European supermarkets report refrigeration failures amid suspected cyberattack

Supermarket operators in Belgium, Estonia, Luxembourg, Sweden, Ireland and the Netherlands reported that refrigeration and freezer units in dozens of stores unexpectedly rose to temperatures as high as 50°C overnight. The incidents affected retailers including Ahold Delhaize, Carrefour, Colruyt, ICA, Coop, an Ikea superstore and 13 SuperValu locations in Ireland.

Ahold Delhaize said it is investigating the temperature increase after detecting suspicious activity in its IT infrastructure, while a spokesperson for Colruyt confirmed that five of its Belgian stores experienced attacks on their fridge systems. ICA acknowledged that a limited number of its stores were impacted and that the issue was identified early on.

The Belgian refrigeration firm Sabcobel, which manages Delhaize’s cooling equipment, described the event as a cyberattack that switched evaporators to defrost mode. Kitman Coldtech, the technology supplier for an Estonian chain, said the temperature settings were altered to 50°C, though it did not disclose the retailer’s name.

The latest disruptions follow a similar episode in France last month, where hackers seized control of cooling units at hundreds of supermarkets, causing high temperatures, fires and food loss. Authorities in France have linked that incident to criminal activity.

Local business owners reported significant product loss. Luc De Laet, owner of a Belgian butchery chain, said the temperature rise ruined approximately €15,000 worth of meat at his store. He said police had been contacted but did not confirm whether an investigation was underway.