James Hall cyberattack closes SPAR shops and disrupts ordering and manufacturing

A cyberattack on wholesaler and IT-service provider James Hall on 5 December 2021 disrupted payment systems, wholesale ordering and manufacturing operations and affected more than 300 SPAR convenience stores in northern England. Some retail outlets closed completely; others accepted cash only. Store operators described ongoing inability to place stock orders and product shortages more than a week after the incident. SPAR publicly described the incident as ransomware, although the threat actor was not verified.