What are cookies and why do we use them?
Cookies are small text files placed on your device when you visit a website or application. Your web browser (such as Google Chrome, Internet Explorer or Mozilla Firefox) then sends these cookies back to the website on each subsequent visit so that they can remember things like preferences.
Cookies are very useful and do lots of different jobs. For example, they enable you to move between our web pages efficiently, they remember your preferences when you visit us again and generally improve your experience when browsing with us. They can also help to ensure that adverts you see online are more relevant to you and your interests.
Cookies last for different lengths of time depending on the job they do. There are session cookies and persistent cookies:
- Session cookies only last for your online session and disappear from your device when you close your browser.
- Persistent cookies stay on your device after the browser has been closed and last for the period of time specified in the cookie.
Your choices
We will only read or write cookies for the preference level you set when you first visit our website.
Please note that cookies set before you changed your settings will still be on your computer. You can remove them using your browser settings.
We also use a cookie to remember your cookie preferences. This means:
- If you delete all your cookies you will have to update your preferences with us again – we’ll ask you when you next visit our website.
- If you use a different device, computer profile or browser you will have to tell us your preferences again.
The cookies we use
The cookies used on our website fall into one of four categories: strictly necessary, performance, functional and targeting.
1. Strictly necessary cookies
Strictly necessary cookies let you move around the website and use essential features like secure areas, shopping baskets and online billing.
We use these strictly necessary cookies to:
- Remember information you’ve entered on order forms when you visit different pages in a single web browser session.
- Remember what you’ve ordered when you get to the checkout page.
- Identify you as being logged in to our website.
- Make sure you connect to the right service on our website when we make any changes to the way the website works.
Cookies we have defined as strictly necessary will NOT be used to:
- Gather information that could be used to advertise products or services to you.
- Remember your preferences or username beyond your current visit.
See our list of strictly necessary cookies
2. Performance cookies
Performance cookies collect information about how you use our website. For example, which pages you visit and if you experience any errors. These cookies are essential to us being able to operate and maintain our website.
These cookies don’t collect any information that could identify you – all the information collected is anonymous.
Accepting these cookies is a condition of using the website, so if you prevent them we cannot guarantee how our site will perform for you.
In some cases, performance cookies are managed by third parties, but they cannot use the data for anything other than the purposes listed below.
We use performance cookies to:
- Provide statistics on how our website is used.
- See how effective our adverts are (we don’t use this information to target adverts to you when you visit other websites).
- Help us improve the website by measuring any errors that occur.
- Test different designs of our website.
Cookies we have defined as performance will NOT be used to:
- Gather information that could be used to advertise products or services to you on other websites.
- Remember your preferences or username beyond your current visit.
- Target adverts to you on any other website.
See our list of performance cookies
3. Functional cookies
Functional cookies are used to provide services or to remember settings to improve your visit.
You decide whether or not these cookies are used, but preventing them may mean we can’t offer you some services, such as live chat. We use functional cookies to:
- Remember if we’ve already asked you if you want to fill in a survey.
- Provide proactive live chat sessions to offer you support.
- Show you when you’re logged in to the website.
- Share information with partners to provide a service on our website (only for the intended service).
- Remember results of tests performed to make the website more relevant to you.
Cookies we have defined as functional will NOT be used to:
- Target you with adverts on other websites.
See our list of functional cookies
4. Targeting
Targeting cookies are linked to services provided by our trusted partners. You decide whether or not these cookies are used.
We use targeting cookies to:
- Link to social networks who may use information about your visit to target advertising to you on other websites.
- Provide advertising agencies and partners with information on your visit so we can present relevant adverts and avoid duplicates (online behavioural advertising).
- Deliver content, including video, tailored to your interests.
See our list of targeting cookies
Managing cookies
You can control and manage cookies on your device. Any changes will affect all websites you visit (unless blocking only specific sites).
Managing cookies in your browser
Most browsers allow you to set your privacy level. You can block all cookies, allow all cookies, or choose something in between. This lets you:
- See what cookies you have and delete them individually.
- Block third-party cookies.
- Block cookies from particular sites.
- Block all cookies from being set.
- Delete all cookies when you close your browser.
Deleting cookies removes all your site preferences. Blocking all cookies may reduce website functionality.
If you want to reduce cookie permissions later, you must delete any existing third-party cookies first.
Find out how to manage your cookies using the most popular browsers below:
Internet Explorer
https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/help/17442/windows-internet-explorer-delete-manage-cookies
Firefox
https://support.mozilla.org/en-US/kb/cookies-information-websites-store-on-your-computer?
Google Chrome
https://support.google.com/chrome/answer/95647?hl=en