A cyber attack that disrupts operations is costly enough. But in today’s retail environment, where consumer loyalty shifts fast and supply chains extend across multiple partners, the real damage often happens far beyond the firewall

That’s certainly what the 2025 Marks & Spencer (M&S) cyber attack revealed, not just about cybersecurity, but about how a single breach transforms the competitive playing field.

Next, one of M&S’s main rivals, now expects pre-tax profits to exceed £1.1bn (US$1.4bn). For the fourth time this year, it has upgraded its forecast, stating that part of this success is due to “competitor disruption”.