Fashion Group Behind Hobbs, Phase Eight and Whistles Hit by Cyberattack, Orders Delayed

TFG London, the UK business of South African retailer The Foschini Group, has confirmed a cybersecurity incident affecting its Hobbs, Phase Eight and Whistles brands. The company discovered the incident on October 11. Two days later, several IT systems were still unavailable, and some website functions may not work. Customers have been warned that orders placed on or after Sunday could be delayed. Stores remain open as normal.

TFG said it activated its incident response and business continuity plans, brought in external cybersecurity specialists and notified the relevant UK authorities. It is still working out whether any personal or sensitive information has been compromised. On payments, the company told customers that a third-party provider handles processing and that, so far, it has no reason to believe payment information is at risk. It says it will notify affected individuals or organisations if it finds evidence of a compromise.

TFG has not said how the attackers got in, whether ransomware was involved, or when systems will be fully restored. The disruption appears limited to the three brands. TFG said its White Stuff and Inside Story businesses are unaffected, as are its African and Australian operations, which run on separate IT systems. The Register noted that fashion retailers have recently been attracting a run of cyberattacks.