Less Ads, More Data, More Tools Register for FREE
Sponsored Content
Don't want ads? Click here
Sponsored Content
Don't want ads? Click here

Pin to quick picksMarks & Spencer Share News (MKS)

Share Price Information for Marks & Spencer (MKS)

London Stock Exchange
Share Price is delayed by 15 minutes
Get Live Data
Share Price: 342.00
Bid: 340.80
Ask: 341.10
Change: 6.40 (1.91%)
Spread: 0.30 (0.088%)
Open: 337.10
High: 344.20
Low: 337.00
Prev. Close: 335.60
MKS Live PriceLast checked at -

Watchlists are a member only feature

Login to your account

Timelines are a member only feature

Login to your account

Alerts are a premium feature

Login to your account

Cyberattacks blight Britain's retailers as M&S, Co-op's systems' breached

Fri, 02nd May 2025 20:18

M&S stopped taking clothing orders online on April 25

*

Co-op says customer data accessed and extracted

*

Harrods also faced cyber incidents

*

Trade body says attacks becoming increasingly sophisticated

*

Cyber security body says attacks are wake-up call for UK

LONDON, May 2 (Reuters) -

Britain's Marks & Spencer entered a second week unable to take online orders on Friday following a major cyberattack, while food retailer the Co-op Group said hackers had stolen customer data.

Some 700 million pounds ($930 million) has been wiped off the stock market value of M&S since the hack was revealed last week, and news that the Co-op and London department store Harrods have also faced incidents in recent days was described as a "wake up call" by the government's National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC).

British companies, public bodies and institutions have been hit by a wave of cyberattacks in recent years, costing them tens of millions of pounds and often months of disruption.

The 141-year-old M&S, one of the best known names in British business, stopped taking clothing and home orders through its website and app on April 25 following problems with contactless pay and click and collect services over the Easter holiday weekend.

The Co-op first revealed a cyberattack on Wednesday but said on Friday that information relating to a significant number of its current and past members, including personal data such as names, contact details and dates of birth had been taken.

Ciaran Martin, the former CEO of the NCSC, told Reuters that so far there were no signs that the attacks on M&S, the Co-op and Harrods were linked, with the latter two possibly discovered as a result of increased vigilance following the M&S incident.

"If this can happen to M&S, it can happen to anybody," he said, noting that after such a serious attack there was nothing unusual about the length of the recovery period.

On Friday, M&S CEO Stuart Machin again apologised to shoppers, without saying when online ordering would resume.

"We are working day and night to manage the current cyber incident and get things back to normal for you as quickly as possible," he said in an email sent to M&S customers.

With M&S, which has about 1,000 stores across Britain, making around one-third of its clothing and home sales online, analysts have said a short-term profit hit is inevitable.

M&S has declined to quantify the financial impact, which is growing by the day as it misses out on sales of new season ranges with the UK basking in record May temperatures.

Commuters were locked out of their accounts for almost three months last year after a cyberattack at London transport operator TfL, while a cyberattack on a blood test processing company in London also last year disrupted services for over three months.

Availability of some food products has also been affected in some M&S stores, while the disruption may be having a broader impact on the business, which has pulled job postings on its website.

Shares in M&S closed down 1%, extending losses since Easter to about 9%.

'INCREASINGLY SOPHISTICATED' ATTACKS

Helen Dickinson, CEO of trade body the British Retail Consortium, said cyberattacks were becoming "increasingly sophisticated", forcing retailers to spend hundreds of millions of pounds every year on defences.

"All retailers are continually reviewing their systems to ensure they are as secure as possible," she said.

Technology specialist site BleepingComputer, citing multiple sources, said a ransomware attack that encrypted M&S's servers was believed to have been conducted by a hacking collective known as "Scattered Spider".

The NCSC is working with the affected retailers, while the Metropolitan Police's Cyber Crime Unit and the National Crime Agency (NCA) are investigating the M&S attack.

“These incidents should act as a wake-up call to all organisations," said NCSC head Richard Horne.

Labour lawmaker Matt Western, Chair of parliament's Joint Committee on the National Security Strategy, said the government should do more to prevent major cyberattacks.

