What are cookies?
In short: cookies are small data files that a website will put on your device. We’re keen to find out what you like and dislike; your feedback plays a key role in helping us improve this site.
We use many techniques to follow your use of the site and provide you with a customised experience. The main and best known technique is by using what are known as ‘cookies’. The data contained in the cookie can be retrieved by that website (or another website that can read the cookie) when you visit the relevant site.
Cookies cannot affect your device, but they do collect information that can be used to enhance the site. For example, a cookie can remember the items that you’ve placed into your shopping basket, or it can ensure you get the offer you requested. Typically, these will be ‘session’ cookies, which expire as soon as you leave the site.
Other cookies can tell us if you come back. These are ‘persistent cookies’, which expire after a period of time unless you delete them from your device. We use them to help customise the site and to do things such as display relevant advertising on the websites you visit based on your visit to our website.
Some cookies enable sites to work, while others help us learn about what people are browsing for.
How we use cookies, and the 4 main types
We use cookies to ensure you get the most from your visit. They improve your experience of the site because certain features work best with cookies. Feedback and information from the cookies can also help make the site better. By visiting and using this site, you agree to our use of cookies and other similar technologies.
The main types of cookies we use on our site and what they do:
1. Strictly necessary cookies
These cookies enable you to get the information or service you’ve asked for. They’re essential – without them, some services may not work. To give you an example: we use these cookies to enable you to use shopping baskets, which remember your choices as you navigate our site and enable you to buy.
2. Performance cookies
These cookies collect information about the pages you visit, where you go most often, and whether you see error messages. The information is only used to ensure our website works well. For instance, we gather information to diagnose problems and issues. We then use this to make improvements and fix errors.
3. Functional cookies
These cookies remember choices you’ve made to personalise the site. They may remember where you are so you can get tailored information, or remember changes you’ve made to help you browse, such as increasing the text size. For instance, if you ask for services based on your location, we sometimes store a cookie – meaning that next time you visit, you won’t have to tell us your location again.
4. Targeting or advertising cookies
These cookies collect information about your browsing habits (including details of the websites you’ve visited) which is then used to ensure you receive advertising relevant to you.
For instance, these cookies may be used by us (or third parties and advertising networks on our behalf) to serve ads relevant to you across the internet (including on other sites you visit), based on your interaction with our website and your browsing history.
What about links to other sites – and what about their cookies?
We often link to other sites to help provide you with extra information or services; links to Twitter, Facebook and other popular social media or book-marking sites make it easy for you to share information with your family and friends.
But remember: these sites may use cookies that we do not control. So be sure to check how they use your information.
How to control cookies
You can restrict, remove or block cookies through your browser settings at any time. For more information about how to do this, and about cookies in general, visit All About Cookies.org and Your Online Choices.eu.
Certain cookies may be set as soon as you visit our website, but you can remove them using your browser settings. If cookies are disabled on your device you’ll still be able to use most of this site, but it may limit what you can do.
Why would we need to disclose your information to third parties?
As we’ve mentioned, we don’t sell your personal information to third parties for marketing purposes.