Privacy Notice
Welcome to the privacy notice for Mercona (G.B.) Limited.
We respect your privacy and are committed to protecting your personal data. This privacy notice will inform you as to how we look after your personal data when you visit our website (regardless of where you visit it from) and tell you about your privacy rights and how the law protects you.
We are the controller of personal data obtained via our website, meaning we are the organisation legally responsible for deciding how and for what purposes it is used.
Please read this privacy policy carefully as it contains important information on who we are and how and why we collect, store, use and share any information relating to you (your personal data) in connection with your use of our website. It also explains your rights in relation to your personal data and how to contact us or a relevant regulator in the event you have a complaint.
We collect, use and are responsible for certain personal data about you. When we do so we are subject to the UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR).
Purpose of this privacy notice
This privacy notice aims to give you information on how we collect and process your personal data through your use of this website and your relationship with us, including any data you may provide through this website when you email us, request a call back, quotation or referral, purchase a product or service, process an order, manage your account or request to go on our mailing list or to receive information from us or our group companies.
This website is not intended for children and we do not knowingly collect data relating to children.
It is important that you read this privacy notice together with any other privacy notice or fair processing notice we may provide on specific occasions when we are collecting or processing personal data about you so that you are fully aware of how and why we are using your data. This privacy notice supplements any previous privacy notices and is not intended to override them.
Controller
Mercona (G.B.) Limited is the controller and responsible for your personal data (collectively referred to as “we”, “us” or “our”) in this privacy notice.
We have appointed a data privacy manager who is responsible for overseeing questions in relation to this privacy notice. If you have any questions about this privacy notice, including any requests to exercise your legal rights, please contact the data privacy manager using the details set out below.
Changes to the privacy notice and your duty to inform us of changes
This version has been updated in June 2025. It is important that the personal data we hold about you is accurate and current. Please keep us informed if your personal data changes during your relationship with us.
Third-party links
This website may include links to third-party websites, plug-ins and applications. Clicking on those links or enabling those connections may allow third parties to collect or share data about you. We do not control these third-party websites and are not responsible for their privacy statements. When you leave our website, we encourage you to read the privacy notice of every website you visit.
Personal data, or personal information, means any information about an individual from which that person can be identified. The personal data we collect about you depends on the particular activities carried out through our website. It does not include data where the identity has been removed (anonymous data).
We may collect, use, store and transfer different kinds of personal data about you which we have grouped together as follows:
- Identity Data includes first name, last name, address, username or similar identifier, marital status, title, and other information to check and verify your identity e.g. date of birth and gender.
- Contact Data includes billing address, delivery address, email address and telephone numbers.
- Financial Data includes bank account and payment card details (where applicable).
- Transaction Data includes details about payments to and from you and other details of products and services you have purchased from us.
- Technical Data includes internet protocol (IP) address, your login data, browser type and version, time zone setting and location, browser plug-in types and versions, operating system and platform and other technology on the devices you use to access this website.
- Profile Data includes your username and password, purchases or orders made by you, your interests, preferences, feedback and survey responses.
- Usage Data includes information about how you use our website, products and services.
- Marketing and Communications Data includes your preferences in receiving marketing from us and our third parties and your communication preferences.
We may also collect, use and share Aggregated Data such as statistical or demographic data for any purpose. Aggregated Data may be derived from your personal data but is not considered personal data in law as this data does not directly or indirectly reveal your identity. For example, we may aggregate your Usage Data to calculate the percentage of users accessing a specific website feature. However, if we combine or connect Aggregated Data with your personal data so that it can directly or indirectly identify you, we treat the combined data as personal data which will be used in accordance with this privacy notice.
We do not collect any Special Categories of Personal Data about you (this includes details about your race or ethnicity, religious or philosophical beliefs, sex life, sexual orientation, political opinions, trade union membership, information about your health and genetic and biometric data). Nor do we collect any information about criminal convictions and offences.
If you fail to provide personal data
Where we need to collect personal data by law, or under the terms of a contract we have with you and you fail to provide that data when requested, we may not be able to perform the contract we have or are trying to enter into with you (for example, to provide you with goods or services). In this case, we may have to cancel a product or service you have with us but we will notify you if this is the case at the time.
We use different methods to collect data from and about you including through:
- Direct interactions. You may give us your Identity, Contact and Financial Data by filling in forms or by corresponding with us by post, phone, email or otherwise. This includes personal data you provide when you:
- apply for our products or services directly or via our website
- create an account directly or on our website;
- subscribe to our goods, service or publications;
- request information or marketing to be sent to you;
- give us feedback.
- Automated technologies or interactions.Currently, as you interact with or browse our website, we do not collect Technical Data about your equipment, browsing actions and patterns. In particular, we do not use cookies or other tracking technology.
- Third parties or publicly available sources. We may receive personal data about you from various third parties and public sources as set out below:
- Contact, Financial and Transaction Data from providers of technical, payment and delivery services within the United Kingdom including without limitation Credit Referencing Agencies.
