TFG London, the UK arm of retail conglomerate The Foschini Group and the company behind fashion brands Hobbs, Whistles and Phase Eight, is investigating a cyber-security incident after detecting a problem with some of its IT systems on Sunday.
The firm said the incident specifically affected its Phase Eight, Hobbs and Whistles brands.
“We are actively investigating and working with external cyber security specialists,” the company said in a statement to BBC News.
TFG said its brands’ shops are trading as normal, but warned that some website functions may be unavailable. “We apologise for any disruption and will provide additional updates to our customers as appropriate,” it added.
According to the retail group, customers were told by email that it does not believe payment information was affected by the incident.
“As our investigation continues, we will be working to identify if any sensitive information related to our customers was impacted,” it said.
In the email, seen by the PA news agency, the company said anyone whose personal information had been affected would be notified directly. “We do not believe it is necessary to change your account login information at this time,” it added.
Beverley Griffiths, senior lecturer in security and resilience at Bucks New University, told PA the case was “a clear sign that major brands are firmly in the crosshairs of cyber attackers”.
Fashion houses from Adidas to Alexander McQueen have been hit by cyber-criminals who threaten to release customer data unless a ransom is paid.
“No organisation is immune, so the real test of resilience is how quickly a business can detect an incident, respond and recover while keeping its customers informed,” Griffiths said. She added that customers should stay “vigilant” and be wary of suspicious messages.
Separately, H&M is examining claims that it was attacked by a notorious hacking group. On Monday it was reported the fashion giant was investigating claims of a hack by a cyber-criminal outfit called ShinyHunters, which has previously been linked to high-profile attacks on the FBI, Rockstar Games and Ticketmaster.
“We are aware of information circulating online regarding a potential cyber security incident and are currently investigating the claims,” H&M told BBC News.
“At this time, we have not found any indications that our data environment has been compromised.”
The developments come a week after Asos customers learned through a push notification on their phone screens that the online fashion and beauty retailer had been hacked by a different group. Cyber-security experts told the BBC the move — turning an app notification system into what amounted to a “ransom note” — was unprecedented.
It later emerged that the hackers had obtained more detailed personal information belonging to Asos customers than the retailer had first suggested. An update went out to customers after BBC News told Asos it had been contacted by cyber-criminals who said the breach went beyond the “basic contact details” the company had previously said might have been accessed.
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