Cookies
What are cookies?
Cookies are text files containing small amounts of information which are downloaded to your device when you visit a website. Cookies are then sent back to the originating website on each subsequent visit, or to another website that recognises that cookie. Cookies are useful because they allow a website to recognise a user’s device. You can find more information about cookies at: www.allaboutcookies.org and www.youronlinechoices.eu. For a video about cookies visit www.google.co.uk/goodtoknow/data-on-the-web/cookies. Cookies do lots of different jobs, like letting you navigate between pages efficiently, remembering your preferences, and generally improve the user experience. They can also help to ensure that adverts you see online are more relevant to you and your interests.
The International Chamber of Commerce UK Cookie guide identifies the following categories of cookies:
Strictly necessary cookies
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.
Performance cookies
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. It is only used to improve how a website works.
Functionality cookies
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.
Targeting/advertising cookies
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 such as advertisers. Quite often targeting or advertising cookies will be linked to site functionality provided by the other organisation.
Cookies and the law
In line with recent changes in European legislation, UK law now requires website operators to ask for a website user’s permission when placing certain kinds of cookie on their devices for the first time. Where consent is required, the law states that it should be “informed consent”. This increases the onus on websites to ensure that visitors understand what cookies are and why website operators and others want to use them.
The International Chamber of Commerce UK Cookie guide indicates that the requirement to obtain a website user’s permission when placing certain kinds of cookie on their devices for the first time is as follows:
Strictly necessary cookies
No consent is required.
Performance cookies
Website users should be advised that by using a site they effectively provide consent for this kind of cookie to be placed on their device.
Functionality cookies
Website users should be advised that by using a site they effectively provide consent for this kind of cookie to be placed on their device.
Targeting/advertising cookies
Website users should should provide clear informed consent before this kind of cookie is placed on their device.
Our use of cookies
A full list of cookies used by this website is provided below. We believe that these cookies fall within the definitions of strictly necessary cookies, performance cookies, and/or functionality cookies. By using our website, you agree that we can place these types of cookies on your device.
We do not currently use targeting/advertising cookies. If we do so in the future, we will specifically request your permission before placing these kinds of cookie on your device for the first time.
Cookies that this site may place on your device
The table below lists the cookies which may be placed on your device by this website and the information they store.
| COOKIE name | COOKIE Description |
|---|---|
| cart | The association with your shopping cart. |
| category_info | Stores the category info on the page, that allows to display pages more quickly. |
| compare | The items that you have in the Compare Products list. |
| currency | Your preferred currency |
| customer | An encrypted version of your customer id with the store. |
| customer_auth | An indicator if you are currently logged into the store. |
| customer_info | An encrypted version of the customer group you belong to. |
| customer_segment_ids | Stores the Customer Segment ID |
| external_no_cache | A flag, which indicates whether caching is disabled or not. |
| frontend | You sesssion ID on the server. |
| guest-view | Allows guests to edit their orders. |
| last_category | The last category you visited. |
| last_product | The most recent product you have viewed. |
| newmessage | Indicates whether a new message has been received. |
| no_cache | Indicates whether it is allowed to use cache. |
| persistent_shopping_cart | A link to information about your cart and viewing history if you have asked the site. |
| poll | The ID of any polls you have recently voted in. |
| polln | Information on what polls you have voted on. |
| recentlycompared | The items that you have recently compared. |
| stf | Information on products you have emailed to friends. |
| store | The store view or language you have selected. |
| user_allowed_save_cookie | Indicates whether a customer allowed to use cookies. |
| viewed_product_ids | The products that you have recently viewed. |
| wishlist | An encrypted list of products added to your Wishlist. |
| wishlist_cnt | The number of items in your Wishlist. |
| __utma, __utmb, __utmc, __utmv, __utmx, __utmz | We use Google Analytics cookies embedded on our site to collect information about how visitors use our site. We use the information to compile reports and to help us improve the site. The cookies collect information in an anonymous form, including the number of visitors to the site, where visitors have come to the site from and the pages they visited. |
