M&S (Marks & Spencer) has stopped taking online orders as the company struggles to recover from a cyber attack.

Customers began reporting problems last weekend, and on Tuesday the retailer confirmed it was facing a “cyber incident”.

The BBC reported:

M&S has entirely paused orders on its website and apps – including for food deliveries and clothes – and says it will refund orders placed by customers on Friday.

The firm’s shares fell by five percent following the announcement before recovering.

“We are truly sorry for this inconvenience,” the retailer wrote in a social media post.

“Our experienced team – supported by leading cyber experts – is working extremely hard to restart online and app shopping.

“We are incredibly grateful to our customers, colleagues and partners for their understanding and support.”

The company  said its stores were open (26/4/2025) despite the issues affecting online ordering.

M&S previously said gift cards, e-gift cards and credit receipts can’t currently be used as a payment method in store or online. In a social media response, a customer was told that if people have already received an email telling them an item is ready to be collected, they should be able to go into the store and pick it up.

Another customer said they had tried and failed for four days to use an M&S gift card.

Online grocer Ocado, which sells M&S food on its platform, was unaffected by the problems as it runs on a totally separate system.

M&S reported the issues to the UK’s National Cyber Security Centre and the Information Commissoner’s Office said it was monitoring issues.

(photo from iStock)