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Marks & Spencer Profit More Than Halves After Cyberattack, With Total Hit Put at £136m

The retailer guides to a full trading recovery by March 2026 following a £100m insurance payout.

Overview

  • Underlying pre-tax profit fell to £184.1m in the six months to 27 September, with statutory pre-tax profit at £3.4m.
  • The Easter weekend hack forced around six weeks without online orders and a longer pause to click-and-collect, driving a 42.9% drop in online fashion and home sales and a 16.4% decline for the division.
  • M&S recorded £101.6m of incident costs in the first half and expects about £34m more in the second half, partially offset by a £100m insurance recovery.
  • Food sales rose 7.8% and are largely recovered, while fashion, home and beauty are rebuilding more slowly as systems are restored.
  • The company confirmed some customer personal data was taken; multiple outlets report lost sales of about £324m, and management expects second-half profit at least in line with last year.