Giant grocery website and app offline for days after cybersecurity incident at parent company

Giant Food Stores' website and mobile app have been unavailable for several days after a cybersecurity incident at its parent company, Ahold Delhaize, though the chain's stores, pharmacies and gas stations remain open during regular hours, according to local news reports.

CBS Philadelphia reported that the Netherlands-based company said it learned of the attack on Monday, Oct. 12, and that the problems had not been resolved as of Thursday, Oct. 15. The Philadelphia Inquirer described the event as a possible cyberattack and reported that the website was still down at midday Wednesday.

In a statement on Tuesday, Ahold Delhaize said it had taken some systems offline as a precaution while its teams assessed the problem, according to NBC10 and the Inquirer. Both outlets reported the company said it had begun a controlled relaunch of certain systems. The company has not given a timeline for restoring online services, NBC10 reported.

The company told the Inquirer that its investigation was continuing but it had found no evidence so far that customer, employee or partner data was taken. CBS Philadelphia likewise reported no sign that customer data had been compromised. Ahold Delhaize declined to share details of the incident, citing security concerns, the Inquirer reported.

According to NBC10, the company did not say where the attack came from or whether any group had claimed responsibility. NBC10 reported that the company is working with law enforcement, and the Inquirer said it is also working with outside cybersecurity experts.

Orders placed through the Giant website or app that were not filled will be refunded, according to all three outlets. NBC10 and the Inquirer reported that customers can still order delivery through Instacart, DoorDash and Uber Eats.

Giant spokesperson Ashley Flower told the Inquirer that shoppers can ask employees at checkout or the customer-service counter for help with digital coupons. She said that if the app remained down on Friday, Giant planned to automatically activate all digital coupons on customers' loyalty cards.

The outage has also affected other Ahold Delhaize grocery brands. NBC10 reported that online services for Stop & Shop and Hannaford went down, and the Inquirer said the websites and apps of Food Lion and Giant Food, a separate chain with stores in Maryland and Delaware, were also offline as of Wednesday.

The Inquirer noted that Ahold Delhaize's U.S. operations were hit by an attack in 2024 that left Stop & Shop stores with low inventory for weeks before Thanksgiving.

Giant, which began as a butcher shop in Carlisle, operates 168 locations in Pennsylvania, more than 70 of them in the Philadelphia region, including 10 stores in the city, according to the Inquirer.

Compiled by True News from reporting by CBS Philadelphia, NBC10 Philadelphia and The Philadelphia Inquirer. Each outlet's original story is linked below.

Originally published by True News: https://truenews.bagleyenterprises.net/stories/140