A MAJOR supermarket has launched a scheme with free perks to thank shoppers for their support following a recent cyber attack.
The Co-op said its 2,300 stores had returned to usual trading after it was hit with a crippling cyber attack last month, which left some shelves empty and forced it to shut down parts of its IT system.
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Co-op members can get £10 off when they spend £40 in stores from Wednesday, June 18 – but shoppers only have one week to claim the deal.
It said the discount scheme, which is also available to new Co-op members, was launched to thank customers for their support during the “challenging period”.
The deal is available from Wednesday until midnight on Tuesday, June 24, at stores nationwide, and can only be used for one shop.
Meanwhile, shoppers who wish to order online can get £5 off a £30 grocery shop from the retailer’s website.
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Co-op managing director Matt Hood said: “I’m very proud that, thanks to the work of our colleagues, we are very near to making a full and complete recovery from the recent cyber-attack on our Co-op, and I’m delighted to see our stores looking back to normal and being able to serve our shoppers and communities.
“We are so grateful to our member owners for their support and patience with us during what was a very difficult time and hope this gesture of appreciation goes a little way to showing them our thanks, with more value rewards to come over the summer.
“Co-op stores are now full of summer products, providing great value and good quality food and drink, so there is lots to choose from for our members to use the thank you offer.”
The scheme is believed to be the first of its kind launched by a retailer to thank customers following a cyber attack, and comes after a number of businesses were hit by hacks this year.
The Co-op declared it had been hit by a cyber attack on April 30, saying in a letter to staff that it had “taken proactive steps to keep our systems safe”, including restricting access to certain IT systems.
Shoppers reported seeing empty shelves in some branches, with some stores unable to take card payments and staff saying they were having to scan all deliveries by hand.
Days later it was revealed that the personal data of a “significant number” of its 6.2million customers had been stolen, including names, contact information and dates of birth.
However, the Co-op said this did not include passwords, bank or credit card details.
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The fallout from the cyber attack even led to stores flogging Christmas pastries in May, with chicken and cranberry festive slices being shipped out to some branches to fill shelves.
The Co-op’s online orders resumed on May 14 as it switched back on its systems.
What happened at M&S?
Marks and Spencer also suffered a cyber attack in April, with its contactless payments going down and disruption to click and collect orders.
The supermarket was then forced to suspend all online orders through its app and website for six weeks, with its website reopening to shoppers last week.
The cyber attack kicked off over Easter weekend and was one of the worst to hit the high street in years.
As well as suspending online orders, it suffered major supply chain issues, with bananas, fish and the iconic Colin the Caterpillar cakes among the items reported missing from shelves.
Some smaller stores were also forced to temporarily suspend their meal deal offers.
M&S also said that some personal information had been taken by the hackers, but that this did not include useable card or payment details or passwords.
Separately, Co-op is to make a major change across all its stores by replacing paper product tags with electronic labels over the coming months.
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The change has already been rolled out in 340 branches, but will be introduced more widely this year and into 2026.
The new electronic labels will show allergen and nutritional information and products’ country of origin, as well as deals and savings.
How to bag a bargain
SUN Savers Editor Lana Clements explains how to find a cut-price item and bag a bargain…
Sign up to loyalty schemes of the brands that you regularly shop with.
Big names regularly offer discounts or special lower prices for members, among other perks.
Sales are when you can pick up a real steal.
Retailers usually have periodic promotions that tie into payday at the end of the month or Bank Holiday weekends, so keep a lookout and shop when these deals are on.
Sign up to mailing lists and you’ll also be first to know of special offers. It can be worth following retailers on social media too.
When buying online, always do a search for money off codes or vouchers that you can use vouchercodes.co.uk and myvouchercodes.co.uk are just two sites that round up promotions by retailer.
Scanner apps are useful to have on your phone. Trolley.co.uk app has a scanner that you can use to compare prices on branded items when out shopping.
Bargain hunters can also use B&M’s scanner in the app to find discounts in-store before staff have marked them out.
And always check if you can get cashback before paying which in effect means you’ll get some of your money back or a discount on the item.
Do you have a money problem that needs sorting? Get in touch by emailing money-sm@news.co.uk.
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