
Louis Vuitton confirms UK customer data stolen in cyber attack
In an email to customers seen by multiple news outlets, including Bloomberg, which first reported the attack, Louis Vuitton said an unauthorised third-party had accessed its UK operations systems, and had obtained information like names, contact details and purchase history.
The retailer noted that while no financial data, such as bank details, had been compromised and that there was no evidence of data currently being misused, it warned that unauthorised use of the stolen information may occur, as could phishing and fraud attempts.
Louis Vuitton had already been tackling a similar cyber attack on its Korean operations last week. It came weeks after it was reported that hackers had targeted its sister brand, Christian Dior, and also accessed customer data.
The latest string of attacks build on a growing list of impacted retailers facing cyber security threats in recent months. The trend had begun earlier this year with Marks & Spencer, Harrods and Co-op among a number of British retailers to have initially reported such incidents.
Last week, four people were arrested in relation to the attacks against the three UK companies, according to the region's National Crime Agency, with all suspects remaining in custody.

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


Daily Mail
an hour ago
- Daily Mail
Are LVMH shares cheap? Analysts eye rebound after Louis Vuitton owner's recent price slump
LVMH shareholders have endured a torrid 2025 so far, with the French luxury group's stock market value sinking by a quarter over the last six months. The group, which counts Louis Vuitton, Dior and Givenchy among its stable of fashion brands, has seen shares sink by almost a third over the last 12 months as the global luxury rebound has probed sluggish. Last week Louis Vuitton announced it was targeted by a cyberattack for the third time in the past three months at the beginning of July, after Marks & Spencer, the Co-op and Harrods were all targeted earlier this year. Meanwhile, LVMH's drinks division, Moët Hennessy, is being gripped by a €1.3million court case brought by Maria Gasparovic, former chief of staff to executive Jean-Marc Lacave, who was sacked four months after reporting alleged sexual misconduct by senior colleagues. Despite these recent tribulations for the firm, analysts think shares could be due a rebound. LVMH revenues contracted 3 per cent to €20.3billion in the first quarter, from €20.7billion a year ago, well below analyst forecasts for sales growth of 2 per cent. Revenue in the firm's wines and spirits division, headed up by its Moët and Hennessy brands, declined 9 per cent to €1.3billion. Its largest category, fashion and leather goods, saw sales fall 5 per cent to €10.1billion, from €10.5billion previously. The firm, which was the first in its sector to post figures after the Donald Trump's 'liberation day' tariff announcements, said: 'In a disrupted geopolitical and economic environment, LVMH remains both vigilant and confident at the start of the year.' The French firm, which has a market capitalisation of almost €250billion, owns 75 luxury brands. It will publish its results for the first half of its 2025 financial year on 24 July. A luxury slump It isn't just LVMH that is feeling the pinch, the entire luxury sector is facing a similar downturn. After a post-pandemic peak that saw luxury brands surge on the back of huge demand, external pressures such as geopolitical uncertainty and economic slowdown have precipitated a downturn across the sector. During the course of 2024, the market dipped from €369billion to €364billion, according to figures from Bain & Company, with weaker demand, especially from China and the US, pushing the shrink. American luxury demand was down around 10 per cent in 2024 compared to its peak in 2022, according to data from Morningstar, while Chinese demand has slipped a quarter in compared with its pre-pandemic high point. Even so, LVMH has suffered a worse fate than many, with the firm underperforming luxury peers. Morningstar analysts said LVMH is currently trading below the broker's value estimate of €620 per share. At midday on Thursday, LVMH shares were trading at €496.05 per share. Why is LVMH undervalued? Since January, LVMH shares have fallen some 34 per cent, and was surpassed in value by Hermes, which became the largest luxury goods firm in April. Morningstar says this is a normalisation after the post pandemic boom, during which the firm said LVMH's valuation was stretched. At the time, LVMH was operating on a price to earnings ratio of 26. Now, having seen its share price half, its PE ratio on a one year rolling basis now stands at 20.2, according to figures form Stockopedia. In comparison, the new king of luxury, Hermes, is operating on a PE ratio of 50.8. Likewise, a number of other luxury goods firms have significantly larger PE ratios than LVMH, with Burberry standing at 48.2, EssilorLuxotica at 33.1 and Kering at 26.7. Jelena Sokolova, senior equity analyst at Morningstar, said: 'We have seen luxury sector slowdowns many times before, but this time LVMH's valuation has been unfairly hit. 'The retailer is trading at its lowest forward earnings multiple in seven years and roughly half that of comparable wide-moat peers, which presents an opportunity for investors.' Morningstar added: 'Forward earnings multiples are at the lowest for the last seven years and are meaningfully below peers, offering around 30 per cent upside to our fair value estimate.' However, others argue that LVMH's downturn is far from an unfair reflection on the rest of the business. Dan Coatsworth, investment analyst at AJ Bell, however, told This is Money: 'LVMH has lost its sparkle after a series of setbacks in recent years. It has focused too much on the aspirational market and these types of buyers have become more cash-conscious, watching their pennies rather than opening their wallets without a care in the world. 'In contrast, Hermes has explicitly focused on the ultra-rich and has enjoyed more resilient trading. LVMH might now be thinking hard about narrowing its customer focus as that could help to make its products more desirable, which is ultimately what luxury goods is all about.' Is there a turnaround on the horizon? LVMH still has exceptional brand strength, which Morningstar says will give it the edge against its peers. The group's brands making up 29 per cent of the luxury leather market, compared to just 8 per cent for Hermes. The firm's impressive storefronts and higher capital spending on retail may help its brands to stand out from their competition. The strength of the brand remains, with LVMH having seen fashion and leather sales grow slightly better than the wider sector last year, though this dipped in the first quarter of 2025. Coatsworth, however, said: 'LVMH has too many different interests. We're in an environment where companies are focusing on what they do best and jettisoning non-core assets. LVMH would be better if it just focused on fashion and got rid of the Sephora and DFS retail arms and its various food and drink operations.' LVMH's brand strength, unwieldy though it may be, could combine with the potential for an upswing in the sector after the slowdown of the past few years. Morningstar's Sokolova certainly thinks this is the case. She told This is Money: 'We expect the luxury industry to return to growth after the current - and last year's - slowdown, driven by normalisation of demand in the US as post-pandemic excess spending is flushed out - a trend we've seen since 2023 - and as Chinese real estate prices stabilize, boosting consumer sentiment. ' LVMH derives around 24 per cent of its sales from the US, where consumer sending has also stalled. Morningstar said: 'We estimate that post-pandemic excesses have been flushed out of the market, US luxury consumption should come back to growth from more normal levels. We expect US GDP to hold up stronger in the long term.' China accounts for a significant portion of LVMH's sales, with Asia (excluding Japan), accounting for 30 per cent of LVMH sales. China's economy is currently in a period of slow growth, with consumers remaining tight on spending. In the first quarter, LVMH revenue from China fell by 11 per cent, with the second quarter expected to follow suit. Sokolova said: 'Many Chinese spenders are still sitting on substantial savings following the pandemic. We expect LVMH to outperform the industry growth longer-term thanks to strength of the brands and substantial marketing budget. 'Once sentiment in key markets like China and the US returns to its pre-pandemic trajectory, we expect LVMH to leverage its brand strength and investment capabilities to emerge stronger and better positioned than ever.'


