Cyber attack sees Reckitt warn over sales slump

Household goods giant Reckitt Benckiser has warned of a permanent hit to sales after last month’s worldwide cyber attack wrought havoc across its factories.

The Durex-to-dettol firm said that, while the ransomware attack had now been largely contained, it was still working to resolve some issues more than a week after it struck.

The group said around 2 per cent would be wiped off like-for-like revenue growth in its second quarter after the attack significantly disrupted its manufacturing and orders systems in a raft of markets, including the UK.

It said some factories are still not back to normal operation.

The group expects some of the sales lost in the second quarter to be recouped in the current quarter but warned that ongoing woes in its supply chain could see it lose some customers and orders permanently.

It said: “The attack did disrupt the company’s ability to manufacture and distribute products to customers in multiple markets across the group.”