London Drugs locations begin gradual reopening
Stores across Western Canada shuttered after cybersecurity incident last month
London Drugs has begun a gradual reopening of stores after an April 28 cybersecurity incident forced the company to temporarily close all of its locations across Western Canada.
Phone lines were also initially shut down as part of an investigation into the incident by cybersecurity experts. London Drugs phones began working again on May 1.
Pharmacy staff remained on site for the duration of the closures to assist with urgent pharmacy concerns. Canada Post outlets within London Drugs stores also remained operational.
Given the complexity of the store systems, the company is unable to open all stores at the same time.
“We are only turning on systems after we and our external third-party cybersecurity experts have taken all recommended steps to ensure we have full confidence that the systems being used are safe and secure,” the retailer said in a news release Monday.
London Drugs is “taking the time with each store to ensure systems are working and ready to serve customers.”
The company maintains that no customer data has been compromised. If the investigation determines that personal information was affected, it will notify individuals in accordance with privacy laws.
The company said 40 of 79 stores reopened as of Monday, but some pharmacy services remain unavailable. Connectivity issues are preventing the stores from being able to fill new prescriptions. Pharmacy staff remain at all stores to assist with questions or urgent needs.
The Insurance Services Call Centre is open and helping customers with insurance needs and Autoplan transactions.
All Optical locations are expected to be operational by the end of Monday.
As of Monday, the following Alberta stores had reopened:
■ Shawnessy (Calgary)
■ First Calgary S.E.
■ Lethbridge
■ Unity Square (Edmonton)
■ Southgate Mall (Edmonton)
■ Red Deer
■ Grand Prairie
■ Airdrie
London Drugs expects all of the affected stores to be open by the end of Tuesday.
“We are grateful for the patience and support of our customers and suppliers as we work to bring all services and systems at our stores back to full operation following this cybersecurity incident,” Clint Mahlman, president and chief operating officer of London Drugs, said in Saturday's statement.