Following Marks & Spencer resuming online orders after its cyberattack: Pippa Stephens, senior apparel analyst at GlobalData, offers her view: “Marks & Spencer’s (M&S) resumption of online orders across select fashion products following a cyberattack will be a welcome relief for shoppers, with many holding off on purchases for almost seven weeks due to its physical locations being less convenient to visit or there being insufficient stock instore. However, the retailer is currently estimating delivery times of up to 10 days, which may still deter customers who are accustomed to faster delivery options from its competitors. Many key products are also lacking availability across several sizes, which could frustrate customers and lead to lost sales opportunities.
“M&S was one of the biggest winners in the UK apparel market in 2024, with its market share rising 0.4ppts to 5.2%*, the highest it has been since 2017. This upward trajectory has now been compromised by the cyberattack, with GlobalData estimating that the retailer could have lost up to £130m in online apparel sales while its website was down, depending on how much spend shifted to stores. There are further losses to come still until the website is fully operational again, with disruption expected to continue until at least July. Alongside reduced availability in its food division, and anticipated increased stock management costs, M&S also expects the attack will have a £300m impact on group operating profit in its FY2025/26.
“The impact of this cyberattack will be long-lasting for M&S, with the stealing of customer data potentially undermining its hard-won gains in brand reputation and customer loyalty. The retailer will have also been left with excess seasonal stock, impacting its margins as it will be forced to implement more discounts. Therefore, this incident serves as a stark reminder of the vulnerabilities retailers face in an increasingly digital landscape, where a single breach can have far-reaching consequences. The recent cyberattacks on other prominent apparel players such as Harrods, The North Face and Adidas underscores the pervasive threat to the retail industry and highlights the urgent need for robust cybersecurity measures.”
*Data is from GlobalData’s Retail Intelligence Center. Market shares are calculated from UK apparel sales for the calendar year, including sales tax. Shares are as of May 2025.
