M&S tells hundreds of agency workers to stay home as retailer grapples with cyber attack chaos

28 April 2025, 11:21 | Updated: 30 April 2025, 11:41

Hundreds of agency workers who were due for shifts at Marks and Spencer (M&S) have been told to stay home as the retailer continues to grapple with the chaotic impacts of last week's cyber attack.

Around 200 workers who were due to undertake shift work company's main distribution centre in Castle Donington in the East Midlands have been urged not to come in, according to Sky News.

They reportedly make up around 20% of the site's workforce, a source close to M&S told the outlet.

M&S staff are still understood to have been told to come in as normal, although the retailer declined to comment further.

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It comes after a cyber attack plunged the retailer into chaos last Monday, with the company still battling the lasting impacts as the crisis drags on.

The incident, thought to be part of a ransomeware attack, forced some of its internal processes offline.

All orders placed via the M&S website and app were halted on Friday as the knock-on effects of the cyber attack continued.

In an update to investors on Friday, M&S said that its product range was "available to browse online, and our stores remain open and ready to welcome and serve customers".

"We continue to manage the incident proactively and the M&S team - supported by leading experts - is working extremely hard to restore online operations and continue to serve customers well," it added.

The supermarket added that it is "working extremely hard" to restore its online operations, with the retailer now forced to apologise to customers for the "inconvenience".

Stuart Machin, M&S chief executive, said the services were taken down “to protect you and the business”, adding: “I am sincerely sorry if you experienced any inconvenience.”

Gary M, writing on X, said he was forced to abandon his shopping and said the retailer failed to inform shoppers of the issue until they reached the checkouts.

Helen Langston said customers were being held for “nearly an hour” outside one store before the manager came to explain the contactless payment problem.Other shoppers were left unable to return items in stores and therefore missed out on refunds.

Others said click-and-collect stations had been down for the last 48 hours in their stores. M&S did not give any further details about the hack.