M&S saw its profits more than halved by the cyber attack it was subjected to earlier this year, the company has revealed in its half year results.

The 26 weeks to 27 September 2025 saw the retailer make an adjusted profit before tax of £184m, compared to £413.1m for the same period the previous year. The company received an insurance payout of £100m, which was recorded in the adjusted profit.

Chief executive Stuart Machin paid tribute to the strength of the business and its team.

“The first half of this year was an extraordinary moment in time for M&S. However, the underlying strength of our business and robust financial foundations gave us the resilience to face into the challenge and deal with it. We are now getting back on track,” said Machin.

He added that the company expects profits for the second half of the year to be at least in line with last year’s performance.

Despite the disruption, M&S saw total sales increase by 22.1%, to £7,965.2m, for the six month period. It saw food sales grow by 7.8%, though its food margin declined from 5.1% to 2.0% due to costs involved in markdowns and stock management during the cyber incident.

Fashion, home and beauty sales declined by 16.4% due to the pause in online sales from April to early June, while store sales suffered from lower product availability.

Profits took an additional hit of £50m due to costs in meeting demands of the EPR packaging levy.

Six new stores opened during the first half of the financial year, with a further 12 to open by the year end, while M&S has announced a £349m investment in its food supply chain.

“Our plan to reshape M&S for long-term sustainable growth is unchanged, our ambitions are undimmed, and our determination to knuckle down and deliver is stronger than ever,” said Machin.

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