Retail and pharmacy chain London Drugs says it was the “victim of a cybersecurity incident” Sunday and has shuttered its stores across Western Canada until further notice.
The retailer, which is headquartered in B.C., says the closure is out of “an abundance of caution” and that it immediately took measures to counter the attack once it was discovered.
“At this time, we have no reason to believe that customer or employee data has been impacted,” the company said in a statement emailed to CBC News around 5:30 p.m. PT on Sunday.
While an initial social media post stated that customers were encouraged to call their pharmacists if they had urgent needs, a statement on Monday afternoon said the retailer had de-activated their phone lines as they continued to investigate the cyberattack.
“Pharmacy staff are on-site at all London Drugs locations to support customers with urgent pharmacy needs,” the Monday statement read.
London Drugs initially confirmed the closure of its stores in a post on X, formerly known as Twitter. In a post on Facebook, the company said the closure would not be permanent.
London Drugs stores across Western Canada were suddenly closed on Sunday after the company said it was a “victim of a cybersecurity incident.” Cybersecurity expert Francis Syms explains what challenges the company could be dealing with.
In a previous statement to CBC News Sunday afternoon, the retailer had said the closures were caused by an “operational issue.”
CBC News spoke to staff at a location in Kamloops, B.C. earlier in the day, who said they were experiencing a “computer issue,” which meant the store could not assist customers.
London Drugs said it has retained third-party experts to help contain, fix and forensically investigate the incident.
“We want to assure you that this incident is of the utmost priority for us,” the company said in its statement, thanking customers for their patience and promising to update them as it progressed in resolving the issue.
The retailer operates nearly 80 stores across B.C., Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba, with more than 50 of them in B.C.