Photo: EPA

British retailer Marks & Spencer reportedreported that its underlying profit for the first fiscal half of the year fell by 55.4% to £184.1 million (€208.89 million). The main reason for this was a hacker attack and a leak of customer data.

An attack on M&S's IT systems over the Easter weekend forced the retailer to suspend orders through its website, which sells clothing, home goods, and gifts, for more than a month and a half.

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M&S clothing division suffered the most, with total sales down 16.4% in the first half of the year and online sales down 42.9%.

The hack, which became one of the most devastating in the history of British business, also stole personal data from customers, which could include names, email addresses, postal addresses, and dates of birth.

M&S CEO Stuart Mechin said that the recovery from the hack has been "slower than we would have liked." It will take time to restore orders and distribution, and overseas online orders resumed only last month.

According to him, the unit will be fully operational only next spring.

  • M&S is not the only British retailer to suffer from a cyberattack. Harrods, a luxury London department store, and Co-op were also targeted. It is not yet clear whether the three attacks are related, and police are continuing to investigate.