(Corrects Reuters Instrument Code in the first paragraph and the date of end of third quarter to September 30 from October 31 in the seventh paragraph)
By Anton Bridge
TOKYO (Reuters) -Japan’s Asahi Group on Thursday said it aims to normalise logistical operations by February after a cyberattack in late September forced widespread suspension, though not all products will be available to ship by that time.
The beverage maker, known for its flagship Super Dry beer, also said the personal details of 1.52 million customers may have been leaked in the September 29 attack.
Information on 114,000 contacts and 275,000 current and former employees and their families may also have been exposed, none of which has appeared online, Asahi said.
The attack caused widespread outage in areas including order processing, shipping and call centres as Asahi became the latest victim among companies worldwide targeted by hackers.
Earlier this year, automaker Jaguar Land Rover was forced to close factories while retailer Marks and Spencer had to suspend online orders.
Asahi said it pushed the release of its full year earnings to more than 50 days after the end of the financial year, which ends December 31, 2025.
Asahi had already delayed the release of its third quarter earnings, originally due November 12, to more than 45 days after the end of the quarter, which ended September 30.
“We can’t avoid forecasting a deterioration in our results but our mid-to-long-term management plan is unchanged,” CEO Atsushi Katsuki said at a press briefing in Tokyo.
The disruption saw restaurants, bars and stores in Japan run low on Asahi drinks. The beverage maker resumed production at six domestic factories in the week following the attack.
October sales at its three principal domestic-facing beverage and food units were down 10% to 40% compared with the same month last year, Asahi said.
Ransomware group Qilin on October 9 claimed to have orchestrated the attack. Asahi has not paid any ransom, CEO Katsuki said on Thursday.
(Reporting by Anton Bridge; Editing by Tom Hogue; Editing by Christopher Cushing)
