‘Small but positive' rise in retail footfall as sunny April encourages shoppers
Retailers have seen a 'small but positive' increase in shoppers as the sunniest April on record enticed consumers into stores, figures suggest.
Figures for March and April – which cancel out distortions due to this year's late Easter – indicate high street footfall increased by 0.2% on last year, while visits to retail parks were up 2.7%, according to data from the British Retail Consortium (BRC) and Sensormatic.
But shopping centre visits fell by 0.7%.
BRC chief executive Helen Dickinson said: 'Adjusting for the late fall of Easter this year, footfall across March and April showed a small but positive trend, with retail parks continuing to perform the strongest out of all locations.
The combination of Easter trading and the sunniest April on record helped entice consumers back into stores. Looking at March and April together however, the overall picture for the UK is more balanced ...
Andy Sumpter, Sensormatic
'This reflected the unseasonally warm and bright weather right across the UK. Retailers will be hoping this momentum continues into the summer months.'
Andy Sumpter, retail consultant for Sensormatic, said: 'The combination of Easter trading and the sunniest April on record helped entice consumers back into stores.
'Looking at March and April together however, the overall picture for the UK is more balanced, with footfall across the two months up just 0.2% year-on-year.
'While this suggests that April's gains largely offset March's dip, it also highlights the importance of sustained engagement beyond seasonal peaks. Retailers will now be looking to build on this momentum as we move into the summer months.'
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Scottish Sun
5 hours ago
- Scottish Sun
Terrifying message sent by ‘Chinese hackers' to M&S boss after crippling cyber attack on British retailer is revealed
The blackmail message is believed to have included a racist term RANSOM DEMAND Terrifying message sent by 'Chinese hackers' to M&S boss after crippling cyber attack on British retailer is revealed Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) 'CHINESE hackers' allegedly sent a terrifying message to the boss of Marks & Spencer following a crippling cyber-attack on the British retailer. Fraudsters, believed to be from the hacking group DragonForce, are said to have emailed the company's chief executive Stuart Machin and seven other key executives. Sign up for Scottish Sun newsletter Sign up 2 High street retailer Marks & Spencer was hit by a cyber attack over the Easter holiday Credit: Alamy 2 M&S boss Stuart Machin, pictured, along with seven other company executives were emailed by the hackers, believed to be DragonForce Credit: PA The message, written in broken English, was sent on April 23, indicated that M&S was hacked by the ransomware group, although the retailer has not acknowledged this. 'We have marched the ways from China all the way to the UK and have mercilessly raped your company and encrypted all the servers,' the hackers wrote, according to the BBC. 'The dragon wants to speak to you so please head over to [our darknet website].' The link to the darknet shared in the email led to a portal for victims of DragonForce to negotiate a ransom fee. The hackers added: 'Let's get the party started. Message us, we will make this fast and easy for us.' DragonForce's attack during the Easter holiday has been hugely damaging for one of Britain's best-known retailer and is thought to have cost the firm an estimated £300million. After six weeks on from the attack, the retailer is still unable to process online orders. The email was sent to Mr Machin along with seven other top executives, according to the corporation. A racist term is also said to have been included in the blackmail message and also ended with an image of a fire-breathing dragon. Along with installing ransomware in order to cripple M&S's IT system the hackers are also believed to have stolen private data from millions of customers. The £3.50 M&S buy that'll make your whole house smell like a 'boujee candle' Three weeks on from the attack, M&S informed customers that contact details and dates of birth from some shoppers had been obtained by a suspected cyber cartel. M&S also admitted other personal details, including customers' order histories, had also been pilfered by online criminals. Bosses though have stressed that no data relating to shoppers' payment, card details or account passwords had been obtained. It is unclear how many customers have been affected by the data breach. According to the company's full-year results, it had 9.4million active online customers in the year up to March 30. The email apparently sent by DragonForce is thought to have bene sent using the account of an employee from IT company Tata Consultancy Services (TCS), which has provided IT services to the retailer for more than a decade. The Indian IT worker, who is based in London, had an M&S email address but is paid employee of TCS. Timeline of the attack Saturday, April 19: Initial reports emerge on social media of problems with contactless payments and click-and-collect services at M&S stores across the UK. Customers experience difficulties collecting online purchases and returning items due to system issues. Initial reports emerge on social media of problems with contactless payments and click-and-collect services at M&S stores across the UK. Customers experience difficulties collecting online purchases and returning items due to system issues. Monday, April 21: Problems with contactless payments and click-and-collect persist. M&S officially acknowledges the "cyber incident" in a statement to the London Stock Exchange. CEO Stuart Machin apologises for the disruption and confirms "minor, temporary changes" to store operations. M&S notifies the National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) and the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) and engages external cybersecurity experts. Problems with contactless payments and click-and-collect persist. M&S officially acknowledges the "cyber incident" in a statement to the London Stock Exchange. CEO Stuart Machin apologises for the disruption and confirms "minor, temporary changes" to store operations. M&S notifies the National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) and the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) and engages external cybersecurity experts. Tuesday, April 22: Disruptions continue. M&S takes further systems offline as part of "proactive management". Disruptions continue. M&S takes further systems offline as part of "proactive management". Wednesday, April 23: Despite earlier claims of customer-facing systems returning to normal, M&S continues to adjust operations to maintain security. Contactless payments are initially restored, but other services, including click-and-collect, remain affected. Despite earlier claims of customer-facing systems returning to normal, M&S continues to adjust operations to maintain security. Contactless payments are initially