Cookies

OUR USE OF COOKIES

We use “cookies” to store and collect information regarding your usage of our website. These cookies do not contain any personally identifying information, but they do enable us to put in place personal settings and load your personal preferences. This makes it a better experience for you.

WHAT ARE COOKIES?

Cookies are tiny files which websites use in order to work properly and provide important visitor data to website owners. They can be placed on your computer when you visit a website and help to make your web experience quicker, easier and tailored to you.

Session cookies are those which expire upon the closing of the web browser and persistent cookies are those which remain in place after a session has ended.

There are four key types of cookie:

ESSENTIAL COOKIES:

Without essential cookies, websites will not work properly. Essential cookies allow you to move around a website and complete basic functions, such as adding items to your shopping basket or going through the checkout process to make a purchase.

They enable:

• E-commerce checkout and basket functionality
• Login/registration
• Location targeting – showing users the correct site based upon their location.
• Device targeting – showing users the correct site depending on which device they are using e.g. mobile or PC.

WEBSITE INFORMATION COOKIES:

Informational cookies allow website owners to gain an understanding of their traffic and visitor engagement levels, with this they can continually improve their website and better the user experience.

They can tell us:

• Where visitors are coming from (e.g. via search engines, referred from other sites or direct visits)
• Which pages they view
• How long visitors spend on the website
• How many visitors convert (make an enquiry/purchase/place an order etc.)

SETTING COOKIES:

Setting cookies allow websites to improve user experience and remember the site preferences for returning visitors and users.

Examples include:

• Font size and style
• Page layout e.g. colours and layout styling
• Number of search results/posts/threads/news items to display per page
• Login settings

ADVERTISING COOKIES:

Advertising cookies allow for improved advert targeting, ensuring that you get to see ads for things which are the most relevant to you.

HOW CAN I DISABLE COOKIES?

If you wish to disable cookies within your browser, please visit the relevant links below for further information.

Internet Explorer
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/196955

Firefox
http://support.mozilla.org/en-US/kb/Cookies

Google Chrome
http://support.google.com/chrome/bin/answer.py?hl=en&answer=95647

Opera
http://www.opera.com/browser/tutorials/security/privacy/

Safari
http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?path=Safari/5.0/en/9277.html

Safari iOS
http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1677

Android
http://support.google.com/mobile/bin/answer.py?hl=en&answer=169022

Blackberry
http://docs.blackberry.com/en/smartphone_users/deliverables/32004/Turn_off_cookies_in_the_browser_60_1072866_11.jsp

Windows Phone
http://www.microsoft.com/windowsphone/en-us/howto/wp7/web/changing-privacy-and-other-browser-settings.aspx

More cookie info