Latest news with #SandyDouglas
Hindustan Times
14 hours ago
- Business
- Hindustan Times
Why are Whole Foods' shelves still empty? Updates for shoppers
Grocery shoppers across the United States have noticed barer-than-usual shelves lately after a cyberattack has disrupted operations at United Natural Foods Inc. (UNFI), one of the country's biggest food distributors, including Whole Foods. During a 10 June earnings call, UNFI CEO Sandy Douglas revealed the company is still reeling from the impact of the attack. 'We are partnering with customers across the country and across our formats in various short term mode to serve their needs as best as we possibly can,' Douglas said. 'Any way that we can help them meet their needs, we're doing.' ALSO READ| Seattle riots: Protesters surround Federal Building, set dumpster on fire amid violent clashes| Videos The company first detected suspicious activity on June 5 and quickly began investigating. Douglas noted they acted within days to shut down systems and notify investors. 'So there is no way that we could have communicated any faster, and there was no trading,' he told the investors. UNFI officially disclosed the cyber incident on 9 June, filing a Form 8-K with the Securities and Exchange Commission before markets opened. 'We just got penetrated, so we will be continuing to look at every aspect of our defense, every aspect of how our tools are working, and what may be necessary to bolster it going forward, because it's clearly an area that requires a tremendous amount of focus from companies today,' Douglas explained, as the are now working with the FBI and other authorities to figure out how the breach occurred and how to prevent it in the future Whole Foods shoppers have reported empty shelves in various locations, with store signs citing 'supplier issues' and promising restocks soon. ALSO READ| Airbus can hit delivery goal despite delays, jetmaking CEO says When reporters pressed whether the disruption has forced retailers to break supplier contracts, Douglas responded, 'I wouldn't be able to factually answer that question, even if I was inclined to disclose it.' 'The focus is making sure we serve the customers and have them be able to do whatever they need to do the best they can in this environment.'
USA Today
a day ago
- Business
- USA Today
Whole Foods' distributor supplying stores on 'limited basis' after cyberattack
Whole Foods' distributor supplying stores on 'limited basis' after cyberattack Show Caption Hide Caption Whole Foods to open new locations as part of global expansion Whole Foods Market is continuing its expansion in 2025, adding to its more than 535 locations across the US, Canada and the UK. unbranded - Newsworthy Whole Foods and other U.S. grocers are only being partially stocked as a major food distributor continues to grapple with a recent cyber attack, a recent earnings call revealed. North American wholesale distributor United Natural Foods confirmed this week that it was forced to take some of its systems offline after noticing unauthorized activity. At a financial quarter meeting Tuesday, June 10, CEO Sandy Douglas said the wholesale distributor is only supplying customers on a "limited basis" amid the crisis. "We are partnering with customers across the country and across our formats in various short term mode to serve their needs as best as we possibly can," Douglas told investors. "Any way that we can help them meet their needs, we're doing." The company is working with the FBI and other authorities to determine how to resume services and why the technology defenses failed, according to Douglas. "We just got penetrated, so we will be continuing to look at every aspect of our defense, every aspect of how our tools are working, and what may be necessary to bolster it going forward, because it's clearly an area that requires a tremendous amount of focus from companies today," he said. Users on social media have reported shelves being empty at some Whole Foods locations with signs apologizing for the inconvenience and promising to resupply soon. A Whole Foods spokesperson told USA TODAY on Monday, June 9 that the supermarket chain is working to restock its shelves as fast as possible and said it apologizes for any inconveniences. CEO says it informed investors as soon as it could When asked why the company hesitated to inform investors about the cyberattack and system shutdown, Douglas denied there being a delay. Douglas clarified company officials noticed unauthorized activity in its systems on June 5 and investigated whether it was isolated. By the afternoon of June 6, the company made the decision to lock its systems down. On June 9, it filed a Form 8-K with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) to inform shareholders before the market opened. "So there is no way that we could have communicated any faster, and there was no trading," Douglas added. He also he was unable to confirm whether the shutdown has required customers to break contracts, adding "I wouldn't be able to factually answer that question, even if I was inclined to disclose it." "The focus is making sure we serve the customers and have them be able to do whatever they need to do the best they can in this environment," he said.
