M&S Online Orders Return After Cyber Chaos

• Six weeks after a cyber hack froze its site, M&S reopens orders in England, Scotland & Wales
• Shoppers in Northern Ireland and click & collect fans must still wait
• Retailer warns full recovery will take ‘a number of weeks’

M&S is slowly getting back on its feet after a cyber attack brought its entire online shopping operation to a standstill. The retailer has finally reopened orders—but only for some customers.

If you live in England, Scotland or Wales, you can now place standard delivery orders through the M&S website. But if you're in Northern Ireland, fancy click & collect, or need next-day delivery, you’ll have to sit tight a bit longer.

Graham Hiscott reported in The Mirror that the cyber attack, which hit back in April, left M&S’s clothing, homeware and beauty orders frozen—costing the retailer an estimated £300million in lost revenue.

M&S managing director John Lyttle issued a statement to customers: “A selection of our best-selling fashion ranges will be available for home delivery... More products will be added every day.”

M&S’s Chief Exec, Stuart Machin, said last month the situation was “the most challenging” the business had ever faced. The attack involved a human error from a third-party partner, allowing hackers to access data and demand ransom.

Before the breach, M&S had 10 million active online customers and was raking in over £1.3 billion in annual digital sales. The timing couldn't have been worse—M&S had just posted its best profits in over 15 years, rising to £875.5m.

Online shopping is now critical for major retailers, and this glitch shows just how fragile the system can be.

Tom’s Tip:

When a major retailer like M&S goes down, it’s not just about orders—it’s about confidence. Always use a secure password, avoid storing card details on sites, and enable alerts for online spending. I’m glad M&S is back, but let’s all shop smart!

Tom Church, Co-Founder of LatestDeals.co.uk the discount code platform said, "M&S reopening online orders is good news for customers who’ve been waiting. It’s a reminder how crucial digital resilience is for retailers—and how important transparency is when things go wrong."