Latest news with #NathanCimbala
Yahoo
a day ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Whole Foods warns of shortages after cyberattack at its primary distributor UNFI
Whole Foods told its employees that the ongoing outages and disruptions at its primary distributor, United Natural Foods (UNFI), may take 'several days to resolve.' The Amazon-owned retail giant told staff in an internal communication, seen by TechCrunch, that UNFI was experiencing a 'nationwide technology system outage,' which UNFI has for its part described as a cybersecurity incident. Whole Foods said in the communication to staff that the cyberattack is affecting UNFI's 'ability to select and ship products from their warehouses' and that this will 'impact our normal delivery schedules and product availability.' The missive to staff included instructions to limit communications with customers. The 'only single approved customer talking point' that Whole Foods employees can share with customers, according to the communication, is that the grocery giant is having 'temporary supply challenges.' When reached by TechCrunch, Whole Foods spokesperson Nathan Cimbala said: 'We are working to restock our shelves as quickly as possible and apologize for any inconvenience this may have caused for customers.' Whole Foods did not say how it reached its claim that the situation may resolve in a few days. For its part, UNFI said Wednesday that it was making progress in restoring its systems. 'We continue working steadily to safely restore our systems and provide the services our customers and suppliers know and expect from us,' UNFI spokesperson Grace Turiano told TechCrunch. 'As of today, we're gradually bringing our ordering and receiving capabilities back online, with the goal of further increasing our capacity over the coming days.' UNFI is one of the largest food distributors in North America, supplying grocery goods and fresh produce to more than 30,000 stores and supermarkets across the U.S. and Canada. The company disclosed the cyberattack on Monday in a filing with federal regulators, and UNFI's chief executive, Sandy Douglas, told investors this week that the company took its entire network offline on Friday after detecting the intrusion. The company also this week reported $8.1 billion in net sales in the quarter ended May 3, 2025. Since our reporting on Tuesday, TechCrunch has received several reports of empty shelves at some Whole Foods stores and other grocery stores reliant on UNFI. A Whole Foods store visited by this reporter on Tuesday displayed notices in several aisles saying that the store was experiencing an unspecified 'temporary out of stock issue' for some products. Much of the downstream real-world impact on grocery stores and their customers may not be seen until later this week. Do you know more about the cyberattack at UNFI? Are you a corporate customer affected by the disruption? You can securely contact this reporter via encrypted message at zackwhittaker.1337 on Signal. This story was first published on June 10 and has been updated with new information about UNFI's recovery from a spokesperson.
New York Post
a day ago
- Business
- New York Post
Whole Foods tells customers of ‘temporary supply challenges' after cyberattack leaves shelves bare
Whole Foods reportedly directed workers to downplay increasingly empty aisles after a cyberattack on its main distributor crippled deliveries and sent ripple effects through the retail food supply chain. The Amazon-owned supermarket chain posted vague notices about 'temporary supply challenges' as frustrated customers were greeted with bare shelves at several locations, according to TechCrunch. In an internal memo obtained by the outlet, Whole Foods told staffers that the cyberattack on United Natural Foods Inc. (UNFI) is its 'ability to select and ship products from their warehouses.' 'This will impact our normal delivery schedules and product availability,' the memo added. 3 Whole Foods stores across North America are facing bare shelves and frustrated customers after a cyberattack on its main distributor. Anadolu Agency via Getty Images The Rhode Island-based wholesaler, which supplies more than 30,000 stores including Whole Foods, reported a 'cybersecurity incident' last week that forced it to take critical systems offline, halting operations and delaying shipments of food and other essentials to supermarkets across the US and Canada. 'We are working to restock our shelves as quickly as possible and apologize for any inconvenience this may have caused for customers,' Whole Foods spokesperson Nathan Cimbala told The Post. UNFI confirmed in a regulatory filing that it had discovered 'unauthorized activity in our systems' late last week and had taken portions of its network offline in response. On Wednesday, the company said it had begun restoring its ordering and receiving systems in phases. 