Coop cyber attack: Retailer shuts down parts of IT system after attempted hack, are stores open

The retail group, which operates more than 2,000 food stores and 800 funeral parlours across the UK, said some of its internal operations, including back office systems and call centre services, have been affected. However, it stressed that all its stores, including grocery outlets and funeral homes, remain open and trading normally.

In a statement, a Co-op spokesperson said: “We have recently experienced attempts to gain unauthorised access to some of our systems. As a result, we have taken proactive steps to keep our systems safe, which has resulted in a small impact to some of our back office and call centre services. We are not asking our members or customers to do anything differently at this point. We will continue to provide updates as necessary.”

The company added that it is “working hard to reduce any disruption to our services” and thanked staff and customers for their patience.

The attempted breach comes as rival retailer Marks & Spencer continues to deal with the fallout from a major cyber incident that took place almost two weeks ago. The M&S website remains unable to process online orders, and both click and collect services and contactless payments have been affected.

The Metropolitan Police have confirmed that they are investigating the M&S breach, although it is currently unknown whether the two incidents are connected.