The company that owns the UK fashion chains Hobbs, Whistles and Phase Eight said on Tuesday that it had been hit by a cyber attack. The company, TFG London, is part of a South African retail group called The Foschini Group.

TFG London said it found the problem on Sunday, the Guardian reported. Two of its other brands, Inside Story and White Stuff, were not affected. Its businesses in Africa and Australia use separate systems and were also not hit.

The shops have stayed open, but some of the company's computer systems are still down, the Guardian reported. The company paused all online orders as a safety step. Whistles told shoppers that orders placed on or after Oct 11 may be late, and that returns can only be made in stores for now.

The company is still working out whether hackers took any personal data. "We are actively investigating and working with external cyber security specialists," the company told BBC News. In an email to customers, TFG said it had no reason to believe payment details were at risk, IT Pro reported. It said payments are handled by an outside company.

The attack has been reported to UK officials, the company said. It said it will contact anyone whose personal data was taken.

The attack came less than a week after hackers hit the online fashion seller Asos, the Guardian noted. H&M also said on Monday that it was looking into claims that it had been attacked, though it said it had found no sign of a breach. Big UK stores such as Marks & Spencer and the Co-op were hit by damaging attacks last year.

Beverley Griffiths, a security expert at Bucks New University, called the attack "a clear sign that major brands are firmly in the crosshairs of cyber attackers," BBC News reported, citing PA.

What we know: Hobbs, Whistles and Phase Eight were hit by a cyber attack, and online orders were paused.
What we don't: Whether any customer data was stolen, or who was behind the attack.