restored, but other services, including click-and-collect, remain affected. Thursday, April 24: Contactless payments and click-and-collect services are still unavailable. Reports surface suggesting the attackers possibly gained access to data in February. Contactless payments and click-and-collect services are still unavailable. Reports surface suggesting the attackers possibly gained access to data in February. Friday, April 25: M&S suspends all online and app orders in the UK and Ireland for clothing and food, although customers can still browse products. This decision leads to a 5% drop in M&S's share price. M&S suspends all online and app orders in the UK and Ireland for clothing and food, although customers can still browse products. This decision leads to a 5% drop in M&S's share price. Monday, April 28: M&S is still unable to process online orders. Around 200 agency workers at the main distribution centre are told to stay home. M&S is still unable to process online orders. Around 200 agency workers at the main distribution centre are told to stay home. Tuesday, April 29: Information suggests that the hacker group Scattered Spider is likely behind the attack. Shoppers spot empty shelves in selected stores. Information suggests that the hacker group Scattered Spider is likely behind the attack. Shoppers spot empty shelves in selected stores. Tuesday, May 13: M&S revealed that some customer information has been stolen. M&S revealed that some customer information has been stolen. Wednesday, May 21: The retailer said disruption from the attack is expected to continue through to July. The retailer said disruption from the attack is expected to continue through to July. It's thought the worker was among the victims hacked. The company had previously said it is investigating if it was a gateway for the cyber attack. It has since informed the BBC the email was not sent from its system and had nothing to do with the security breach. M&S has declined to comment on the latest revelations. A spokesperson for the company told The Sun Online: 'We cannot comment on details of or speculation on the cyber incident, and we have been advised not to.'
The Sun
5 hours ago
- The Sun
Terrifying message sent by ‘Chinese hackers' to M&S boss after crippling cyber attack on British retailer is revealed
'CHINESE hackers' allegedly sent a terrifying message to the boss of Marks & Spencer following a crippling cyber-attack on the British retailer. Fraudsters, believed to be from the hacking group DragonForce, are said to have emailed the company's chief executive Stuart Machin and seven other key executives. 2 2 The message, written in broken English, was sent on April 23, indicated that M&S was hacked by the ransomware group, although the retailer has not acknowledged this. 'We have marched the ways from China all the way to the UK and have mercilessly raped your company and encrypted all the servers,' the hackers wrote, according to the BBC. 'The dragon wants to speak to you so please head over to [our darknet website].' The link to the darknet shared in the email led to a portal for victims of DragonForce to negotiate a ransom fee. The hackers added: 'Let's get the party started. Message us, we will make this fast and easy for us.' DragonForce's attack during the Easter holiday has been hugely damaging for one of Britain's best-known retailer and is thought to have cost the firm an estimated £300million. After six weeks on from the attack, the retailer is still unable to process online orders. The email was sent to Mr Machin along with seven other top executives, according to the corporation. A racist term is also said to have been included in the blackmail message and also ended with an image of a fire-breathing dragon. Along with installing ransomware in order to cripple M&S's IT system the hackers are also believed to have stolen private data from millions of customers. Three weeks on from the attack, M&S informed customers that contact details and dates of birth from some shoppers had been obtained by a suspected cyber cartel. M&S also admitted other personal details, including customers' order histories, had also been pilfered by online criminals. Bosses though have stressed that no data relating to shoppers' payment, card details or account passwords had been obtained. It is unclear how many customers have been affected by the data breach. According to the company's full-year results, it had 9.4million active online customers in the year up to March 30. The email apparently sent by DragonForce is thought to have bene sent using the account of an employee from IT company Tata Consultancy Services (TCS), which has provided IT services to the retailer for more than a decade. The Indian IT worker, who is based in London, had an M&S email address but is paid employee of TCS. Timeline of the attack Saturday, April 19: Initial reports emerge on social media of problems with contactless payments and click-and-collect services at M&S stores across the UK. Customers experience difficulties collecting online purchases and returning items due to system issues. Monday, April 21: Problems with contactless payments and click-and-collect persist. M&S officially acknowledges the "cyber incident" in a statement to the London Stock Exchange. CEO Stuart Machin apologises for the disruption and confirms "minor, temporary changes" to store operations. M&S notifies the National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) and the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) and engages external cybersecurity experts. Tuesday, April 22: Disruptions continue. M&S takes further systems offline as part of "proactive management". Wednesday, April 23: Despite earlier claims of customer-facing systems returning to normal, M&S continues to adjust operations to maintain security. Contactless payments are initially restored, but other services, including click-and-collect, remain affected. Thursday, April 24: Contactless payments and click-and-collect services are still unavailable. Reports surface suggesting the attackers possibly gained access to data in February. Friday, April 25: M&S suspends all online and app orders in the UK and Ireland for clothing and food, although customers can still browse products. This decision leads to a 5% drop in M&S's share price. Monday, April 28: M&S is still unable to process online orders. Around 200 agency workers at the main distribution centre are told to stay home. Tuesday, April 29: Information suggests that the hacker group Scattered Spider is likely behind the attack. Shoppers spot empty shelves in selected stores. Tuesday, May 13: M&S revealed that some customer information has been stolen. Wednesday, May 21: The retailer said disruption from the attack is expected to continue through to July. It's thought the worker was among the victims hacked. The company had previously said it is investigating if it was a gateway for the cyber attack. It has since informed the BBC the email was not sent from its system and had nothing to do with the security breach. M&S has declined to comment on the latest revelations.
