COOP shareholders have asked for reassurance from bosses that the supermarket has enough strength in depth after shelves were left bare after a cyber attack.
More than 100 members attended the society’s agm this week, where were thanked by the society’s head this week, who told members that it “may take a little time” for the supermarket to recover from being hit by a ransomware attack.
“We are in that recovery phase, and you’ll see stock improved day by day as we work that through,” Chief Executive Mark Cox told members attending the Channel Islands Cooperative Society’s agm at the Pomme d’Or hotel, where a 2% ‘divi’ proposal for the year ahead was approved.
Earlier this month, Co-op Group, which operates 2,500 supermarket stores, 800 funeral homes and an insurance business across the UK, admitted that its IT systems had been hacked by a criminal group which resulted in a large amount of employee and customer data being stolen.
Although no personal details were taken, the attack did affect deliveries to the Channel Islands.
Replying to a question about food security and local resilience, Mr Cox said that the society is “absolutely committed” to supporting Jersey suppliers, but that there had been a decline in producers in recent years.
“We are the only real retailer here that is supporting local to this extent and we are committed to working with as many producers as we possibly can,” he said.
“Where it’s available, we’re committed to supplying it and supporting it.”
Half of all questions put to senior executives and board members at the agm focused on the suffering of Palestinians – who are currently enduring a two-month long humanitarian aid blockade imposed by Israel – and whether the supermarket chain would be taking the country’s products on its shelves.
Mr Cox explained that the Co-op Group had carried an “advisory” motion at its recent agm was carried in support of Israeli exports, but he added that the group would be reviewing their sourcing policy this summer.
“We will understand the outcome of the [sourcing review] in the summer, so we don’t know what the true impact is yet,” he said.
Mr Cox continued: “Since [Co-op Group] still purchase product from Israel, and they still purchase product from Palestine where they can, it’s all about supporting those local economies.
“If people boycott, then those local economies would suffer.”
“It’s not drawing a conclusion on who’s right, who’s wrong,” Mr Cox said.
