Stop & Shop stores across Rhode Island, including both Newport locations, faced widespread empty shelves on Tuesday following a cyberattack that disrupted operations at the supermarket chain’s parent company, Ahold Delhaize USA.
The grocery giant cited a cybersecurity breach as the root cause of the issue, which has impacted its IT systems and led to inventory shortages. Customers visiting affected stores were met with signs informing them of an IT systems outage.
“While there may be some limited inventory for certain products, we are working to re-stock our shelves and anticipate item availability to continue to improve over the next few days,” Stop & Shop said in a statement.
The cyberattack, which Ahold Delhaize USA described as a “cybersecurity issue within its U.S. network,” triggered immediate action. “Upon detecting the issue, our security teams began an investigation with the assistance of external cybersecurity experts,” the company said. “We also notified law enforcement. Our teams are taking steps to assess and mitigate the issue, including taking some systems offline to help protect them.”
The disruption has extended beyond grocery operations, affecting some of Ahold Delhaize’s pharmacies and e-commerce services, the company confirmed.
The timing of the cyberattack comes as grocery retailers gear up for the Thanksgiving rush, a critical period for food sales. While Stop & Shop assured customers that turkeys and hams remain in stock for the holiday season, many shoppers reported frustrations over the lack of other essential items.
“They didn’t have milk, eggs, or basic cleaning supplies,” said Newport resident Linda Davis, who visited the Bellevue Avenue location Tuesday afternoon. “I’m worried about whether they’ll be back to normal in time for Thanksgiving.”
The company has not specified when it expects full operations to resume but emphasized that efforts are underway to resolve the issue.
This incident is the latest in a series of cyberattacks targeting major U.S. businesses, underscoring the vulnerability of critical supply chains to digital threats.
As the holiday season approaches, customers across Rhode Island and beyond will be watching closely, hoping for a swift resolution to restore both shelves and peace of mind.
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