Daily Record
13 hours ago
- Daily Record
All the retailers hit by recent cyber attacks as two more become latest victims
Marks and Spencers was the first company to get hit back at Easter weekend and now more brands are joining the list. Cyber attacks have taken yet another hit at high-profile retailers as two more well-known brands have become the latest victims to this online crime. Luxury jeweller Cartier and fashion brand North Face have become the latest victims of cyber criminal reign. It has been reported that both Cartier and North Face have revealed that customer data was breached - including email addresses and names. However, the firms did also emphasise that no financial information was taken. The cases of malware hacks has been increasing over the past few months since Marks and Spencers was attacked back in April. As a result, the company had to temporarily shut down their online shopping, which is still yet to reopen more than a month after the attack. This was followed by Co-op being hacked and having to cancel their delivery service. Adidas, Victoria's Secret and Harrods have also joined the list of notable brands that have been victims of cyber criminals. North Face sent an email out to their customers recently informing them that it discovered a "small-scale" attack back in April this year. It went on to say that the hackers targeted the company by using a technique called "credential stuffing", which is when crooks try to use usernames and passwords from another data breach in hopes that customers have reused the same password. It was also noted that some of the hackers may have been able to get access to some shoppers' shipping addresses and purchase history. Those who were affected have been urged to change their passwords. Luxury brand Cartier also sent out an email which informed shoppers that "an unauthorized party gained temporary access to our system" and that the crooks "obtained limited client information". They also said that no passwords or card details were accessed. The firm added: "We contained the issue and have further enhanced the protection of our systems and data." James Hadley, founder of cyber-security company Immersive, has said that cyber attacks are the "harsh reality" of the retail industry. As luxury and high street brands are "overflowing with customer information", he says they are becoming more of an "easy target" for cyber crooks. M&S has still yet to recover properly from the attack in April, with owners saying that their online services are likely to be disrupted until July. Additionally, the company had estimated that this inconvenience will end up costing the company £300million. Within the breach, hackers managed to gain access to a variety of customer personal data, including names, email addresses, postal addresses and dates of birth. Since the incident, Scottish law firm Thompsons Solicitors have filed a multi-million pound class action suit against the company. This was followed by the Co-op and Harrods being forced to shut down their IT systems and restrict their internet access to try and ward off further attacks. On May 2, a Co-op spokesperson revealed ongoing "sustained malicious attempts by hackers to access" their systems. It also said it was "a highly complex situation" following reports that the same cybercriminals had taken responsibility for both breaches. At the same time, Harrods restricted access to their sites following an attempt to gain access to their systems. However, the company was able to keep its stores open and continue their online sales. At the time, a statement from Harrods said: "We recently experienced attempts to gain unauthorised access to some of our systems. "Our seasoned IT security team immediately took proactive steps to keep systems safe and as a result we have restricted internet access at our sites today. "Currently all sites including our Knightsbridge store, H beauty stores and airport stores remain open to welcome customers. Customers can also continue to shop via Join the Daily Record WhatsApp community! Get the latest news sent straight to your messages by joining our WhatsApp community today. You'll receive daily updates on breaking news as well as the top headlines across Scotland. No one will be able to see who is signed up and no one can send messages except the Daily Record team. All you have to do is click here if you're on mobile, select 'Join Community' and you're in! If you're on a desktop, simply scan the QR code above with your phone and click 'Join Community'. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don't like our community, you can check out any time you like. To leave our community click on the name at the top of your screen and choose 'exit group'. If you're curious, you can read our Privacy Notice. Later on in May, sportswear brand Adidas also disclosed that hackers had been able to steal customers' personal information, which "mainly consisted" of the contact information of people who had been in touch with the help desk. Again, the brand said that passwords and card details, along with other payment data, had not been compromised. On its website, Adidas said: "We remain fully committed to protecting the privacy and security of our consumers, and sincerely regret any inconvenience or concern caused by this incident." Lingerie firm Victoria's Secret was also a victim of a cyber attack, which saw them take down their US website and replace it with a customer notice saying: "Working around the clock to fully restore operations". Some in-store services were also taken down at the time. However, the company's UK website seemed to be unaffected.
