London Drugs closes stores until further notice due to cyberattack

Retail and pharmacy chain London Drugs says it was the "victim of a cybersecu‐ rity incident" Sunday and has shuttered its stores across Western Canada un‐ til further notice.

The retailer, which is headquartered in B.C., says the closure is out of "an abundance of caution" and that it immediately took mea‐ sures to counter the attack once it was discovered.

"At this time, we have no reason to believe that cus‐ tomer or employee data has been impacted," the com‐ pany said in a statement emailed to CBC News around 5:30 p.m. PT on Sunday.

The chain says pharma‐ cists would still support cus‐ tomers with urgent pharma‐ cy needs, but anyone seeking information should call their local pharmacy to make arrangements.

"Pharmacists are standing by to support any customers with urgent pharmacy needs," the statement read.

London Drugs initially confirmed the closure of its stores in a post on X, former‐ ly known as Twitter. In a post on Facebook, the company said the closure would not be permanent.

In a previous statement to CBC News Sunday afternoon, the retailer had said the clo‐ sures were caused by an "op‐ erational issue."

CBC News spoke to staff at a location in Kamloops, B.C. earlier in the day, who said they were experiencing a "computer issue," which meant the store could not as‐ sist customers.

London Drugs said it has retained third-party experts to help contain, fix and foren‐ sically investigate the inci‐ dent.

"We want to assure you that this incident is the ut‐ most priority for us," the company said in its state‐ ment, thanking customers for their patience and promising update them as it progressed in resolving the issue.

The retailer operates nearly 80 stores across B.C., Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba, with more than 50 of them located in B.C.