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SHOPPERS AT THE POSH, UPMARKET RETAILER - WHICH HAS RECENTLY BEEN HIT BY A CYBER ATTACK - CITED A RISE IN MILK PRICES FROM £1.45 TO £1.60, AN INCREASE OF JUST OVER 10%. 08:34, 31 May 2025

M&S shoppers have reacted with horror after seeing a 10 per cent rise in milk. Shoppers at the posh, upmarket retailer - which has recently been hit by a cyber attack - cited a rise in

milk prices from £1.45 to £1.60, an increase of just over 10%. In reply to the post on Twitter, formerly X, M&S said: "We continually review our food prices and make small changes

in line with the market." The supermarket giant went on and said: "On rare occasions, the prices rise, and while we always try to absorb the costs, in some cases, it just

isn't possible." READ MORE UK SET TO SIZZLE IN 'GLORIOUS' 27C MINI-HEATWAVE WITH 33 COUNTIES IN ENGLAND HIT Annual results, released on Wednesday, showed a 22% rise in

pre-tax profits in the year to 30 March. Overall sales were up 6% to £13.9bn with fashion and homeware increasing 3.5% to £4.2bn. But since Easter weekend, customers have been unable to shop

for M&S clothing online thanks to the massive cyber attack the chain has suffered. The CEO, Stuart Machin, described in-store clothing sales as “softer than we would like”. Article

continues below Pippa Stephens, a senior apparel analyst at GlobalData, described the retailer’s upward trajectory as “under threat” with a long-lasting impact beyond declining profits. “The

stealing of customer data during the cyber-attack could undermine its hard-won gains in brand reputation and customer loyalty,” Stephens said. Jonathan Pritchard, a retail analyst at Peel

Hunt, said the cyber-attack would force loyal customers to try other brands they can easily access online. “There’s a chance that some of the momentum that M&S has built is lost as a

consequence,” he said. He described the impact of the cyber-attack on the retailer’s strategy as “a bump in the road, yes, but not derailed”. Jonathan Lee, director of Cyber Strategy at

cyber security group Trend Micro, said: "It’s too early to say when there’s going to be a full return to normal for M&S. Article continues below "Attacks similar to what

M&S is facing have taken other organisations as long as three years to fully recover from. "Even returning to a state that seems normal to customers, albeit still in recovery behind

the scenes, can take around nine months." The security expert warned: "M&S customers should question any email which asks them to take urgent action, such as resetting their

password or providing personal information. Never click on links in suspicious emails."