Cookies are small text files that websites send to your computer. A cookie can be thought of as an Internet user's identification card. They let the website know when the user has returned. This lets the site bring up information relevant to that user, for example your name, past orders etc.
Cookies make the interaction between users and websites faster and easier. Without cookies, it would be very difficult for a website to allow a visitor to fill up a shopping basket or to remember the user's preferences or registration details for a future visit. Our website uses cookies to allow customers to move from one part of the web site to another and to add items to the shopping basket without having to login repeatedly.
Cookies are not computer programs, and can't read other information saved on your hard drive. They cannot be used to disseminate viruses, or get a user's email address etc. They only contain and transfer to the website as much information as the users themselves have disclosed to that website. It is possible to opt out of cookies via your browser’s cookie settings, but if you do this you will not be able to shop from our website as the functions of the website are dependent on cookies. Please note that cookies are computer specific, so if you log on to any site from a different computer, the cookie settings on that computer will apply.
For further information about managing and disabling cookies on your computer see www.allaboutcookies.org/manage-cookies.
When you visit our sites, cookies are either served directly by us, or by our business partners. Here is a description of the different kind of cookies we use.
Essential cookies These cookies allow you to use the basic functionality of our website. For example, browsing our products, ordering and paying for items, checking your account information and viewing your order history.
Performance cookies They allow us to get to know how you use our website. They are used to analyse visitor information such as usage, visitor numbers and help us see how effective our advertising is and to understand what you like. We also use this information to help improve our website, make our marketing more relevant and improve the user experience.
Functionality cookies They allow us to provide additional functionalities to the website, and will retain some settings information. Whilst not essential for the functionality of our site, they do enable extra features that should improve your shopping experience.
Targeting cookies We also use cookies to track visitors' interest in our products. We may use this to understand what most appeals to our customers so we can make our offers as appropriate as possible. Browsing behaviour is also used to create relevant banner advertising with product recommendations that we believe best relate to the items you viewed on our website. These banners are then served across other websites that you may visit, typically news sites, video sites and blogs. This process is called behavioural advertising and although the adverts are individually tailored to each visitor, all cookie data is anonymised and stored temporarily. Additionally, all banners of this type feature an "i" icon that provides more information from each advertising network and instructions on how to opt out. We also use the browsing behaviour data to create personal product recommendations on our website, our marketing emails and in our printed catalogue.