'We continue working steadily to safely restore our systems and provide the services our customers and suppliers know and expect from us,' said UNFI spokesperson Grace Turiano. Grocery chains dependent on UNFI's massive distribution network are being forced to improvise. In New York City, Morton Williams has already begun seeking alternate sources for staples such as dairy, frozen foods, and bottled beverages. 'It's bringing the company to a standstill with no orders generated and no orders coming in,' Steve Schwartz, Morton Williams' director of sales, told The Post earlier this week. Across the country, store employees and shoppers are feeling the strain. One bakery worker posted to Reddit that they had to cancel several graduation cake orders after deliveries of key ingredients failed to arrive. 3 United Natural Foods Inc. (UNFI) fell victim to a cyber attack which crippled deliveries and sent ripple effects through the retail food supply chain. Ellionn – The attack on UNFI is the latest in a string of cyber incidents targeting major consumer-facing companies. Just last month, Victoria's Secret was forced to take its website offline and delay its earnings report after a similar breach. 'What we are seeing with UNFI and, just last week, with Victoria's Secret, reflects a growing trend: threat actors are targeting critical infrastructure and high-traffic consumer platforms for maximum disruption and financial leverage,' Adrianus Warmenhoven, a cybersecurity expert at NordVPN, told TechCrunch. UNFI has not disclosed the identity of the attackers or their demands, if any. CEO Sandy Douglas told investors the breach was discovered Friday and that systems were intentionally shut down as a precaution. But employees say the road to recovery could be long. 'It's a mystery as of yet what is going to happen and how long it's going to be until things are back to normal,' wrote one Reddit user claiming to work for UNFI. 'Even when they can start to get back on track it will have to be done in phases.' 3 Whole Foods stores throughout North American have been impacted. Getty Images UNFI, which reported $8.1 billion in quarterly sales for the period ending May 3, saw its shares drop 8.5% following news of the breach — a sign of investor concern over the scale and duration of the disruption. The timing couldn't be worse. With supply chains still fragile after years of pandemic-related strain, the cyberattack has exposed vulnerabilities in the food industry's logistical backbone. For many retailers, UNFI is a critical link between manufacturers and store shelves — and there's no quick substitute. As UNFI works to get back online and Whole Foods hustles to restock, shoppers may continue to encounter gaps in inventory. The Post has sought comment from UNFI.
Daily Mail
2 days ago
- Business
- Daily Mail
BREAKING NEWS Food shortage fears at one of America's biggest grocery chains after huge tech outage hits supply chain
Whole Foods has issued a warning to customers following a cyberattack on its main supplier. The supplier, United Natural Foods (UNFI), was forced to shut down certain systems after detecting unauthorized activity on its internal networks in recent days. As a result, Whole Foods has alerted employees about the potential for food shortages at its more than 500 locations across the US, according to an internal memo obtained by TechCrunch. The Amazon-owned grocery store added that the cyberattack has impacted UNFI's 'ability to select and ship products from their warehouses,' and that this will 'impact our normal delivery schedules and product availability.' Whole Foods spokesperson Nathan Cimbala said: 'We are working to restock our shelves as quickly as possible and apologize for any inconvenience this may have caused for customers.' Whole Food shoppers have shared images of their trips to the store, showing that many of the shelves are empty. Ed Clearly, a Florida native spending the summer in Pennsylvania, posted on X: 'Small sample size of how empty these store shelves were today. Truly remarkable.' '[I] haven't seen a store like this since a hurricane was barreling towards Florida.' UNFI said Wednesday that it is slowly restoring its systems, adding that it should increase 'capacity over the coming days.' United Natural Foods is the largest publicly traded wholesale distributor of 'healthier food options' in the US and Canada, according to its website. In May 2024 the company announced an eight-year extension to serve as primary distributor for Amazon-owned Whole Foods. The memo also provided staff a talking point when dealing with questions from customers, prompting them to only says that UNFI has been experiencing a 'nationwide technology system outage,' according to TechCrunch.
