Albert app to remain offline for weeks after cyberattack

The Můj Albert loyalty application will remain offline for several more weeks following a cyberattack on parent company Ahold Delhaize, according to Jiří Mareček, director of public affairs, communication, and sustainability for Albert Czech Republic, as reported by Vitalia.cz.

The outage began when the security incident forced the parent group to preventively disconnect parts of its IT infrastructure on October 12. While stores across the Czech Republic’s 348 locations remain fully operational, the downtime prevents customers from accumulating digital purchase points or accessing personal receipt histories inside the software. Without the application, self-service scanning via Albert Scan cannot be used.

Albert Invests 20 Million Crowns Weekly in Price Cuts

To offset the digital disruption, Albert is investing 20 million crowns per week into lowered pricing across its store network, Mareček said. Shoppers no longer need the mobile tool to secure promotional rates. Items previously marked under designations like “Lowest prices with app” or “Only with app” automatically scan at checkout for every customer at the reduced price.

The chain also extended an extra 15 percent discount on unreduced Nature’s Promise and Albert Bio private-label merchandise without requiring digital activation. For ongoing collector campaigns, customers must revert to physical paper stamps distributed on cardstock at cash registers, according to Mareček. The current campaign for tableware items without requiring points will transition as a new campaign begins where customers collect new points on paper cards obtained at cash registers or printed from the Albert website.

Ahold Delhaize Finds No Evidence of Compromised Sensitive Data

Internal investigations into the Ahold Delhaize network breach remain ongoing, but corporate representatives confirmed they have found no evidence that sensitive data belonging to shoppers, employees, or trade partners was compromised. The incident was reported to Dutch police, and the company is cooperating with security authorities.

The operational fallout has varied by subsidiary. In the Netherlands, sister chain Albert Heijn suffered delivery disruptions and store supply snags before progressively restoring its home grocery delivery network, offering affected online buyers a 10-euro compensation credit. Across Europe and the United States, the restrictions affected most group brands, including dozens of supermarkets in Belgium and Luxembourg that experienced problems with freezers and refrigerators due to a Monday cyberattack where remote attackers changed settings so units heated instead of cooling, though the scope of problems varied among retailers.

Czech shoppers missing physical proof of prior purchases for product returns must contact the customer service hotline for individual lookup assistance, while the company advises retaining paper receipts for all new transactions until the digital platform is securely restored.