More than 300 Spar convenience stores in the north of England have been hit by a cyberattack that has forced some of them to close.
The attack targeted James Hall & Company in Preston, Lancashire, which operates Spar's tills and IT systems, the BBC reported.
The attack caused an IT outage, which meant stores were unable to take card payments and could only accept cash.
“We apologise for the inconvenience this is causing our customers and we are working as quickly as possible to resolve the situation,” Spar said in a statement.
“It is currently impacting stores’ ability to process card payments meaning that a number of SPAR stores are currently closed to shoppers or only taking cash payments.”
The National Cyber Security Centre and Lancashire Police are investigating the incident, the BBC said.
A spokesman for the National Cyber Security Centre said: "We are aware of an issue affecting Spar stores and are working with partners to fully understand the incident."