Harrods reputational fall out reaches far beyond UK borders as luxury retailer hit by cyber attack

Harrods has become the latest retailer to be targeted by a cyber attack.

The luxury retailer said it had "restricted internet access at our sites" following an attempt to gain access to its systems. This closely followed Co-op shutting down parts of its IT systems to fend off a hack, while Marks & Spencer continues to deal with a cyber attack that has hit the high street giant hard.

Harrods said its flagship store remained open, and it continues to operate its online operation.

In light of the incident, CARMA, a media and reputation intelligence firm, has analysed how the incident has played out globally across digital media.

Though Harrods says operations remain open and that systems were proactively restricted, CARMA’s data shows the reputational fall out has already reached far beyond UK borders, likely due to the retailer’s status as a luxury global icon.

Between 1st and 2nd May, CARMA tracked:

• 930 articles referencing Harrods and the cyber attack

• 3,500+ engagements and a 15 billion global reach

• 80.1% of coverage was negative, making this one of the most sentiment heavy retail attacks tracked so far

Global reach breakdown:

• US: 52%

• UK: 32.7%

• India: 4.5%

• Romania: 2.7%

Conversations have largely centred on data security, luxury customer disruption, and comparisons with recent attacks on M&S and the Co-op. Although this is the third major UK retailer breach in under a week, the Harrods brand is facing a uniquely global reputational test, with luxury positioning raising the stakes on both consumer expectations and brand response.

Michael Simpson, Senior Business Development Manager for Retail at CARMA, says: “Harrods has acted quickly to contain the threat and publicly reassure customers; a crucial first step in any crisis response. But what we’re seeing in our data here is just how fast these incidents scale reputationally, especially for globally recognised and luxury brands such as Harrods. In today’s fast paced, digital environment, where sentiment spreads much faster than facts, it’s vital that comms strategies are as resilient as their security systems.”

"The brands retailers that will come through strongest are those who pair operational action with clear, visible leadership - both during the incident and in the recovery. With three major attacks in the last three days, it's very apparent that the ability to monitor and manage reputation in real-time is a competitive advantage.”

2025 RTIH INNOVATION AWARDS

Data security will be a key focus area at the 2025 RTIH Innovation Awards.

The awards, which are now open for entries, celebrate global tech innovation in a fast moving omnichannel world.

Our 2024 hall of fame entrants were revealed during an event which took place at RIBA’s 66 Portland Place HQ in Central London on 21st November, and consisted of a drinks reception, three course meal, and awards ceremony presided over by comedian Lucy Porter.

In his welcome speech, Scott Thompson, Founder and Editor, RTIH, said: “The event is now into its sixth year and what a journey it has been. The awards started life as an online only affair during the Covid outbreak, before launching as a small scale in real life event and growing year on year to the point where we’re now selling out this fine, historic venue.”

He added: “Congratulations to all of our finalists. Many submissions did not make it through to the final stage, and getting to this point is no mean feat. Checkout-free stores, automated supply chains, immersive experiences, on-demand delivery, next generation loyalty offerings, inclusive retail, green technology. We’ve got all the cool stuff covered this evening.”

“But just importantly we’ve got lots of great examples of companies taking innovative tech and making it usable in everyday operations - resulting in more efficiency and profitability in all areas.”

Congratulations to our 2024 winners, and a big thank you to our sponsors, judging panel, the legend that is Lucy Porter, and all those who attended November's gathering. 

For further information on the 2025 RTIH Innovation Awards, please fill in the below form and we will get back to you asap.