Daily Record
2 hours ago
- Daily Record
Brits urged to 'go home' by Majorca hotels in awkward billboard plea
Hotels are putting up signage across the island in a bid to reclaim the viral "go home" messaging that local protesters have deployed Hoteliers in Majorca are uniting to urge British holidaymakers to "go home", but unlike the placards of local residents protesting against the effects of mass tourism, these hotel businesses are asking them to return "soon." The Majorca Hotel Business Federation (FEHM) is erecting signs across the island in an attempt to reclaim the viral "go home" slogan used by local demonstrators demanding stricter regulations on short-term holiday rentals and a halt to hotel construction in favour of residential homes. Signs in both English and German, aimed at two of the Spanish island's key tourist demographics, will now somewhat awkwardly read: "Tourist, go home happy. Be happier returning to Mallorca soon. Thanks!". Despite an early summer dip in visitors from Germany and Spain, Brits, seemingly unfazed by the prospect of having a 'go home' placard brandished at them, have been dubbed the islands' "most loyal holidaymakers". This is evidenced by a recent nine per cent surge in British tourists visiting Majorca and a six per cent increase across the Balearics overall. Approximately 20 billboards will carry these messages, as reported by the Majorca Daily Bulletin, in a bid by business leaders to counteract some of the negative sentiment stirred up by these often well-attended protests. Javier Vich, the president of MEHF, expressed his hope that the billboards would capitalise on a recent significant victory for the local hospitality industry. The sector had experienced walk-outs and strikes over pay, before a "best in Spain" increase of 13.5 per cent was agreed with employers. Vich stated: "Every month during the high season, 235,000 salaries are paid in sectors linked to tourism: transport, catering, culture, leisure and hospitality.' before stressing that these salaries were paid from the proceeds of tourists visiting the island. He added: "We cannot allow a radical minority to damage the work carried out over many years by so many people who have made tourism their way of life." The Balearic Islands rank as the third most popular destination for holidaymakers travelling to Spain, which has witnessed a tremendous tourism surge since the pandemic. This has resulted in a significant increase in illegal holiday rentals across the country, reducing the number of homes available for locals and driving up rental prices. However, Vich contended: "Tourism cannot be the punching bag for all the structural problems of this community."


The Herald Scotland
3 hours ago
- The Herald Scotland
Scottish 'centre of excellence' sold to French giant
The move comes a year after Socotec, whose British operation is based in Burton-upon-Trent, took over Aspect Land & Hydrographic Surveys of Irvine. It is Socotec's 14th acquisition across the UK and Ireland since 2018. Read more: 'Joining forces with Socotec UK and Ireland provides an exciting opportunity to expand our testing provisions and deliver enhanced services to our clients," Mr Brown said. 'Our East Kilbride facility has become the centre of excellence for fire testing in UK, and as part of Socotec, we look forward to building on that legacy while accessing wider resources and expertise.' UKTC is an established provider of fire resistance testing, reaction to fire testing, and certification services across multiple building materials and systems. Its UKAS-accredited facilities carry out comprehensive assessments of products and materials against British, European, and international standards, supporting manufacturers, specifiers, and building owners in meeting increasingly stringent fire regulations. Socotec's global expertise extends to more than 300 fire safety experts worldwide. Its portfolio includes specialised centres of excellence across Europe, the Middle East and the USA. 'The acquisition of UKTC represents a significant milestone in our growth strategy and commitment to enhancing building safety across the UK," said Matthew Marriott, head of Socotec in the UK and Ireland. "This marks our second acquisition in Scotland within the last 12 months, demonstrating our intention to continue investing in this important region, as well as developing our capabilities to serve clients through the UK and Ireland.'