Stop & Shop locations are grappling with empty boxes and cleared-out shelves in the fresh departments as the chain and parent company Ahold Delhaize grapple with a cybersecurity incident.
On Wednesday, customers faced empty boxes and shelves in the produce section of the banner’s store at 65 Newport Ave. in Quincy, Massachusetts.
“Inventory may be limited for certain products due to a systems issue that has impacted the shipment of select products,” said a sign in the produce section.
Similarly, a Stop & Shop location at 224 Elliott St. in Beverly, Massachusetts, on Wednesday had out-of-stocks in the packaged meat and produce areas.
“Due to IT system outage that are affecting some of our behind-the-scenes applications, product deliveries may be slightly delayed. We are working to restock our shelves as quickly as possible. Thank you for your patience,” said a sign at an undisclosed Stop & Shop, according to NBC 10 WJAR, a news station for the greater Providence, Rhode Island, area.
When asked about the bare shelves and signage about IT issues, Stop & Shop responded with a press release from parent company Ahold Delhaize on Thursday saying it had “detected a cybersecurity issue within its U.S. network” and was investigating with help from outside experts.
Ahold Delhaize said it took some systems down to “help protect them” and had notified authorities. Each of its U.S. banner stores “are open and serving customers,” the Dutch grocery operator said.
Stop & Shop spokesperson Caroline Medeiros said Thursday evening that all of the chain’s stores are open and that customers may continue to see “more limited inventory than usual for certain products as the issue and our mitigation efforts have impacted the shipment of select products to our stores.”
Product availability varies by store and the banner is working to have its shelves restocked “in the coming days,” Medeiros said.
Medeiros noted that Ahold Delhaize’s investigation is still underway: “Our teams are taking steps to assess and mitigate the issue. We will continue to take actions to further protect our systems. The security of our customers, associates and partners remains a top priority.”
It’s unclear how many Stop & Shop locations have grappled with empty shelves as a result of IT issues stemming from the cybersecurity incident, or if other departments besides fresh foods were impacted. The banner has more than 360 stores across Connecticut, New York, New Jersey, Rhode Island and Massachusetts.
Tim Houle and Eric Chan contributed reporting