"As the Government concludes its consultation on proposals to counter ransomware, I hope its response treats these threats with the seriousness they clearly deserve." ($1 = 0.7524 pounds) (Reporting by James Davey and Sarah Young, editing by Kate Holton, Elaine Hardcastle and Louise Heavens)

More News
21 May 2025 12:09

LONDON MARKET MIDDAY: Stocks down but pound hits over three-year high

(Alliance News) - European stocks were on the back foot heading into Wednesday afternoon, while sterling hit its best level in over three years after a loftier than forecast UK inflation reading.

Read more
21 May 2025 09:10

LONDON MARKET OPEN: Slow start in Europe; retailers struggle in London

(Alliance News) - European stocks opened mixed on Wednesday, but the FTSE 100 managed a minor gain despite a stronger pound on the back of a red-hot UK inflation reading.

Read more
21 May 2025 09:05

M&S warns cyberattack may cost GBP300 million despite earnings rise

(Alliance News) - Marks & Spencer Group PLC on Wednesday warned that the recent cyberattack that it suffered could reduce operating profit by around GBP300 million in the current financial year, even as the retailer reported a significant rise in annual earnings.

Read more
21 May 2025 09:01

M&S says cyber attack was result of human error, declines to comment on ransom

LONDON, May 21 (Reuters) - The chief executive of Marks & Spencer said on Wednesday he could not comment on whether the retailer had paid a ransom in a cyber attack which has cost it about 300 million pounds ($402.39 million) and which he said was the result of "human error". ($1 = 0.7455 pounds) (Reporting by James Davey and Paul Sandle, writing by Sarah Young, editing by Catarina Demony)

Read more
21 May 2025 08:08

M&S will restart online operations in the coming weeks, CEO says

LONDON, May 21 (Reuters) - Marks & Spencer will restart its online operations in the coming weeks after the British retailer was hit by a cyber attack last month, but it will take some time to be fully up and running, Chief Executive Stuart Machin said on Wednesday.

Read more
21 May 2025 07:53

LONDON BRIEFING: M&S warns of GBP300 million hit from cyber chaos

(Alliance News) - London's FTSE 100 is called to open lower on Wednesday, but the pound perked up following a hotter-than-expected UK inflation report.

Read more
21 May 2025 07:24

M&S estimates £300m hit from cyberattack as FY profits tank

(Sharecast News) - Marks & Spencer has said it expects current-year profits to take a £300m hit from a "highly sophisticated" cyber incident that has hampered operations over the past month.

Read more
21 May 2025 07:04

Britain's M&S says cyberattack to cost $400 million

LONDON, May 21 (Reuters) - British retailer Marks & Spencer said on Wednesday last month's cyberattack would cost it about 300 million pounds ($403 million) in current year operating profit, before cost mitigation, insurance and trading actions.

Read more
21 May 2025 06:50

LONDON MARKET EARLY CALL: FTSE 100 to rise; pound up before UK data

(Alliance News) - London's FTSE 100 is called to open slightly higher on Wednesday, ahead of a UK consumer price inflation report, while the pound perked up above the USD1.34 mark and could continue to climb should the data comes in hotter-than-expected.

Read more
20 May 2025 16:37

London close: Stocks rise on rate cuts, Ukraine optimism

(Sharecast News) - London stocks ended higher on Tuesday, as investor sentiment recovered from jitters over Moody's US credit rating downgrade, alongside increasing hopes of a ceasefire in Ukraine and renewed policy support from China.

Read more
19 May 2025 17:58

UK's food sellers welcome EU deal but fishermen feel betrayed

UK-EU food trade has faced friction since Brexit

*

Read more
19 May 2025 11:36

M&S' slow recovery from cyberattack puts it at risk of lasting damage

M&S disclosed cyber incident on April 22

*

Read more
19 May 2025 09:05

Personal data taken in UK legal aid cyber attack

LONDON, May 19 (Reuters) -

Read more
16 May 2025 09:27

LONDON BROKER RATINGS: HSBC raises Carnival; Citi raises Tate & Lyle

(Alliance News) - The following London-listed shares received analyst recommendations Friday morning and on Thursday:

Read more
15 May 2025 14:32

Cyberattack-hit M&S says food availability improving every day

LONDON, May 15 (Reuters) - British retailer Marks & Spencer said on Thursday food volumes flowing from its distribution centres to its stores were back to normal levels after product availability was hit by last month's cyberattack.

Read more

Login to your account

Don't have an account? Click here to register.

Quickpicks are a member only feature

Login to your account

Don't have an account? Click here to register.