James Hall has started to bring stores back online after more than 300 Spar sites it supplies were hit by a cyberattack this week.
The Spar wholesaler said it was “working round the clock” while it completed the process over the coming days.
It was first made aware of the attack on 5 December, when a number of stores were forced to temporarily shut their doors.
The raid on the wholesaler’s IT systems meant stores were unable to process card payments, meaning those that remained opened were taking cash only. It also affected wholesale ordering functions and its manufacturing operations.
“We immediately took the affected part of our system offline and began investigating alongside external cybersecurity specialists,” explained a James Hall spokesman. “On a precautionary basis, we also took the rest of the James Hall & Co network down while we looked into the issue.”
The Lancashire-based wholesaler said that these “prompt and decisive” steps had meant it could now start reconnecting the affected stores.
“It is vital that we do this safely and securely so we would like to thank customers for their patience and understanding while we complete this process over the coming days,” the spokesman added.
It also said it had no reason to believe that James Hall, Spar or its customers were specifically targeted by the incident, and was continuing to “liaise closely” with its stores, suppliers and relevant authorities.
“We know how important local stores are to our communities and would like to apologise to our customers for any inconvenience,” it said.
The likes of Lawrence Hunt was one of the independent Spar retailers hit by the “major IT outage”, which saw it temporarily close its 25 stores.
Spar Ribchester also fell victim to the ransomware attack. The retailer had been keeping its customers regularly informed of any updates via its social media channels during the course of the week.
Its most recent post on Tuesday morning, it wrote: “Unfortunately, we are still closed except for Post Office, parcels and pre paid papers, as per yesterday.
“After extensive testing yesterday, the IT specialists decided not to proceed with any store connections last night. There was still more work to be done to ensure they are fully ready to commence this activity this morning. We are still awaiting an update as to when we might be scheduled for reconnection.
“We appreciate your understanding and hopefully the news will get better as the day goes on. Thank you.”
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