Vans, The North Face Online Fulfillment Crippled After Cyberattack

Vans, The North Face and other brands are warning online customers of widespread shipping delays after parent VF Corp. reported a cyberattack to its IT systems. 

The fulfillment issues come as business ramps for brands and retailers in the final week heading into Christmas. 

VF’s four largest brands – Vans, The North Face, Dickies, and Timberland – all warned online shoppers of shipping delays. 

The four brands are flagging e-commerce shoppers with the message on their sites, “Apologies, logistical disruptions are impacting delivery dates.” 

VF said in a filing Monday with the Securities & Exchange Commission it’s now working to bring systems back online so it can service retailers and e-commerce orders. 

The disruption stems from a cyberattack last Wednesday during which there was unauthorized access to VF IT systems, the company said in its filing. The incident prompted the shutdown of some systems and an investigation with third-party cybersecurity experts. VF said some company data, including personal information was stolen. 

“As the investigation of the incident is ongoing, the full scope, nature and impact of the incident are not yet known,” VF said. 

The company went on to say the attack is “reasonably likely to continue to have a material impact” on operations while systems are being recovered. Longer term, the company said it is unclear if the attack could have a financial impact on its business. 

The incident is one more headwind for VF, which has been struggling this year with the turnaround of one of its largest businesses in Costa Mesa-based Vans.

Bracken Darrell was tapped in the summer as VF president and CEO to lead a companywide reboot. The first major move under Darrell’s leadership was the October announcement that VF would look to cut costs, reorganize the executive structure and find a new Vans president under a plan called Reinvent. 

Last month the company laid off about 500 employees globally and across VF’s brands as part of the turnaround efforts. 

VF shares dropped 7.3 percent to $18.47 in midday trading Monday on news of the cyberattack. The company had a recent market cap of $7.2 billion.