Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) has hit back at a UK media report that claimed Marks & Spencer (M&S) of having dumped the Indian IT giant over a cyberattack-related failure. Calling the story “misleading” and factually inaccurate in a late Sunday filing with stock exchanges, TCS refuted The Telegraph’s report, which alleged that M&S dropped a $1 billion helpdesk contract with TCS following a breach that cost the British retailer GBP 300 million.
TCS clarified that the contract in question was a service desk deal, a minor part of its overall engagement with M&S — and had gone through a routine competitive tender beginning in January 2025.
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M&S had chosen to work with other vendors “much prior to the cyber incident in April 2025,” the company said, stressing that the events were “clearly unrelated.”
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“TCS continues to work on numerous other areas in its role as a strategic partner for M&S and is proud of this long standing partnership,” TCS said in its statement.
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TCS also addressed the cybersecurity angle, noting that it does not provide cybersecurity services to M&S and that responsibility lies with another vendor.
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 “TCS conducted a full scan of its networks and systems and confirmed that no vulnerabilities originated from its end,” the company added.
TCS and M&S have both confirmed that the decision not to renew the helpdesk contract was unrelated to the cyber breach. Â
