Marks & Spencer: M&S stops online orders including Click & Collect after cyber attack fallout
Marks & Spencer (M&S) has temporarily suspended all orders through its website and mobile apps as it continues to deal with the impact of a cyber attack.
The British retailer, which has been battling a "cyber incident" since last weekend, confirmed on Friday that the disruption has deepened, affecting online services and in-store operations. The company has already paused click and collect services and contactless payments at stores due to the ongoing issue.
In a statement, M&S said: “We are truly sorry for this inconvenience. Our stores are open to welcome customers.” The retailer added: “We are working extremely hard to restart online and app shopping,” and reassured customers that there is currently no need for them to take any action: “We informed customers on Tuesday that there was no need for them to take any action. That remains the case, and if the situation changes we will let them know.”
The latest update follows an earlier message from M&S chief executive Stuart Machin, who on Tuesday told customers: “I’m writing to let you know that over the last few days M&S has been managing a cyber incident. To protect you and the business, it was necessary to temporarily make some small changes to our store operations, and I am sincerely sorry if you experienced any inconvenience.”
M&S said it has taken steps to secure its network and has reported the breach to the UK’s data protection watchdog and the National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC).
The attack has already rattled investor confidence, with shares in the retailer falling 4.8% on Friday afternoon.