A major retailer is trialling Sitehop's technology to secure its payment infrastructure and protect against the future threat from quantum computing.

A wave of high-profile cyber attacks on leading retailers has exposed the scale of the security challenge facing the sector and how difficult it is to defend sprawling store estates where kit moves constantly and network configurations change with every peak trading period.

Sitehop is a Sheffield-based company specialising in post-quantum cybersecurity that helps critical industries guard sensitive data against attacks without compromising speed, scale or efficiency.

This is Sitehop's first engagement in the retail sector after successful international deployments with a tier-one global telco across seven countries.

Despite the PCI DSS 4.0 compliance deadline passing in 2025, research suggests many UK retailers are still falling short of the standard's requirements.

The trial will validate Sitehop's technology across four areas: performance under load, encryption strength, network resilience and operational integration, including during high-volume trading periods.

Sitehop's SAFEcore Edge – the world's smallest post-quantum encryption device – works as an additional layer over existing store infrastructure, securing payment data as it moves between stores and head office without replacing legacy equipment.

Designed in Sheffield and manufactured in the North of England, the device delivers hardware-enforced post-quantum encryption with up to 1,000 times lower latency than software-only solutions. It is tamper-resistant and adds no burden to transaction volumes or network performance.

The technology applies the same high level of encryption across all data types, from cardholder payment information to CCTV and back-office systems, but keeps them fully segregated. A breach of one system, such as a compromised CCTV camera, remains contained and does not become a PCI DSS breach. It limits what security professionals call the blast radius of an attack.

With hostile actors already harvesting encrypted data to decrypt it once quantum computing arrives by the end of the decade, the technology's post-quantum readiness gives retailers a path toward next-generation cryptography without disrupting day-to-day operations.

Melissa Chambers, co-founder and CEO, said: “Retailers hold some of the most sensitive payment data in the economy. Our technology gives them a practical way to secure it today and prepare for emerging quantum threats without disrupting the operations that customers depend on."

Ben Harper, co-founder and CTO, added: “Retail payment networks are among the most complex environments we encounter. We secure them at the network layer without touching existing infrastructure, giving retailers a faster, simpler route to PCI DSS compliance. Our technology is already post-quantum ready.”