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Natural Grocers investigating data breach

Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage said it was investigating a security breach targeting credit-card readers at its stores.

Jon Springer, Executive Editor

March 3, 2015

1 Min Read

Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage said it was investigating a security breach targeting credit-card readers at its stores.

The Lakewood, Colo.-based retailer said it has partnered with third-party data security experts to contain an “unauthorized intrusion targeting limited customer payment card data.”

The company said Sunday that it had received no reports of any fraudulent use of payment cards from any customer, credit card brand or financial institution. “In addition, there is no evidence that PIN numbers or card verification codes were accessed. Finally, no personally identifiable information, such as names, addresses or Social Security numbers, was involved, as the company does not collect that data as part of its payment processing system.”

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The company said it was accelerating plans to upgrade the point-of-sale system in all 93 of its store locations with a new PCI-compliant system that includes point-to-point encryption and new pin pads that accept “chip and PIN” cards. 

Natural Grocers said it would provide additional updates as its investigation continues.

 

About the Author

Jon Springer

Executive Editor

Jon Springer is executive editor of Winsight Grocery Business with responsibility for leading its digital news team. Jon has more than 20 years of experience covering consumer business and retail in New York, including more than 14 years at the Retail/Financial desk at Supermarket News. His previous experience includes covering consumer markets for KPMG’s Insiders; the U.S. beverage industry for Beverage Spectrum; and he was a Senior Editor covering commercial real estate and retail for the International Council of Shopping Centers. Jon began his career as a sports reporter and features editor for the Cecil Whig, a daily newspaper in Elkton, Md. Jon is also the author of two books on baseball. He has a Bachelor of Arts degree in English-Journalism from the University of Delaware. He lives in Brooklyn, N.Y. with his family.

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