Smith and Caughey's announced yesterday that it would be closing after 144 years. Photo: Supplied / Smith and Caughey's
Auckland retailer Smith and Caughey's says it has been the victim of a cyber attack, a day after it announced a proposal to close its doors for good.
The department store, which has been in business for about 144 years, yesterday told its staff about the proposal to close.
Chairman Tony Caughey said that on top of the announcement, a cyber-attack has targeted the store's operational systems.
"On what has already been one of the most difficult days in our 144 years of trading, our server and retail operations systems have been crypto-locked," he said.
"This is a live incident. We have activated a response plan and are working to restore the systems."
He said the stores in Queen Street and Newmarket were closed in the interim.
"The attack has severely impacted our ability to communicate with our staff, customers, suppliers and other critical stakeholders. We are trying to reach out to them to explain the situation and the reasons for the communication delays," Caughey said.