TechCrunch
2 days ago
- Business
- TechCrunch
Whole Foods warns of shortages after cyberattack at its primary distributor UNFI
Whole Foods told its employees that the ongoing outages and disruptions at its primary distributor, United Natural Foods (UNFI), may take 'several days to resolve.' The Amazon-owned retail giant told staff in an internal communication, seen by TechCrunch, that UNFI was experiencing a 'nationwide technology system outage,' which UNFI has for its part described as a cybersecurity incident. Whole Foods said in the communication to staff that the cyberattack is affecting UNFI's 'ability to select and ship products from their warehouses,' and that this will 'impact our normal delivery schedules and product availability.' The missive to staff included instructions to limit communications with customers. The 'only single approved customer talking point' that Whole Foods employees can share with customers, according to the communication, is that the grocery giant is having 'temporary supply challenges.' When reached by TechCrunch, Whole Foods spokesperson Nathan Cimbala said: 'We are working to restock our shelves as quickly as possible and apologize for any inconvenience this may have caused for customers.' The company did not say how the company reached its claim that the situation may resolve in a few days. For its part, UNFI said Wednesday that it was making progress in restoring its systems. 'We continue working steadily to safely restore our systems and provide the services our customers and suppliers know and expect from us,' UNFI spokesperson Grace Turiano told TechCrunch. 'As of today, we're gradually bringing our ordering and receiving capabilities back online, with the goal of further increasing our capacity over the coming days.' UNFI is one of the largest food distributors in North America, supplying grocery goods and fresh produce to more than 30,000 stores and supermarkets across the U.S. and Canada. The company disclosed the cyberattack on Monday in a filing with federal regulators, and UNFI's chief executive, Sandy Douglas, told investors this week that the company took its entire network offline on Friday after detecting the intrusion. The company also this week reported $8.1 billion in net sales in the quarter ended May 3, 2025. Since our reporting on Tuesday, TechCrunch has received several reports of empty shelves at some Whole Foods stores and other grocery stores reliant on UNFI. A Whole Foods store visited by this reporter on Tuesday displayed notices in several aisles saying that the store was experiencing an unspecified 'temporary out of stock issue' for some products. Much of the downstream real-world impact on grocery stores and their customers may not be seen until later this week. Do you know more about the cyberattack at UNFI? Are you a corporate customer affected by the disruption? You can securely contact this reporter via encrypted message at zackwhittaker.1337 on Signal. This story was first published on June 10 and updated with new information about UNFI's recovery from a spokesperson.
TechCrunch
3 days ago
- Business
- TechCrunch
Whole Foods tells staff cyberattack at its primary distributor UNFI will affect product availability
Whole Foods told its employees that the ongoing outages and disruptions at its primary distributor, United Natural Foods (UNFI), may take 'several days to resolve.' The Amazon-owned retail giant told staff in an internal communication, seen by TechCrunch, that UNFI was experiencing a 'nationwide technology system outage,' which UNFI has for its part described as a cybersecurity incident. Whole Foods said in the communication to staff that the cyberattack is affecting UNFI's 'ability to select and ship products from their warehouses,' and that this will 'impact our normal delivery schedules and product availability.' The missive to staff included instructions to limit communications with customers. The 'only single approved customer talking point' that Whole Foods employees can share with customers, according to the communication, is that the grocery giant is having 'temporary supply challenges.' When reached by TechCrunch, Whole Foods spokesperson Nathan Cimbala said: 'We are working to restock our shelves as quickly as possible and apologize for any inconvenience this may have caused for customers.' UNFI has not responded to TechCrunch's request for comment on Tuesday, nor given a timeline for its recovery. Whole Foods' spokesperson did not say how the company reached its claim that the situation may resolve in a few days. UNFI is one of the largest food distributors in North America, supplying grocery goods and fresh produce to more than 30,000 stores and supermarkets across the U.S. and Canada. The company disclosed the cyberattack on Monday in a filing with federal regulators, and UNFI's chief executive, Sandy Douglas, told investors Tuesday that the company took its entire network offline on Friday after detecting the intrusion. The company also on Tuesday reported $8.1 billion in net sales in the quarter ended May 3, 2025. As we reported earlier Tuesday, TechCrunch has heard anecdotal reports of empty shelves at some Whole Foods stores and other grocery stores reliant on UNFI. A Whole Foods store visited by this reporter on Tuesday displayed notices in several aisles saying that the store was experiencing an unspecified 'temporary out of stock issue' for some products. Much of the downstream real-world impact on grocery stores and their customers may not be seen until later this week.
