Marks & Spencer has issued an apology to customers after experiencing a “cyber incident” that impacted contactless payments and the collection of online orders in its UK stores in recent days.
The retailer confirmed that the issue caused tills to stop working and led to ongoing delays for its click and collect service.
The incident, which began on Monday, affected both contactless payment systems and the click and collect order fulfillment process across M&S stores nationwide.
The company stated it is “working hard to resolve” the continuing delays impacting online order pickups.
This cyber issue reportedly followed a separate, unrelated technical problem on Saturday which had only affected contactless payments.
In response to the cyber incident, M&S took immediate steps, reporting the event to the UK’s National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC).
The company has also enlisted cybersecurity experts to aid in investigating and managing the situation.
M&S confirmed it is actively “taking actions to further protect our network” to ensure it can continue serving shoppers securely.
In a formal statement to the stock exchange, M&S acknowledged it found it “necessary to make some minor, temporary changes to our store operations to protect customers and the business.”
The company expressed regret “for any inconvenience experienced” by shoppers due to these changes.
Crucially, M&S reassured customers and staff that they do not need to take any specific action at this time, suggesting that personal data has not been compromised.
“Customer trust is incredibly important to us, and if the situation changes an update will be provided as appropriate,” it said.
Despite the disruption, M&S confirmed its stores remain open, and its website and mobile app are operating as normal.
