A cybersecurity incident led London Drugs to close all of its stores in western Canada on Sunday until further notice.
Retail and pharmacy chain London Drugs took to social media Sunday to inform shoppers the company’s stores across Western Canada will be closed until further notice.
In a post to X, London Drugs said it was experiencing an “operational issue” that led to the closures.
In a statement to Global News, the company said it discovered Sunday it was “the victim of a cybersecurity incident.”
“Upon discovering the incident, London Drugs immediately undertook countermeasures to protect its network and data, including retaining leading third-party cybersecurity experts to assist with containment, remediation and to conduct a forensic investigation,” the statement read.
“At this time, we have no reason to believe that customer or employee data has been impacted.
“Out of an abundance of caution, London Drugs is closing all stores across Western Canada until further notice.”
London Drugs said pharmacists are standing by to “support any customers with urgent pharmacy needs. We advise customers to phone their local store’s pharmacy to make arrangements. We apologize for any inconvenience caused and we want to assure you that this incident is the utmost priority for us at London Drugs.”
On Monday, customers who called London Drugs were met with an automated system and statement about the closure, before the line abruptly disconnected when the caller tried to reach the pharmacy.
London Drugs told Global News on Monday afternoon their phone systems are also down so customers need to physically go to stores and speak with pharmacists about getting emergency refills.
“As a necessary part of its internal investigation, London Drugs phone lines have been temporary taken down and will be restored as soon as the investigation is complete,” the company later tweeted.
“In the interim, Pharmacy staff are on-site at all London Drugs locations to support customers with urgent pharmacy needs.
“We advise customers to visit their local store in-person for immediate support and until the phone lines are back in service.”
No further details about the cybersecurity incident were revealed.
In a post to Facebook, the company said the closure would not be permanent.