- Identity and Contact Data from publicly availably sources such as Companies House and the Electoral Register based inside the United Kingdom.
- Service providers acting as processors who provide design services, IT and system administration services in the United Kingdom.
- Professional advisers acting as processors including lawyers, bankers, auditors and insurers who provide consultancy, banking, legal, insurance and accounting services within the United Kingdom.
- HM Revenue & Customs, regulators and other authorities acting as processors or joint controllers based in the United Kingdom who require reporting of processing activities in certain circumstances.
We will only use your personal data when the law allows us to. Most commonly, we will use your personal data in the following circumstances for example:
- Where you have given consent
- Where we need to perform the contract we are about to enter into or have entered into with you.
- Where it is necessary for our legitimate interests (or those of a third party) and your interests and fundamental rights do not override those interests.
- Where we need to comply with a legal or regulatory obligation.
- Where we need to consult with our professional advisers (and other third parties set out below).
Generally we do not rely on consent as a legal basis for processing your personal data other than in relation to sending third party direct marketing communications to you via email or text message. You have the right to withdraw consent to marketing at any time by contacting the data privacy manager
Purposes for which we will use your personal data
We have set out below, in Table A, a description of all the ways we may use your personal data, and which of the legal bases we rely on to do so. We have also identified what our legitimate interests are where appropriate.
Note that we may process your personal data for more than one lawful ground depending on the specific purpose for which we are using your data. Please contact the data privacy manager if you need details about the specific legal ground we are relying on to process your personal data where more than one ground has been set out in the table below.
The lawful basis for using your personal data
Legitimate Interest means the interest of our business in conducting and managing our business to enable us to give you the best service/product and the best and most secure experience. We make sure we consider and balance any potential impact on you (both positive and negative) and your rights before we process your personal data for our legitimate interests. We do not use your personal data for activities where our interests are overridden by the impact on you (unless we have your consent or are otherwise required or permitted to by law). You can obtain further information about how we assess our legitimate interests against any potential impact on you in respect of specific activities by contacting us.
Performance of Contract means processing your data where it is necessary for the performance of a contract to which you are a party or to take steps at your request before entering into such a contract.
Comply with a legal or regulatory obligation means processing your personal data where it is necessary for compliance with a legal or regulatory obligation that we are subject to.
Table A
|
Purpose/Activity |
Type of data | Lawful basis for processing including basis of legitimate interest |
| To register you as a new customer and creating and managing your account with us | (a) Identity
(b) Contact |
Performance of a contract with you or for our legitimate interests i.e. to be as efficient as we can so we can deliver the best service to you at the best price. |
| Conducting checks to identify you and verify your identity or to help prevent and detect fraud against you or us | (a) Identity
(b) Contact |
To comply with our legal and regulatory obligations and for our legitimate interests, ie to minimise fraud that could be damaging for you and/or us. |
| To process and deliver your order including:
(a) Manage payments, fees and charges (b) Collect and recover money owed to us |
(a) Identity
(b) Contact (c) Financial (d) Transactions (e) Communications |
(a) Performance of a contract with you
(b) Necessary for our legitimate interests (to recover debts due to us) |
| To manage our relationship with you which will include:
(a) Notifying you about changes to our terms or privacy policy (b) Asking you to leave a review or take a survey |
(a) Identity
(b) Contact (c) Profile (d) Communications |
Performance of a contract with you
To comply with a legal obligation For our legitimate interests (to keep our records updated and to study how customers use our products/services) |
| To administer and protect our business and this website (including troubleshooting, data analysis, testing, system maintenance, support, reporting and hosting of data) | (a) Identity
(b) Contact (c) Technical |
For our legitimate interests (for running our business, provision of administration and IT services, network security, to prevent fraud and in the context of a business reorganisation or group restructuring exercise)
To comply with a legal obligation |
| Communications with you not related to marketing, including about changes to our terms or policies or changes to the products AND/OR services or other important notices | (a) Identity
(b) Contact (c) Profile
|
Depending on the circumstances:
—to comply with our legal and regulatory obligations —in other cases, for our legitimate interests, ie to be as efficient as we can so we can deliver the best service to you at the best price |
| Statistical analysis to help us understand our customer base | (a) Identity
(b) Contact (c) Profile
|
For our legitimate interests, ie to be as efficient as we can so we can deliver the best service to you at the best price |
| To deliver relevant website content and information to you and measure or understand the effectiveness of the advertising we serve to you | (a) Identity
(b) Contact (c) Profile (d) Usage (e) Communications (f) Technical |
For our legitimate interests (to study how customers use our products/services, to develop them, to grow our business and to inform our strategy) |
| To use data analytics to improve our website, products/services, customer relationships and experiences | (a) Technical
(b) Usage |
For our legitimate interests (to define types of customers for our products and services, to keep our website updated and relevant, to develop our business and to inform our marketing strategy) |
| To make suggestions and recommendations to you about goods or services that may be of interest to you | (a) Identity
(b) Contact (c) Technical (d) Usage (e) Profile |
