Owner of fashion brands Hobbs and Phase Eight becomes the latest retailer to be hit by a cyber attack

British retailers are a ‘prime target’ for cyber criminals and must shore up their ‘dangerously thin’ defences after a spate of attacks, experts have warned.

The owner of fashion brands including Phase Eight, Hobbs and Whistles – favourites of the Princess of Wales – apologised to customers after it became the latest firm to be ambushed by hackers online.

The attack on The Foschini Group (TFG) came just days after Asos fell victim to a cyberattack with an ‘unauthorised party’ gaining access to customers’ names and contact details last week.

At the same time, H&M is investigating a suspected incident while hackers this week struck hundreds of supermarkets in France – remotely taking control of refrigeration systems to drive up temperatures and destroy millions of pounds of food.

Marijus Briedis, chief technology officer at online privacy specialist NordVPN, said the French attack ‘should ring alarm bells in Britain’.

He added: ‘Hackers don’t need to get into the tills to cause havoc in a supermarket. A cyberattack can quickly become a food safety problem, as well as a very expensive one for retailers.’

The latest hacking spree has fuelled concerns about cyber security that have been rising up the agenda since high profile attacks on Marks & Spencer, Jaguar Land Rover, the Co-op and Harrods last year.

Nikhil Rathi, chief executive of the Financial Conduct Authority, urged firms to get insured against the risk of attack.

‘Cyber insurance is absolutely fundamental and businesses large and small must consider their insurance footprints,’ he told MPs on the Treasury select committee.

Susannah Streeter, chief investment strategist at Wealth Club, said: ‘Corporate defences are looking dangerously thin amid an onslaught of cyber-attacks against businesses.

‘This spate of infiltrations into retailers’ systems should serve as a brutal alarm call for organisations grappling with increasingly sophisticated digital threats.

‘Organisations need to be shoring up their defences before attackers find a way in, rather than scrambling to contain the damage afterwards.’

South African retail group The Foschini Group (TFG) said it became aware of a ‘cybersecurity incident’ affecting its UK subsidiary TFG London on Sunday.

The attack on its IT systems concerned its Phase Eight, Hobbs and Whistles brands with orders made on or after Sunday at risk of delay.

But the company insisted there was ‘no reason to believe that payment information is at risk’.

Other High Street brands within the group, including Inside Story and White Stuff, are not affected.

‘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,’ it said in an email to customers.

Jonathon Ellison, director for national resilience at the National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC), said: ‘The real-world consequences of cyberattacks can be shocking but they should be no revelation – malicious actors can and do inflict harm on businesses and individuals every day.

‘The NCSC is engaging with the retail sector through our existing trusted networks to promote sharing insights and strengthening cyber resilience.

‘Our collective response has to be urgent: all organisations must take action to bolster their cyber defences – whether they are small start-ups or huge multinationals.’

Ade Clewlow, senior advisor at cyber security company NCC Group, said: ‘Retailers are prime targets for cyber criminals because they hold vast amounts of valuable customer data.

‘They also have wide attack surfaces due to complex digital ecosystems spanning payment systems, online platforms and third-party suppliers.

‘As a result, cyberattacks can have consequences that extend well beyond the initial breach.’

Lisa Barber, Which? tech editor, said: ‘Shoppers will be deeply concerned to learn of these latest security breaches, particularly coming so soon after the Asos hack.

‘In this climate of more frequent and high-profile hacks, consumers should remain vigilant about security and ensure they use strong, unique passwords for each of their accounts and enable two-factor authentication wherever possible.’

Beverley Griffiths, senior lecturer in security and resilience at Bucks New University, said: ‘This is the second UK retailer to be hit in a week and it’s a clear sign that major brands are firmly in the crosshairs of cyber attackers.

‘No organisation is immune, so the real test of resilience is how quickly a business can detect an incident, respond and recover while keeping its customers informed.’