A cyberattack has impacted 300 Spar stores in the North of England.

Spar said the incident had impacted all its systems including email.

The convenience store chain said the attack happened on Sunday and that its engineers were working to resolve the issue.

Not all stores the attack effected have been closed, but the ones that remain open are currently unable to receive debit or credit card payments.

The National Cyber Security Centre said it is investigating the attack.

The attack also impacted James Hall & Company, a Preston, Lancashire-based wholesaler, and distributor for SPAR.

Retailers have fallen victim of several highly disruptive cyberattacks globally in 2021.

In October, a cyberattack caused Tesco to experience a two-day IT outage, preventing customers from ordering goods or tracking deliveries on its website or app.

In July, a ransomware attack forced Swedish grocery chain Coop to shut almost all its 800 stores.

“We are working to resolve this situation as quickly as possible,” said a Spar spokesperson. “It is currently impacting stores’ ability to process card payments meaning that a number of Spar stores are currently closed to shoppers or only taking cash payments.”

They added: “We apologise for the inconvenience this is causing our customers and we are working as quickly as possible to resolve the situation.”

Share Story: