TFG London Investigates Cybersecurity Incident Affecting Fashion Brands

A cybersecurity incident affecting several information technology systems at TFG London has prompted an investigation and customer warnings across its fashion brands, including Hobbs, Phase Eight and Whistles. The company identified the incident on Sunday, October 11, and said its stores remain open while some website services may be disrupted.

TFG London, which operates the three fashion brands, said it had activated its business continuity plan, brought in external cybersecurity specialists and notified relevant authorities. The company is investigating whether any sensitive customer information was affected and has not established that payment information is at risk.

In an email sent to Hobbs customers, the company explained that orders placed before Sunday would continue to be processed and delivered as usual. Orders placed later could face delays, while some online services across its brands may remain unavailable during the investigation.

TFG London said payment transactions are handled by an external provider. Based on the investigation so far, the company said it had no reason to believe payment information was at risk.

In its customer notification, TFG London described the initial response and ongoing investigation.

"As soon as we identified the incident, we activated our business continuity plan, engaged external cybersecurity experts, and informed relevant authorities. 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." the company said in the email.

The retailer said it would determine whether customer information had been affected as investigators examine the incident. Customers whose personal information is found to have been compromised will be contacted directly, according to the email.

TFG London also said customers did not need to change their account login details at this stage. The company acknowledged that the incident could cause concern and apologized for the disruption.

In a separate statement, TFG London confirmed that the incident affected systems associated with all three fashion brands and said it was working with cybersecurity specialists.

"On Sunday, 11 October, TFG London identified a cybersecurity incident affecting some of our IT systems, specifically impacting our Phase Eight, Hobbs, and Whistles brands." the company said.

The company added that stores were operating normally, although some website functions might be unavailable while the investigation continued. It apologized for the disruption and said it would provide further updates to customers when appropriate.

TFG London also reminded Hobbs customers that the brand would never request passwords or complete payment card details by email, text message or telephone.

The retailer first entered the UK market in 2015 after acquiring Phase Eight. It later expanded its portfolio to include Whistles and Hobbs, alongside homeware brand Inside Story and lifestyle brand White Stuff.

Headquartered in London, TFG London's UK operation employs more than 3,000 people and operates across the UK, Europe, America and Asia, according to the company background provided in the report.