Co-operative reveals ‘malicious’ cyber attack cost retailer £206m in lost revenue
UK retailer confirms impact of ‘sophisticated’ cyber attack
- The Co-operative Group reported a £75 million underlying pre-tax loss for the first half of 2025, a significant downturn from the £3 million profit recorded in the same period last year.
- This substantial loss was primarily due to an £80 million earnings hit caused by a "malicious" cyber attack in April, which also included £20 million in one-off costs.
- The cyber incident led to widespread disruption, including empty shelves and payment issues for shoppers, impacting sales by an estimated £206 million and resulting in the theft of personal data from all 6.5 million Co-op members.
- The Co-op responded by quickly shutting down systems to contain the sophisticated threat, prioritising essential services and offering members a £10 discount as a thank you for their support.
- Despite expecting a continuing, though diminished, financial impact in the second half of the year, the Co-op is refining its member and customer proposition and making structural changes for long-term success.