London Drugs begins 'gradual reopening' on 7th day after cyberattack
Almost a week after all London Drugs stores across Western Canada abruptly closed amid a cyberattack, they began a "gradual reopening" on Saturday.
In a statement, the company said it is "taking time with each store to ensure systems are working and ready to serve customers."
"We ask for patience as we work with each store to ensure it is operating fully to meet the needs of our customers, and therefore we will not be communicating which stores are opening and when," the statement reads.
The company said its store systems are "complex" and connect with multiple third-party providers, "all with different requirements."
"We are continuing to work with our third-party cybersecurity experts to bring our systems online in a safe and secure manner," the statement reads.
"This is a time-consuming process and, rather than delay until all services and systems are fully available, we have opened our core services in some stores to meet the health-care and everyday needs of our customers as soon as possible. We will be bringing other services and systems on board as soon as our reconnection work is complete, and they are fully operational."
CTV News was able to make a purchase at the London Drugs at Broadway and Cambie Street in Vancouver Saturday afternoon, before the company made its phased reopening public.
The retail and pharmacy chain closed all of its 79 locations across British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba on Sunday, April 28, in response to a "cybersecurity incident."
Since then, stores have remained closed. Phone lines to the stores were out of service Monday as part of the investigation into the incident, but were restored Wednesday afternoon.
The company said Saturday that its investigation has found "no evidence that any customer databases have been compromised." That includes pharmacy patient records and information associated with the company's LDExtras rewards program.
"In the event our ongoing investigation later determines that personal information was impacted, we will notify affected individuals in accordance with privacy laws," the company said.
London Drugs said pharmacists are on-site at all locations "to assist with emergency prescriptions and other urgent care." Canada Post locations within stores are also "accessible," the company said.
Including April 28, Saturday is the seventh consecutive day that London Drugs stores have been closed for at least part of the day.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
'Unruly passenger' forces WestJet flight to make emergency landing in B.C.
A WestJet flight heading to Calgary had to make an emergency landing in northern B.C. Monday due to an incident involving an 'unruly passenger,' Mounties say.
'It's his vacation too': Jimmy the baby goat joins 2-week road trip across Canada
After Jimmy the baby goat was shunned by his mother, a New Brunswick man took the kid on a two-week road trip across Canada.
The double-level airplane seat is back. This time, there’s a first-class version
It’s the airplane seat design that launched a thousand memes and kickstarted a media storm. And now the double-level seat is back – only this time, with a twist.
Former South Dakota mayor charged with triple homicide
Three people were shot to death in a small South Dakota town, and a former law officer who once served as the town's mayor is charged in the killings.
New COVID-19 subvariants become the dominant strains in Canada
More than four years after COVID-19 effectively shut down the world, two new variants of COVID-19 have become the dominant strains of the novel coronavirus in Canada.
Debunking the 'anti-sunscreen' movement: Doctors say TikTok trend is dangerous
Dermatologists are sounding the alarm about misinformation from the anti-sunscreen movement, saying not wearing sunscreen can cause cancer and other problems.
Ont. university says professor fired over 'unethical' sexual relationships with students
An associate professor at McMaster University has been fired after its board of governors found that he engaged in 'unethical, inappropriate and in some instances exploitative' sexual relationships with students.
Richard Dreyfuss' comments about women, LGBTQ2S+ people and diversity lead venue to apologize
The actor Richard Dreyfuss showed up in a dress at a 'Jaws'-themed event in Massachusetts, where the blockbuster 1975 movie he starred in was shot, and then proceeded to make demeaning remarks about women, LGBTQ2S+ people and diversity.
Poilievre Conservatives offer to help Trudeau Liberals pass foreign interference bill
Pierre Poilievre's Conservative Party is offering to help Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's Liberal government pass a piece of legislation aimed at countering foreign interference in Canada.