Yahoo
a day ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Whole Foods' distributor supplying stores on 'limited basis' after cyberattack
Whole Foods and other U.S. grocers are only being partially stocked as a major food distributor continues to grapple with a recent cyber attack, a recent earnings call revealed. North American wholesale distributor United Natural Foods confirmed this week that it was forced to take some of its systems offline after noticing unauthorized activity. At a financial quarter meeting Tuesday, June 10, CEO Sandy Douglas said the wholesale distributor is only supplying customers on a "limited basis" amid the crisis. "We are partnering with customers across the country and across our formats in various short term mode to serve their needs as best as we possibly can," Douglas told investors. "Any way that we can help them meet their needs, we're doing." The company is working with the FBI and other authorities to determine how to resume services and why the technology defenses failed, according to Douglas. "We just got penetrated, so we will be continuing to look at every aspect of our defense, every aspect of how our tools are working, and what may be necessary to bolster it going forward, because it's clearly an area that requires a tremendous amount of focus from companies today," he said. Users on social media have reported shelves being empty at some Whole Foods locations with signs apologizing for the inconvenience and promising to resupply soon. A Whole Foods spokesperson told USA TODAY on Monday, June 9 that the supermarket chain is working to restock its shelves as fast as possible and said it apologizes for any inconveniences. When asked why the company hesitated to inform investors about the cyberattack and system shutdown, Douglas denied there being a delay. Douglas clarified company officials noticed unauthorized activity in its systems on June 5 and investigated whether it was isolated. By the afternoon of June 6, the company made the decision to lock its systems down. On June 9, it filed a Form 8-K with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) to inform shareholders before the market opened. "So there is no way that we could have communicated any faster, and there was no trading," Douglas added. He also he was unable to confirm whether the shutdown has required customers to break contracts, adding "I wouldn't be able to factually answer that question, even if I was inclined to disclose it." "The focus is making sure we serve the customers and have them be able to do whatever they need to do the best they can in this environment," he said. This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Why Whole Foods' distributor is supplying on a 'limited basis' Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Empty shelves plague some Whole Foods after distributor knocked offline
Whole Foods employees say a major cyberattack on a leading distributor has left some store shelves and freezers empty. 'Our frozen cooler is empty, our bread hearth is bare and customers are increasingly upset,' one barista and bakery employee at a Whole Foods located in Arkansas told CNN. The employee, who requested anonymity because she was not authorized to speak to the media, complained there is a 'complete lack of transparency' about the disruption and that 'nearly every department has been heavily impacted.' United Natural Foods, the primary food distributor to Whole Foods, disclosed the damaging cyberattack and disruption to its business on Monday, sending its stock plunging 7%. UNFI (UNFI) shares sank more than 10% on Tuesday, leaving it down about 17% since disclosing the cyberattack It's unclear how widespread the supply disruptions to Whole Foods are, but an update from UNFI on Tuesday suggests significant problems. The company said it's currently shipping to customers only on a 'limited basis.' Whole Foods would not provide details on how many of its locations have been impacted by the cyberattack. However, a Whole Foods spokesperson told CNN that the Amazon-owned grocery store is working to restock shelves as quickly as possible and apologized to customers for any inconvenience. The Whole Foods barista from Arkansas shared photos with CNN that showed thinly stocked shelves. 'We've spent time deep-cleaning our freezers – an unusual task – simply because our normally overstocked freezers are now completely bare,' the Whole Foods employee said. Another Whole Foods employee who spoke to CNN on condition of anonymity said her California location has been unable to accept or process orders. 'We've had quite a few customer complaints,' the employee told CNN. Multiple customers and apparent employees on social media reported empty shelves and delivery problems. One user on Reddit posted a photo of an empty refrigerator with a sign saying the store is 'experiencing a temporary out of stock issue for some products.' The incident underscores how cyberattacks on delicate supply chains can have real-world impact for customers and employees. UNFI said 'unauthorized activity in our systems' discovered last Thursday forced it to completely shut down its systems by late Friday. 'We're working as rapidly and safely as possible to bring our systems back online,' UNFI CEO Sandy Douglas said during a conference call with analysts. Douglas said the company is working with customers and suppliers 'transparently to do everything that we can possibly do to help them manage through the short-term difficulty that the situation creates.' Douglas said he's been in touch with many customers and the conversations have been 'extremely constructive and collaborative.' The UNFI CEO defended his company's cybersecurity efforts and pledged to review existing protocols. 'The threat actors out there are always looking for ways to innovate and find new ways to penetrate systems,' Douglas said. 'We just got penetrated. So we will be continuing to look at every aspect of our defense, every aspect of how our tools are working and what may be necessary to bolster it going forward.' During Tuesday's conference call, UNFI executives faced questions about the decision to wait until Monday morning to disclose the breach. One analyst noted that UNFI shares started falling before last Thursday, when the company says it became aware of the cyberattack. 'It very much appears someone knew this was going to happen,' said the analyst, who also asked if the Securities and Exchange Commission is involved. Indeed, UNFI shares fell sharply early last week, including a 9% plunge on June 3 and a 4% drop on June 4 despite an absence of official company news. Douglas declined to comment on regulatory authorities but stressed that 'there is no way we could have communicated any faster.' The UNFI CEO added that the company has engaged with 'all the authorities' and has reported 'all that we know' to the FBI. The FBI declined to comment on the incident. A spokesperson for the SEC said the agency does not comment on the existence or nonexistence of a possible investigation. CNN's Jordan Valinsky contributed to this report
Bloomberg
2 days ago
- Business
- Bloomberg
Whole Foods Supplier Hack Leaves Empty Shelves, Stalls Forklifts
United Natural Foods Inc., a grocery distributor for Amazon Inc. 's Whole Foods Market, is working to bring systems back online by June 15 and resume product deliveries after a cyberattack disrupted its operations, leaving some store shelves barren of ice cream, bread and other goods. The Providence, Rhode Island-based chain shut down IT systems and limited shipping orders after determining on June 5 that intruders had penetrated its network, Chief Executive Officer Sandy Douglas said in an earnings call Tuesday. United Natural Foods, or UNFI, is working with customers to find short-term solutions 'wherever possible' while it works to bring systems back online, Douglas said.
