M&S updates shoppers following ‘cyber incident’

M&S has issued an update to customers following a technical glitch which left shoppers across the UK unable to use contactless payments or click-and-collect services over the Bank holiday weekend.

In a message which was sent out to customers, the supermarket’s CEO Stuart Machin explained M&S had been “managing a cyber incident” over the last few days.

He said: “To protect you and the business, it was necessary to temporarily make some small changes to our store operations, and I am sincerely sorry if you experienced any inconvenience.”

Machin noted that its stores remained open, and that the retailer’s website and app continued to operate as normal.

“There is no need for you to take any action at this time and if the situation changes, we will let you know,” he said.

“There may be some limited delays to your click-and-collect order, which we are working hard to resolve.

The executive highlighted that M&S had been “working hard with the best experts” to manage the situation.

The grocery giant issued an apology to shoppers over the incident yesterday, following mounting frustration from customers on social media who were unable to pay using contactless methods or collect their online orders.

Shoppers reported queues in-store, cancelled café visits and an inability to use gift cards or return items.

It marks the second major tech-related issue the retailer has faced in the past year, with its website and app taken offline for several hours following a third-party service failure in May.

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