Major French supermarket chains have been hit by a cyberattack that has affected their refrigeration systems.
Dominique Schelcher, the CEO of Coopérative U, confirmed in a post on X this morning (12 October) that cooling systems at “several stores” had been affected since yesterday evening.
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Retailer E. Leclerc also told Just Food: “A cyberattack has affected one of its refrigeration equipment suppliers. This incident has impacted the operation of refrigeration systems in several stores.”
The Groupement Mousquetaires, which owns the Intermarché retail chain, has also been affected.
In a statement, the group said: “Following a cyberattack that reportedly affected a service provider for the management of refrigeration systems in stores, some fresh and frozen equipment is out of service. Intermarché and Netto have taken all the necessary precautions to remove the products present in these equipment as quickly as possible.”
BFM TV reported today that 300 Intermarché and Netto stores and under 100 Coopérative U locations have been hit.
Earlier today, an Intermarché branch in Guerdédan confirmed on Facebook that its fridges had been affected, with the business having to “throw all of our fresh products (including meat)”.
The French broadcaster said the incident impacted “the refrigeration control systems of the Danish manufacturer Danfoss”. Just Food has asked the engineering group for comment.
BFM TV also said hackers had been able to change the temperature of fridges, which has resulted in fresh and frozen goods having to be thrown away.
On X, Coopérative U’s Schelcher said his teams and refrigeration specialists were working “to restore the situation as quickly as possible”.
“An investigation will be necessary to shed full light on this attack,” he added.
“Targeting equipment essential to the preservation of fresh products and to the food supply of the French people is of extreme gravity and is unprecedented. It is unacceptable.”
E. Leclerc also said in its statement: “Teams are working with the supplier to assess the situation and take all necessary measures to ensure the cold chain is properly maintained.”
Another “incident” in the Netherlands
Stores owned by Ahold Delhaize have also been grappling with a cyber “incident” since yesterday.
Albert Heijn, which is owned by Ahold Delhaize, said in a statement today: “We have immediately taken measures to protect our IT environment. Part of this involves the preventive temporary shutdown of a number of systems.”
While its grocery stores are still open, Albert Heijn said its websites, apps and customer service are “temporarily unavailable”.
The group is also unable to deliver groceries with its logistics systems are also being “temporarily down”.
Ahold Delhaize’s alcohol retail chain in the Netherlands Gall & Gall has also been affected, as has its local beauty and wellness chain Etos.
In its own statement, the retail giant said it was “experiencing a security issue within its network”.
“Our teams are taking steps to assess and mitigate the issue. This includes taking some systems offline to help protect them. At this time, our stores are open and serving customers,” it said.
While stores are still open, Albert Heijn’s statement said that electronic shelf labels were still showing promotional prices from last week, which meant consumers may see a higher price upon checkout.
It also said its “savings systems” on the Mijn AH App and personal loyalty cards were also not working. “Customers who miss out on personal discounts as a result will be compensated as soon as possible,” the retailer said.
“We are investigating the incident and working to restore our services. The protection of the data of our customers, employees, and partners is our top priority. We cannot yet indicate when our services will be available again. As soon as there is more clarity, we will share an update.”
