What are cookies?

Cookies are small text files that are placed on your computer or mobile phone or other device by websites that you visit. They will not harm your device. They are used to enable websites to function or to provide information to the owners of a website; for example to help to identify you when you return to a website. To find out more about cookies, including how to see what cookies have been set and how to block and delete cookies, please visit aboutcookies.org.

Cookies can last for varying lengths of time, depending on what they are used for.

Session cookies are temporary and are stored until you leave the website or until you close your web browser; they are then removed.

Persistent cookies last for a fixed period of time, set within the cookie, and allow a website to recognise a visitor who returns to the website on the same device during that period.  We will usually set these cookies for between 30 to 90 days.

As a visitor to our website you are able to block cookies by activating the settings within your browser which allows you to refuse the settings of all or some cookies.  However, if you use your browser settings to block all cookies (including essential cookies) you may not be able to access all or part of our website and your visit will be adversely affected.

Why do we use cookies and other tracking technologies?

We use first party and third party cookies for several reasons. Some cookies are required for technical reasons in order for our website to work properly. Other cookies enable us and the third parties we work with to track and target the interests of visitors to our websites and for advertising and analytics purposes. For example, we may use cookies to customise content and information that we may send or display to you and personalise your visit to our website and to improve the functionality of the services we provide.

We may also use other similar tracking technologies, such as pixels (clear gifs) and web beacons. These are small graphics files or code that contain a unique identifier that enable us to recognise when someone has visited our website or, in the case of web beacons, opened an e-mail we have sent. This allows us, for example, to measure the success of marketing campaigns.

Cookies and similar technologies help us to provide customised services and information. For example, we use cookies on our websites to collect anonymous traffic data and help us to improve the visitor experience on our websites.

Types of cookies

Cookies which may be used on our websites include:

Required cookies. These are cookies that are needed for the website to function properly. For example, without cookies it would be difficult to make a website remember which products you’ve added to your shopping cart. They include cookies which enable visitors to log in to secure areas of our website.

Function cookies. These are used to recognise a visitor returning to our website.  This enables us to personalise our content, greet a visitor by name and remember their preferences.

Analytics/performance cookies. These are used to see how visitors use our website, such as the number of visits to a certain page, how people move around the site and what terms people search for. This helps us to learn how the website can be improved. We do not link these statistics and other reports to individual people.

Targeting cookies. These record your visit to the site, which pages you visit and the links you have followed. They may include the following: the date and time you visit the website; the advert or internet address of the website from which you linked directly to our site; the pages you looked at while visiting our site; the device (such as PC, mobile phone or tablet) you use to access our site; the location from which you visited our website. We will use this information to make our site and the advertising on it more relevant to you.  We may also share this information with third parties for this purpose.

Social media cookies enable the integration of social media like Facebook, Twitter etc. into the website, allowing you to use the like button or share a page or product.

We use both first and third party cookies on our website.

First party cookies are set by the website that you are visiting (us) and can only be read by that website (us).

Third party cookies are set by an organisation other than the owner of the website you are visiting.  Amongst other purposes, they might be for analytics or advertising or enabling hosted services such as watching a video or listening to a playlist. We do not control the setting of these third party cookies so we recommend that you check the third party websites for more information about their use of cookies and how to manage them.

For example, you may receive cookies set by Google and Mailchimp. These cookies are used for the analytical purposes described above. Our website uses Google Analytics who provide reports on website traffic data to help us understand our visitors and to help us improve your experience when using our website.

You can amend your preferences or opt-out of Google Analytics here.

Your cookie preferences

To make full use of our websites your computer or mobile device will need to accept cookies, as our sites may not function properly without them. Cookies are necessary in order to provide you with any personalised features on our site.

Amending cookie preferences

If you wish to remove cookies set by our websites you may delete them. The instructions for removing cookies from your computer or mobile device vary according to the operating system and web browser you use. Please visit your browser’s help menu for more information. Please be aware that if you withdraw your agreement to the use of cookies then parts of our website may not work properly.

Changes

We may amend this cookie policy from time to time, for example, because our website changes or the laws relating to cookies change. The new cookie policy will be effective upon posting. If you do not agree to the revision you should alter your preferences or consider stopping using the website. By continuing to access or make use of our services after the changes become effective you agree to be bound by the revised cookie policy. You can consult this page for the latest version.

By using the website, you agree to our use of cookies as described above.

This policy was last updated on 24 May 2018.