Retailer’s Curi.o.city venture revealed as it fights off second cyber attack
As WHSmith was hit by a further cyber attack, resulting in unauthorised access to company data, the 230-year-old retailer has been revealed to be going after customers of the now-collapsed Paperchase empire.
In the data breach last week, the hackers may have been able to download names, addresses, National Insurance numbers and dates of birth of the firm’s current and former UK staff, but WHS said its website, customer accounts, and customer databases are not affected.
It’s the second attack on the company in less than a year as it was forced to temporarily suspend orders for its online greetings arm Funkypigeon.com last April following a cyber security incident – in January Royal Mail was hit by a Russian-linked ransomware attack that caused disruption to overseas deliveries for several weeks.
In a statement WHS said that after becoming aware of the latest incident “we immediately launched an investigation, engaged specialist support services and implemented our incident response plans, which included notifying the relevant authorities”, and the Information Commissioner’s Office, the watchdog which investigates data breaches, confirmed it was looking into the matter.
Meanwhile, The Times revealed yesterday, 6 March, that WHS is opening several high-end stationery and souvenir shops as it looks to fill the space that will be left by Paperchase stores when they all close shortly.
The retailer will open Curi.o.city in Gatwick Airport’s north and south terminals on 16 March, as well as one at St Pancras International in London at the beginning of April, and the standalone stores will sell cards, gifts, stationery and souvenirs from a mix of third-party brands including Biscuiteers, East London Liquor Company and Soapsmith.
Chief executive Carl Cowling told the newspaper he saw “fresh opportunities” following Paperchase’s demise, and WHS is already moving into the chain’s former concession in Selfridge’s Manchester store.
Having also hired several former Paperchase employees from the buying and merchandising side, Carl said WHS had no plans to open more High Street stores but would be expanding its relevant ranges in outlets near where there used to be a Paperchase shop.
In another move, WHS has partnered with Holland & Barrett in a three-store trial, which will see the health and wellness brand’s concessions added to Travel outlets in Heathrow Terminal 2 airside, Gatwick North Terminal airside, and London’s Euston railway station.
Lisa Tookey, commercial growth director at Holland & Barrett, said: “We’re always looking for new ways we can make wellness a way of life for even more people, and we’re delighted to be working with WHSmith to bring a selection of our range to travellers. Our aim is to test and learn through this pilot to understand how we might offer Holland & Barrett’s range of wellness products in travel locations in the future.”
Top: WHS has suffered a data breach as its move into Paperchase’s territory is revealed
