Ahold Delhaize, one of Europe’s largest supermarket chains, has lowered its financial outlook after a major cyber attack in mid-October disrupted operations across Europe and the US. The Dutch retailer expects the incident to reduce net sales by €200 million to €250 million and operating profit by €75 million to €100 million in the fourth quarter. The attack affected most of its brands, with stores in the Netherlands and Belgium hit hardest. Online services were also disrupted, prompting the company to take systems offline as a precaution. CEO Frans Muller stated that while most disruption was contained within two weeks, full restoration of normal operations is ongoing. The incident highlights the growing threat of cyber attacks on retail infrastructure.
In a separate incident, hackers targeted refrigeration systems at dozens of supermarkets across Europe, including Ahold Delhaize stores, causing freezers to overheat and ruin millions of euros worth of food. Affected countries include Belgium, Sweden, Finland, Ireland, and Estonia. France’s national blood service (EFS) was also impacted, though no plasma supplies were compromised. No group has claimed responsibility, but experts suggest possible links to Russian state-backed actors. The attacks underscore the vulnerability of critical infrastructure in the retail and healthcare sectors.
Source: Financial Times Companies · Summarized by HeadlinesBriefing