Japanese sports brand Asics said hackers have uploaded a pornographic video on the promotional screens of its central Auckland store, shocking shoppers and pedestrians on Sunday.

The retailer apologised for the explicit material shown on the big screen above the doors of its Shortland Street store, which played for hours until an employee was able to shut it down. 

Asics said it is currently investigating what happened.

“Our Shortland Street store was subject to a cyber security breach,” a spokesperson for Asics told Inside Retail New Zealand. “We are currently investigating the situation and working to mitigate it happening again in the future.”

The company also posted an apology on its social media pages, adding that it’s working with its software and online security suppliers to ensure this doesn’t happen again.

According to the New Zealand Herald, a security guard said some people were shocked when they saw the video but others just stopped and watched.

The security guard added it was not something anyone who would go to Queen St early on Sunday morning would expect to see.