Chief assures customers of safe shopping
Discount fashion retailer TK Maxx has promised that it is 'dedicating significant resources' to ensure that the theft of credit and debit card details from 45.6 million customers will not be repeated.

The pledge came in a letter to customers from Carol Meyrowitz - president and chief executive officer of TK Maxx's parent company, TJX - after the company revealed that internet hackers had stolen customers' details for the 18 months to December last year.

TK Maxx, which has 210 stores in the UK, confirmed yesterday that some of its British customers had already had their card details used to make fraudulent transactions.

In her letter, Meyrowitz said: 'I want our customers to know how much I personally regret any difficulties you may experience as a result of the unauthorised intrusion into our computer systems.'

TJX has strengthened the security of its computer systems, so customers 'should feel safe shopping in our stores', she wrote.

The retailer's computer systems were first breached in July 2005, but the fraud went unnoticed for 18 months.

The company's UK headquarters at Watford, as well as those in the US, Puerto Rico and Canada, were all targeted.