Dubai: A few retailers in the UAE experienced checkout delays at their stores following the global IT outage that disrupted businesses and organisations worldwide. Union Coop, one of the UAE’s largest consumer cooperatives, reported that the issues were resolved after an initial disruption.
Dr Suhail Al Bastaki, the Chief Community Relations Officer of Union Coop, explained, “CrowdStrike released an antivirus update that inadvertently triggered continuous system restarts on our computer systems and point-of-sale (POS) machines, disrupting service at our stores.”
He said that some customers experienced delays at checkout and difficulties accessing services. “However, this was quickly addressed by our technical and on-ground staff,” said Dr Al Bastaki.
Union Coop’s IT team contacted CrowdStrike, identified the root cause, and implemented a workaround. “We removed affected POS machines from the network to allow offline operation and maintain service continuity,” he added.
“The issue has been resolved, and our systems are normal. We remain committed to providing the best shopping experience and will work to prevent future incidents.”
Meanwhile, Mohammed Anish, CIO at Lulu Group, one of the UAE’s biggest retailers, said, “We at Lulu Group are not using the affected software; hence, we have not experienced any system outages or disruptions.”
“Regarding our partners being affected by this crisis, we work with multiple partners to safeguard our systems and ensure seamless operations,” said Anish.
