Ikea offers refund on plastic ‘leather sofas’

SHOPPERS who bought Ikea sofas and chairs advertised as leather have been offered refunds after it emerged that some products are partially plastic – and one appears to contain no hide at all.

The world’s biggest furniture retailer admitted labelling on its website is not “as clear as we would like”. It told The Sunday Telegraph customers would get their money back if they are “unhappy with their purchases”.

Ikea claimed yesterday the problem was resolved – but furniture made from plastic was still listed under its section for “leather armchairs and recliners”.

The £140 Ekerö chair is made of polyester, cotton and polypropylene, with no mention of leather. In the same “leather” listing, a £350 Landskrona armchair has a coated fabric “75 per cent polyester, 25 per cent cotton, 100 per cent polyurethane” on a “base material” of dyed cattle leather.

A closer look at the Kivik series shows that its £2,399 nine-seater U-shaped sofa has 1.6mm leather “contact areas” while “outer surfaces are covered in a durable coated fabric with the same look and feel as leather”.

The problem was first spotted by a consumers group in Australia and, after a campaign, the Ikea website was altered. The organisation gave the Swedish giant a “Shonky” award – local slang for unreliable. The UK website was similarly affected.

Donna Moore, Ikea customer relations manager, said: “Customers can find detailed information about the materials of all of our products within the product description.”