The Foschini Group (TFG) says a cybersecurity incident has knocked out some IT systems at three of its UK fashion brands, Phase Eight, Hobbs and Whistles, though its South African and Australian operations are unaffected.
In an investor notice, the JSE-listed retailer said its UK business, TFG London, identified the incident on Sunday, 11 October. Its other UK brands, Inside Story and White Stuff, were not affected.
TFG London’s stores remain open and trading, “although several of its IT systems remain unavailable”, the group said.
TFG Africa, which includes chains such as Foschini, Markham and @home, and TFG Australia “run on separate systems and are not affected”, it said.
The group said it had activated its incident response and business continuity plans and brought in external cybersecurity specialists to contain the incident, which has been reported to the relevant UK authorities.
It does not yet know whether customer or other sensitive data has been compromised. “Should the investigation establish that such information has been compromised, TFG London will notify affected individuals or organisations, as appropriate,” it said.
TFG London has grown into a significant part of the group since it bought White Stuff in October 2024. Its retail turnover rose 29.4% to £488-million in the year to 31 March 2026, but it fell into a £21-million operating loss, partly because of an impairment at Phase Eight, Drapers reported.
String of cyberattacks
The incident follows a string of cyberattacks on UK retailers. Attacks on Marks & Spencer, the Co-op Group and Harrods in 2025 prompted the British government to warn companies that cybersecurity must be an “absolute priority”. TFG has not said what kind of incident it is dealing with or who may be behind it.
The board said it would issue a further announcement if there were material developments. — (c) 2026 NewsCentral Media
