Starbucks, British supermarket chain Sainsbury’s and other retailers have been hit by a cyber attack against a major supply chain technology provider. Companies are facing difficulties managing operations, such as work schedules and inventory control.
A Blue Yonderone of the largest supply chain software providers in the world, said on Monday (25) that it is working to restore services following last week’s attack, which caused disruptions to systems used by its customers. The company said it does not yet have a timeline for the full restoration of services, and that the attack did not affect systems running on public cloud-based platforms.
Starbucks stated that the attack ransomware affected the chain’s own stores in North America. The incident hampered the company’s ability to pay baristas and manage their rosters, forcing coffee shop managers to manually calculate employee payments. For now, Starbucks is paying employees based on scheduled shifts. The company has ensured that baristas will subsequently receive the correct payment for all hours worked.
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In the United Kingdom, supermarket chains Sainsbury’s and Morrisons have resorted to contingency plans to keep their operations running.
Morrisons, with around 1,600 convenience stores and 500 supermarkets in the UK, said the disruption affected its warehouse management systems for fresh food and perishables. According to a Morrisons spokesperson, the company is operating satisfactorily with its backup systems and working to support customers across the country.
Sainsbury’s, which has 600 supermarkets and more than 800 convenience stores, said it is in “close contact” with Blue Yonder and has implemented contingency processes.
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Blue Yonder, owned by Japanese conglomerate Panasonic, develops software for retail companies and manufacturers to manage operations such as warehouses, transportation and returns. Its clients include companies such as Kroger, Albertsons, Procter & Gamble and Walgreens, which did not respond to requests for comment.
