TCS refutes report linking Marks & Spencer contract exit to cyberattack

Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) has refuted a report by a UK-based media outlet which claimed that British retailer Marks & Spencer (M&S) has terminated $1 billion contract with the Indian IT major following a major cyberattack.

TCS dubs report ‘misleading’

Terming the report as “misleading” and “factually inaccurate”, TCS argued that the media report titled “M&S ousts Indian outsourcer accused of £300m cyberattack failures” has several factual errors, including the size of the contract and its relation with the cyberattack incident, reported NDTV.

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“The report published is misleading, with factual inaccuracies including the size of the contract and the continuity of TCS's work for Marks & Spencer (M&S),” stated TCS.

No relation between contract and cyberattack

Elaborating further, the IT giant said that its M&S service desk contract mentioned in the report had undergone a routine competitive tender process that started in January 2025.

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TCS further stated that M&S had decided to work with other partners “much prior to the cyber incident in April 2025.” It also said that there was no connection between the two incidents.

‘Small part of TCS- M&S partnership’

TCS said that the service desk contract formed a very small part of its partnership with M&S.

“TCS continues to work on numerous other areas in its role as a strategic partner for M&S and is proud of this longstanding partnership,” it added.

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As for the cyberattack incident, the company stated that it had conducted a thorough scan of its systems, adding that no vulnerabilities from its end were found.

It also said that it does not provide cybersecurity services to M&S, adding that they are handled by other vendors.

The backdrop

The development comes in the wake of reports claiming M&S ended its $1 billion technology helpdesk deal with TCS after a cyberattack that caused losses of about GBP 300 million.

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However, both companies clarified that the decision not to renew the contract had been made before the incident. They confirmed it was part of a standard renewal process and unrelated to the cyberattack.

TCS shares ended down 0.41 per cent at Rs 3,060.6 on NSE on Friday, reported Money Control, adding that the stock has lost over 25 per cent in the last one year.