Hundreds of agency workers at Marks and Spencer’s (M&S) main distribution centre have been told to stay at home following the retail giant’s widely reported ongoing cyber attack.
Sky News first reported that roughly 200 people who had been due to start shift work at M&S’s Castle Donington clothing and homewares logistics centre in the East Midlands have been told not to come in in the midst of the escalating crisis.
Despite this, the firm’s own employees have been advised to attend work as usual.
The news comes just days after the company’s chief executive, Stuart Machin, issued an apology to customers impacted by the attacks.
The incident has disrupted several key services, including its click and collect orders and contactless payment systems.
The company released a further statement on Friday confirming its decision to pause taking orders via its site M&S.com.
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“As part of our proactive management of a cyber incident, we have made the decision to pause taking orders via our M&S.com websites and apps,” it read.
“Our product range remains available to browse online. We are truly sorry for this inconvenience. Our stores are open to welcome customers.
“We informed customers on Tuesday that there was no need for them to take any action. That remains the case, and if the situation changes we will let them know.
“Our experienced team – supported by leading cyber experts – is working extremely hard to restart online and app shopping.
“We are incredibly grateful to our customers, colleagues and partners for their understanding and support.”
M&S first notified the public about the incident last Wednesday and its share price has slumped since.
Shares have dropped from 407.2p at 8am on Wednesday 23rd April to 382p at 4:29pm today.
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