Cookies Policy
The Friendly Version
When you visit our website we use cookies and other similar technologies to collect anonymous information so that we can improve your experience when you use our services. This allows us to:
- Remember your preferences
- Let you navigate between the website pages efficiently
- Make our websites work
- Improve the efficiency of our website
- Help us to arrange content to match your preferences more quickly
- Collect statistical information to assist us and our partners to learn how customers use our and their products
With your permission we will also collect information about you and other information you may choose to include in the products you enquire about or buy from us. This allows us to:
- Help us answer your queries and carry out your instructions when you need us to
- Verify you as a user and carry out other essential security checks
- Remember how far you have got if you are completing a form
- Contact you if you are experiencing difficulties when you are trying to interact with something on the website
- Contact you regarding our offers, products and services
- Supply you with advertising that is more relevant to you when you are visiting ours or other websites that promote our products (retargeting cookies)
- Track the effectiveness of our online marketing activity
Now for the serious bit…
The Cookies Policy for this Website
What are cookies and what other technologies will we use?
“Cookies” – A cookie is a small piece of information which is sent to your browser and stays on your computer or mobile device when you visit our website. Cookies do not damage your device they are merely used to ‘remember’ you when you visit again. Cookies alone cannot be used to identify you.
A cookie will transport information about how you use our website to us. The cookie itself does not keep any of the data it collects.
Apart from cookies we also use local storage and tags to help us enhance your browsing experience.
“Local storage” – Like a cookie, local storage is stored locally on your machine; actually within your browser like cookies, history, saved pages, etc.
Like cookies it contains ‘name/value’ pairs (i.e. postcode / ‘TW1 1LY’, surname / ‘Smith’) and a web page can only access data stored locally within its domain.
Unlike cookies the information collected by local storage is not sent to an internet server unless there is a specific reason for us to store the data collected (i.e. for analytics purposes).
“Tags” – A tag is a small piece of code which is placed on our website and collects data. This code would only collect data on our website. A tag will not be stored on your browser, however, it may use a cookie which could be placed on your browser.
Cookies within mobile applications
We only use essential cookies within our mobile applications. You cannot opt-out or delete these cookies as they are critical to the functionality of the application. These cookies are not shared with any other application on your mobile device.
How to refuse cookies and local storage in your browser
The use of cookies and local storage can be prevented by changing your internet browser settings. Different browsers have different procedures for disabling the use of cookies and local storage, so please refer to your browser vendor’s website for details on how to do this.
You can disable advertising retargeting cookies here: http://www.youronlinechoices.com/uk/your-ad-choices.
Further information on cookies and local storage
If you would like further information on cookies and local storage, please go to:
- https://www.aboutcookies.org/
- http://www.allaboutcookies.org
- http://www.youronlinechoices.com/uk/
- Further information about opting out of advertising retargeting can be found here: http://www.iab.net/privacymatters/3.php
Strictly necessary cookies
Description
These cookies are essential in order to enable you to move around the website and use its features, such as accessing secure areas of the website. Without these cookies services you have asked for, like shopping baskets or e-billing, cannot be provided.
Cookies we use
‘Session ID’ cookie to maintain a user’s session and allow data to be passed between different online forms, this cookie exists only for the duration of the user’s session
Performance cookies
Description
These cookies collect information about how visitors use a website, for instance which pages visitors go to most often, and if they get error messages from web pages. These cookies don’t collect information that identifies a visitor. All information these cookies collect is aggregated and therefore anonymous. They are only used to improve how a website works or the effectiveness of a marketing campaign.
Cookies we use
Analytics cookies are used for website analysis and a testing platform to monitor and optimise the website. Cookies capture anonymous data about a user’s journey and aggregate this data to analyse trends. These cookies last longer than the user’s session so that we can understand whether a user is a first time, or a returning visitor.
Ad tracking cookies measure the effectiveness of our online marketing campaigns.
Functionality cookies
Description
These cookies allow the website to remember choices you make (such as your user name, language or the region you are in) and provide enhanced, more personal features. For instance, a website may be able to provide you with local weather reports or traffic news by storing in a cookie the region in which you are currently located. These cookies can also be used to remember changes you have made to text size, fonts and other parts of web pages that you can customise. They may also be used to provide services you have asked for such as watching a video or commenting on a blog. The information these cookies collect may be anonymised and they cannot track your browsing activity on other websites.
Cookies we use
‘Safe browsing’ cookie, provided by Google, Inc. This allows us to verify with Google that the site is free from suspected phishing and malware pages.
Social Media cookies allow our customers the facility to link content on the website with a user’s chosen social media platform. In order for this facility to operate we use these platform’s cookies, which exist only for the duration of a user’s session.
Targeting cookies or advertising cookies
Description
These cookies are used to deliver adverts more relevant to you and your interests. They are also used to limit the number of times you see an advertisement as well as help measure the effectiveness of the advertising campaign. They are usually placed by advertising networks with the website operator’s permission. They remember that you have visited a website and this information is shared with other organisations or organisations we have asked to do so on our behalf. These cookies are called retargeting cookies and will remember that you have visited our website and enable us to serve you with advertising when you are visiting other sites (for example to remind you of products and services you were interested in, or to tell you about special offers and discounts). Other retargeting cookies (usually placed by advertising networks) may remember terms that you have used on search engine queries so that we can serve you with advertising for products and services relevant to those search terms. Further information about advertising retargeting can be found here: https://www.iab.com
Cookies we use
We use retargeting cookies so that we may serve advertising to you after you have left our site. We work with third parties who may place cookies on your web browser to enable us (and other advertisers) to serve you with advertising based on your search activity. We do not use cookies for any other form of behavioural advertising.
You can disable advertising retargeting cookies here: http://www.youronlinechoices.com/uk/your-ad-choices.
Further information about opting out of advertising retargeting can be found here: https://www.iab.com