Fashion retailer behind Hobbs, Phase Eight and Whistles hit by 'cybersecurity incident'

A retailer says it has been hit by a 'cybersecurity incident', with online customers of women's fashion house Hobbs being sent warning emails.

The Foschini Group (TFG) London, the parent company of fashion brands Hobbs, Phase Eight and Whistles, has apologised to customers, but added there is 'no reason to believe that payment information is at risk'.

In the email from Hobbs to customers, TFG said its London operation 'identified a cybersecurity incident affecting some of our IT systems' on Sunday.

It added: "As soon as we identified the incident, we activated our business continuity plan, engaged external cybersecurity experts, and informed relevant authorities. Our investigation is ongoing, and we are working hard to get all our systems back up and running as quickly and safely as we can."

Stores, including Hobbs in Manchester city centre , are open as normal and orders placed before Sunday will be processed and delivered as normal. Later orders may be 'delayed', added the company.

"Importantly, payment processing is carried out by a third-party provider," revealed the email.

"Based on our investigation so far, we have no reason to believe that payment information is at risk. As our investigation continues, we will be working to identify if any sensitive information related to our customers was impacted.

"If we determine that your personal information was affected, you will be directly informed. We do not believe it is necessary to change your account login information at this time."

TFG said its investigation was ongoing. "We know this news may be unsettling, and we're committed to keeping you updated as we have more information to ," the email said.

"We are very sorry for any inconvenience this incident has caused. As a reminder, Hobbs will never ask for passwords or full payment card details by email, text or phone."

TFG London said: “On Sunday, 11 October, TFG London identified a cybersecurity incident affecting some of our IT systems, specifically impacting our Phase Eight, Hobbs, and Whistles brands.

“We are actively investigating and working with external cyber security specialists. Stores are open as normal but some of our brand’s website capabilities may not be available as the investigation continues. We apologise for any disruption and will provide additional updates to our customers as appropriate.”

TFG London first entered the UK market in 2015 after buying Phase Eight, and has since added womenswear brands Whistles and Hobbs, homeware brand Inside Story and lifestyle brand White Stuff to its portfolio. Headquartered in London, the subsidiary counts more than 3,000 employees and operates across the UK, Europe, America and Asia.