M&S restored profit to £355m after cyberattack — The Guardian

Retailer Marks & Spencer reported that profit recovered to £355m in the six months to 26 September, compared with £3.4m a year earlier. At the same time, the consequences of the cyberattack that began at Easter 2025 were still affecting clothing sales during the summer, The Guardian reports.

Impact of the attack on sales

Following the attack, the company was forced to close the website through which it sells clothing and home goods for more than six weeks. M&S explained that product availability remained limited for longer than expected due to the manual order-creation process after the incident. Buyers had to determine demand and place orders with suppliers without the usual technologies and detailed information.

Sales and profit in the clothing and home division were still lower than two years ago. At the same time, sales of clothing, beauty products and home goods rose by 17.5% compared with the same period last year, which was also affected by the attack, to almost £2bn. The company said that product availability issues had already been resolved and that it expected better results in the second half of the year.

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Group sales increased

Total sales of the group, which operates in the food and fashion segments, increased by 16.2% over six months to £9.2bn. M&S's food business increased sales by almost 14% to £5.2bn. During this period, the company opened seven new stores and expanded or refurbished other outlets.

The M&S and Ocado joint venture made a profit of £25.6m over six months, compared with a loss of £3.1m a year earlier. Its sales increased by 16%, while delivery efficiency improved. The company also expects to cut costs by £120m this year in technology, logistics and stores; some of the savings are expected to be offset by new costs, including £35m due to a new packaging levy.