Marks & Spencer customers remain unable to place online orders for a fourth consecutive day as the retailer continues to address a cyberattack that has now persisted for over a week.
Visitors to the company’s website are greeted with a notice stating that online shopping has been “paused… as part of our proactive management of a cyber incident.”
While customers can still browse the M&S range online and make purchases in physical stores, click-and-collect services have been disrupted. Several customers have expressed frustration, reporting that orders placed for spring holidays have yet to be delivered.
Shares in Marks & Spencer fell by more than 3% in early trading on Monday as the retailer continued to grapple with the ongoing disruption caused by a cyberattack.
Over the past week, more than £766 million has been wiped from M&S’s market value, with the company’s share price declining by nearly 10%. Contactless payments and click-and-collect services were disrupted over the Easter weekend, and the retailer first disclosed details of the cyber incident on Tuesday afternoon.
Although contactless payment functionality was restored last week, M&S suspended all online orders on Friday as a precautionary measure.
Customer frustration has been evident on social media, with one individual writing on X (formerly Twitter): “When will online orders resume? I go on holiday at the weekend and have been waiting to order some clothes for my children.” Others circulated memes with the caption: “This is not just a cyber attack. This is an M&S cyber attack.”
The company has announced it will refund any orders placed online on Friday. Customers awaiting collection of online orders have been advised to wait until they receive a confirmation email before visiting stores, although delays may occur.
On Monday, Marks & Spencer reportedly instructed agency workers at one of its major distribution centres in the East Midlands not to report for work, as the disruption stemming from the cyber incident continues to escalate.
At the Castle Donington warehouse, which manages M&S’s clothing and homeware operations, approximately 20% of the workforce consists of agency staff.
