M&S profits halved after it was hit by a cyber-attack which left shoppers unable to buy online from the company for months.

The British high street chain’s boss said the April attack was “an extraordinary moment in time” as it revealed it made £184m adjusted profit before tax for the first half of the year, compared with £413m the year prior.

As well as disrupting its online business, the hack affected the company in-store too, leaving some shelves bare in the weeks after M&S was targeted.

M&S said it had received £100m of insurance money related to combating the cyber-attack, around the amount which the incident had cost it so far, though it expects further costs in the coming months.

The fashion and food company was forced to suspend online orders for almost two months, with click and collect suspended for almost four months.

Revealing its financial figures for the six months to September, M&S said “the underlying strength” of the chain meant it was “getting back on track” and expected full-year profits to be in-line with last year.

One analyst told BBC’s Today programme that it was reassuring that the main part of M&S’s business, homewares and fashion, only saw sales decline around 16%.

“Given that they were offline for most of the trading period and really only came back online for their click and collect in August, it’s pretty, pretty resilient,” said Judith MacKenzie, head of Downing Fund Managers.

She said it was “outstanding” that its food sales were up 7.8% over that time despite it being “a pretty horrendous period” for the company.

The fact that costs related to the attack were lower than expected was positive, said Lucy Rumbold, equity research analyst at Quilter.

M&S had earlier estimated that the attack would cost it around £300m.

On a call after the results, chief executive Stuart Machin said: “in May, we anticipated the material impact of the incident on group operating profit to be around £300m this financial year, and we are broadly in line with that”.

He said there were costs from managing the impact, including more IT staffing, and increased food wastage as the firm switched to manual processing during the cyber attack.

Ms Rumbold said there was a view from investors that the disruption caused by the hack “was a one-off”.

“Normal trading can therefore resume and the positive story M&S had going prior to the cyber-attack remains in place.”

M&S said in the second half of the year it forecast profits would recover to the levels seen in 2024, “as the residual effects of the incident continue to reduce in the coming months.”

Mr Machin said the firm was looking forward to a profitable Christmas period, and said sales were going well of its much-loved rose mulled wine, and men’s washable tuxedos.

While profits at M&S tumbled, other retailers have seen a boost in sales as people turned to them for shopping after the cyber attack.

Next continued to see sales overperform, with its latest results in October seeing a 10.5% increase in sales. However, that was not as good as earlier in the year when it had seen “exceptional performance” in the immediate aftermath of the M&S cyber attack.

Last Updated:November 05, 2025, 13:36 IST

CBDT sets December 31, 2025, as the last date to link PAN with Aadhaar. From January 1, 2026, unlinked PANs become inoperative, affecting tax filing and refunds.

PAN-Aadhaar Link Deadline: Permanent Account Number (PAN) will become inoperative for those holders who are unable to link it with their Aadhaar card from January 01, 2026, affecting the ability to file income tax returns and get refunds.

The Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT) has fixed December 31, 2025, as the last day to link PAN with Aadhaar card for those who receive the cards before October 01, 2025, failing which the services will be discontinued.

Permanent Account Number (PAN) is a ten-digit alphanumeric number, issued by the Income Tax Department. PAN enables the department to link all transactions of the “person” with the department. These transactions include tax payments, TDS/TCS credits, returns of income, specified transactions, correspondence, and so on. PAN, thus, acts as an identifier for the “person” with the tax department.

The income tax department with the aim to eradicate misuse and fraud, made it mandatory for holders to link with Aadhaar card, in case they are being issued without the linking. The department had extended deadlines several times to give the enough time to holders. It has also imposed a penalty for those who fail to link PAN with Aadhaar in due time.

The services that will be affected if a person fails to link PAN with Aadhaar:

1) The person shall not be able to file return using the inoperative PAN

2) Pending returns will not be processed

3) Pending refunds cannot be issued to inoperative PANs

4) Pending proceedings as in the case of defective returns cannot be completed once the PAN is inoperative

5) Tax will be required to be deducted at a higher rate as PAN becomes inoperative

How To Link Aadhaar With Pan Card Online

Linking Aadhaar with PAN Online (Pre-Login, Without Logging In)

This method is suitable for both registered and unregistered users of the Income Tax e-Filing portal. Visit the Income Tax e-Filing Portal: Go to the official Income Tax e-Filing website: www.incometax.gov.in.

