Llansamlet, Swansea, SA7 9WL
• The Range Cwmdu: Carmarthen Road, Cwmdu, Cwmbwrla, Swansea SA5 8LJ
• The Range Llanelli: Parc Pemberton Retail Park, Llanelli, Carmarthenshire, SA14 9UZ
• The Range Carmarthen: Towy Ford Retail Park, Carmarthen, Carmarthenshire SA31 2BN
• The Range Wrexham: Plas Coch Retail Park, Plas Coch Road, Wrexham, Clwyd, LL11 2BA
• The Range Queensferry: Deeside Retail Park, Chester Road East, Queensferry, Flintshire CH5 1JJ
• The Range Rhyl: Marina Quay Retail Park, Rhyl, Denbighshire LL18 5AX
• The Range Bangor: Caernarfon Road, Bangor, Gwynedd, LL57 4SU