Co-op card payments and availability in stores hit by cyber attack
6 May 2025, 12:54
Customers reported on Tuesday that three stores in Manchester had signs indicating that they were ‘cash only’ as their card machines were offline.
The Co-op has been unable to take card payments in some of its stores as shoppers also face empty shelves because of the continued fallout of a major cyber attack.
The Manchester-based co-operative is among a number of retailers, including Marks & Spencer and Harrods, to have been hit by hacks on their IT systems in recent weeks.
Customers reported on Tuesday that three stores in Manchester had signs indicating that they were “cash only” as their card machines were offline.
It is also understood that contactless payments have also been affected in a small number of stores, with the group working to get normal systems restored.
Your store may be experiencing some product availability issues, please bear with us while we work hard on fixing some technical problems we are experiencing.
We are continuing to serve our members and customers to the best of our ability, and we are sorry if this means you…
— Co-op (@coopuk) May 6, 2025
The vast majority of the retailer’s 2,300 shops are still taking usual forms of payment.
It comes as shoppers have also highlighted empty shelves in some stores, alongside signage indicating that availability has been affected by the cyber attack.
A Co-op spokesman said: “This means that some of our stores might not have all of their usual products available and we would like to say sorry to our members and customers if this is the case in their local store.
“We are working around the clock to reduce disruption and resume deliveries.
“We would like to thank our colleagues, members, customers and suppliers for their understanding during this time.”
Last week, the Co-op apologised that hackers extracted members’ personal data such as names and contact details.
It said it had to shut down parts of its IT systems after experiencing “sustained malicious attempts” to access its systems.
Meanwhile, rival Marks & Spencer (M&S) is continuing to deal with disruption caused by its own recent cyber incident, after first witnessing issues two weeks ago.
The firm has reportedly been unable to offer some meal deal offers in some of its stores after products availability was impacted.
An M&S spokesman said: “Customers can still buy meal deals in our rail station stores but there are pockets of availability for some items.
“We are working hard to continue getting our products into stores.”
