Marks & Spencer customers were able to shop from the retailer’s website today for the first time since it was crippled by a devastating cyber hack more than six weeks ago.
The company said “a selection of our best-selling fashion ranges are now available online for home delivery to England, Scotland and Wales” - but not Northern Ireland - from today.
“More of our fashion, home and beauty products will be added every day and we will resume deliveries to Northern Ireland and Click and Collect in the coming weeks. Thank you sincerely for your support and for shopping with us.”
It is the most encouraging sign yet that M&S is finally getting to grips with a cyber attack that will cost it £300 million in operating profits this year although about half of that is expected to be offset by insurance and other measures.
M&S suspended online orders on its website and app, including its click-and-collect service on April 23, shutting down a channel that accounts for 34% of all clothing and home sales.
Shoppers had been able to browse the website but have not been able to pay for any goods.
It was forced to stop taking orders on its website when hackers gained access to its systems over the Easter weekend. M&S has said it expects disruption from the hack to continue until July.
Customer personal data, which could have included names, email addresses, postal addresses and dates of birth, was also stolen by hackers.
It emerged this week that M&S CEO Stuart Machin was sent a message on the 23 April from the hacker group DragonForce using an employee email account.
Machin revealed in an interview last week that when he first learned late at night that the store's systems had been hacked: “I went into shock. It's in the pit of your stomach, the anxiety.
“But you have to think: ‘Stuart, you have to lead this, you have to keep a cool head.’ I don't know if I was calm. It was a mixture of emotions because I care, I put my life into transforming M&S.”
Last month the company reported a higher-than-expected pre-tax profit of £875.5 million for the year to March, up 22.2% on the previous year.
The attack on M&S emerged days before cyber-attacks were reported by the Co-op and Harrods. Since then, sportswear brand Adidas and lingerie group Victoria’s Secret have also been targeted.
