M&S warning issued for shoppers this summer after retailer hit by cyber attack

Marks and Spencer has said the six weeks of lost sales it has suffered as a result of a cyber attack on its systems mean it will take a £300m hit to profits this year

Marks and Spencer has issued a stark warning that a full recovery from the devastating cyber attack that brought the retail giant to its knees for weeks is unlikely this summer. The announcement comes as disgruntled shoppers grumble about low stock levels and limited availability.

Retail commentator and CEO of Savvy Marketing, Catherine Shuttleworth, commented: “They will be praying for a hot summer so people keep buying summer clothes,”.

She added: “Now they have got to get their operation up and running, but things are in the wrong place. I think the challenge is that not a lot is online in the right sizes,” following Marks and Spencer’s revelation that six weeks of lost sales will result in a £300m dent in this year’s profits.

One frustrated customer, Kirsten Jones, shared her shopping woes: “I attempted to order some jeans last night, but by the time I finished adding things to my basket, my size was gone,”.

She added: “Stock is pretty low, I think I’m just going to wait until business is back to normal.”, reports Birmingham Live.

Another shopper echoed these sentiments: “I usually browse online, but tend to shop in store if I’m nearby. I’ve not been able to find my size in store for a few weeks, and even now I’m struggling,”.

An analyst weighed in on the situation, stating: “They need to get click and collect back up. They need to get [their hi-tech distribution centre] Castle Donington working. They need to get the full assortment online,”.

The analyst concluded with a sobering prediction: “It may be August before you actually see a normalised MandS clothing offer in store and online.

“They will probably try and stay at full price initially, at least, to get that money back. But I’m assuming they have a lot of excess stock, so they will eventually need to start discounting more to get through some of that, as they won’t be able to keep selling more seasonal summer items,” Pippa Stephens, a senior apparel analyst at GlobalData, remarked.

“I think MandS’s summer was already damaged, and they will want to see the back of it,” Shuttleworth commented. “What they are doing now is to get the business right so that back to school means back to normal.”

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