Debenhams shares shrug off cyber attack

Debenhams shares rose higher on Friday in spite of reports that hackers had stolen personal and financial data from around 26,000 customers.

A cyber attack was launched on the Ecomnova, the company that provides the FTSE 250 retailer's Debenhams Flowers online florist service.

Debenhams said the fraudsters had access to Economova's systems for more than six weeks, but customers of its Debenhams.com site were not affected.

"Debenhams has taken immediate steps to minimise risk to customers affected and made contact with all those customers whose data has been accessed," the retailer said in a statement.

The cyber criminals scraped the data between 24 February and 11 April.

"As soon as we were informed that there had been a cyber attack, we suspended the Debenhams Flowers website and commenced a full investigation," chief executive Sergio Bucher told Sky News.

Shares in Debenhams were 1.5% higher at 52p by mid afternoon on Friday.

Debenhams advised customers who suspect they have been the victim of fraud should contact their personal bank or credit card provider directly and Action Fraud, the UK’s national fraud and internet crime reporting centre, on 0300 123 2040 or online at actionfraud.police.uk.

The Information Commissioner's Office said it is aware of the reports and is making enquiries.