• Access the Link Aadhaar Option: On the homepage, under the Quick Links section, click on Link Aadhaar.
• Enter PAN and Aadhaar Details: Input your 10-digit PAN number and 12-digit Aadhaar number.
• Enter your name as per Aadhaar.
• Check the box “I agree to validate my Aadhaar details”.
• Click Validate.
• Pay the Penalty (if applicable): If you are linking after December 31, 2025, a pop-up may appear stating “Payment details not found”, indicating that a Rs 1,000 penalty is required.
• Click Continue to Pay Through e-Pay Tax.
• Enter your PAN, confirm the PAN, and provide your mobile number to receive an OTP.
• After OTP verification, you’ll be redirected to the e-Pay Tax page.
• Select Assessment Year as 2025-26, Type of Payment as Other Receipts (500), and Sub-type of Payment as Fee for delay in linking PAN with Aadhaar.
• The penalty amount (Rs 1,000) will be auto-filled under Others. Click Continue.
• Choose your payment method (net banking, debit card, NEFT/RTGS, or payment gateway) and complete the payment. A challan will be generated.
• Submit the Linking Request: Return to the Link Aadhaar section on the e-Filing portal.
• Re-enter your PAN, Aadhaar number, and name as per Aadhaar.
• Enter your mobile number linked to Aadhaar to receive a 6-digit OTP.
• Enter the OTP and click Validate.

How To Check Aadhaar-PAN Link Status Online

1. Visit the Income Tax e-Filing Portal:
   • Go to www.incometax.gov.in.
2. Access the Link Aadhaar Status:
   • On the homepage, under the Quick Links section, click on Link Aadhaar Status.
3. Enter Details:
   • Input your 10-digit PAN number and 12-digit Aadhaar number.
   • Click View Link Aadhaar Status.
4. Check the Result:
   • Linked: You’ll see a message like, “Your PAN is already linked to the given Aadhaar.”
   • Not Linked: The message will state, “PAN not linked with Aadhaar. Please click on ‘Link Aadhaar’ to link.”
   • Pending: If the linking request is under process, it will say, “Your Aadhaar-PAN linking request has been sent to UIDAI for validation.”

Varun Yadav

Varun Yadav is a Sub Editor at News18 Business Digital. He writes articles on markets, personal finance, technology, and more. He completed his post-graduation diploma in English Journalism from the Indian Inst…Read More

Varun Yadav is a Sub Editor at News18 Business Digital. He writes articles on markets, personal finance, technology, and more. He completed his post-graduation diploma in English Journalism from the Indian Inst… Read More

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Online retailers Shein, Temu, AliExpress and Wish are being investigated in France in relation to the offence of enabling minors to access pornographic content on their platforms, the Paris prosecutor said on Tuesday.

The country’s consumer watchdog had reported the four firms to the prosecution service on Sunday after raising concerns about the sale of childlike sex dolls on Shein’s platform over the weekend.

The Paris prosecutor’s office told the BBC that the platforms are being investigated over violent, pornographic or “undignified messages” that can be accessed by minors.

AliExpress told the BBC it takes the matter very seriously. Shein, Temu and Wish have also been contacted for comment.

Shein and AliExpress are also under investigation over the dissemination of content related to children that are of a pornographic nature, the office said.

The cases have been referred to Paris’ Office des Mineurs, the prosecution service added. The office is an arm of the French police force that oversees the protection of minors.

AliExpress said the listings in question violated its policies and were removed once it became aware of them.

“Sellers found to violate or trying to circumvent these requirements will be penalised in accordance with our rules,” AliExpress said in a statement.

On Monday, Shein said it had banned the sale of all sex dolls on its platform worldwide. The Singapore-based retailer also said that it would permanently block all seller accounts related to the illegal sale of the childlike dolls and set stricter controls on its platform.

The French consumer watchdog, the Directorate General for Competition, Consumer Affairs and Fraud Control, had said the sex dolls’ description and categorisation left “little doubt as to the child pornography nature” of the products.

The scrutiny of Shein comes as the company, which was founded in China, prepares for the opening on Wednesday of its first permanent physical outlet in France.

Protesters have been seen gathered in front of the Paris department store where Shein is set to open the outlet.

Shein plans to open outlets in other French department stores in cities including Dijon, Reims and Angers.