Marks & Spencer has terminated its technology helpdesk contract with Tata Consultancy Services, months after the retailer suffered a cyber attack that disrupted operations and is expected to reduce operating profits by up to £300 million this year.

M&S said the process to find a new provider began in January, with the decision concluded in the summer. “Regarding the IT service desk contract specifically, as is usual process, we went to market to test for the most suitable product available, ran a thorough process and instructed a new provider this summer,” an M&S spokesperson said, adding: “This process started in January and this change has no bearing on our wider TCS relationship.”

The company added: “TCS provides a number of technology and IT services for M&S and we value our partnership with the TCS team.”

The decision follows a spring breach in which hackers believed to be part of the Scattered Spider group infiltrated systems through social engineering, reportedly posing as senior executives to manipulate password reset processes.

M&S temporarily halted online orders and faced store disruption as it worked to contain the incident. In July, Archie Norman, the M&S chair, told MPs that attackers used “sophisticated impersonation” to gain entry “involving a third party.”

TCS, which has worked with M&S for more than a decade and remains a strategic partner across other technology areas including data centre and cloud services, said the termination and the breach were unconnected. “TCS does not provide cyber security services to Marks & Spencer. This is a service that is provided by another partner of M&S,” a TCS spokesperson said.

In correspondence with parliament, the company stated it found “no indicators of compromise within the TCS network” and said the breach occurred “in the client’s own environment.”

While both parties insist the helpdesk decision predates the attack, the move closes a chapter on a contract that saw TCS operate M&S’s technology support lines, including the authority to process password resets. M&S continues to work with TCS on other programmes, and both companies have reiterated their broader partnership.

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