Necessary for our legitimate interests (to develop our products/services and grow our business) |
| Protecting the security of systems and data used to provide the services | (a) Identity
(b) Contact (c) Technical (d) Usage (e) Profile |
To comply with our legal and regulatory obligations
We may also use your personal data to ensure the security of systems and data to a standard that goes beyond our legal obligations, and in those cases our reasons are for our legitimate interests, ie to protect systems and data and to prevent and detect criminal activity that could be damaging for you and/or us |
| Disclosures and other activities necessary to comply with legal and regulatory obligations that apply to our business, eg to record and demonstrate evidence of your consents where relevant and [insert] | (a) Identity
(b) Contact (c) Profile
|
To comply with our legal and regulatory obligations |
| Marketing our services to existing and former customers | (a) Identity
(b) Contact (c) Usage (e) Profile |
For our legitimate interests, ie to promote our business to existing and former customers
See ‘Marketing’ below for further information |
| To share your personal data with members of our group and third parties that will or may take control or ownership of some or all of our business (and professional advisors acting on our or their behalf) in connection with a significant corporate transaction or restructuring, including a merger, acquisition, asset sale, initial public offering or in the event of our insolvency
In such cases information will be anonymised where possible and only shared where necessary |
(a) Identity
(b) Contact (c) Profile
|
Depending on the circumstances:
—to comply with our legal and regulatory obligations —in other cases, for our legitimate interests, ie to protect, realise or grow the value in our business and assets |
How and why we use your personal data—in more detail
More details about how we use your personal data and why are set out in the table below:-
| Purpose | Processing operation | Lawful basis relied on under the UK GDPR[ and EU GDPR] | Relevant categories of personal data | |
| Communications with you not related to marketing, including about changes to our terms or policies or changes to the products or other important notices | Addressing and sending communications to you as required by data protection laws, ie the UK GDPR or Data Protection Act 2018 | Processing is necessary for compliance with a legal obligation to which we are subject (Article 6(1)(b)) | —your name, address and contact information, including email address and telephone number and company details
—your account details (username) |
Marketing
We may use your personal data to send you updates (by email, text message, telephone or post) about our products and services, including with regard to new products and services.
We have a legitimate interest in using your personal data for marketing purposes. This means we do not need your consent to send you marketing information. If we change our marketing approach in the future so that consent is needed, we will ask for this separately and clearly.
You have the right to opt out of receiving any marketing communications at any time by contacting us and requesting that you do not receive any further marketing communications.
We may ask you to confirm or update your marketing preferences if you ask us to provide further products and/or services in the future, or if there are changes in the law, regulation, or the structure of our business.
We will always treat your personal data with the utmost respect and never sell or share it with other organisations outside of Emil Kiessling GmbH for marketing purposes.
For more information on your right to object at any time to your personal data being used for marketing purposes, see ‘Your rights’ below.
We strive to provide you with choices regarding certain personal data uses, particularly around any marketing and advertising.
Disclosures of your personal data
We may have to share your personal data with the parties set out below for the purposes set out in Table A above:-
External Third Parties
- Third Parties detailed in clause 4 above.
- Third parties to whom we may choose to sell, transfer, or merge parts of our business or our assets. Alternatively, we may seek to acquire other businesses or merge with them. If a change happens to our business, then the new owners may use your personal data in the same way as set out in this privacy notice.
- Third parties we use to help deliver our products and/or services to you, eg payment service providers, warehouses and delivery companies
- Other third parties we use to help us run our business, eg marketing agencies or website hosts and website analytics providers
- Our bankers
- Our external auditors, e.g. in relation to the audit of our accounts, in which case the recipient of the information will be bound by confidentiality obligations
- Our professional advisors (such as lawyers and other advisors), in which case the recipient of the information will be bound by confidentiality obligations
- Law enforcement agencies, courts, tribunals and regulatory bodies to comply with our legal and regulatory obligations.
We require all third parties to respect the security of your personal data and to treat it in accordance with the law. We do not allow our third-party service providers to use your personal data for their own purposes and only permit them to process your personal data for specified purposes and in accordance with our instructions.
- International transfers
We do not transfer your personal data outside the European Economic Area (“EEA”).
It is sometimes necessary for us to transfer your personal data to countries outside the UK but within the EEA. In those cases we will comply with applicable UK laws designed to ensure the privacy of your personal data.
We will transfer your personal data to:
- our parent company, Emil Kiessling GmbH
Under data protection laws, we can only transfer your personal data to a country outside the UK where:
- the UK government has decided the particular country ensures an adequate level of protection of personal data (known as an ‘adequacy regulation’) further to Article 45 of the UK GDPR. A list of countries the UK currently has adequacy regulations in relation to is published by HM Government. We rely on adequacy regulations for transfers to Germany.
- there are appropriate safeguards in place, together with enforceable rights and effective legal remedies for you, or
- a specific exception applies under relevant data protection law
Where we transfer your personal data outside the UK we do so on the basis of an adequacy regulation. In the event we cannot or choose not to continue to rely on the adequacy regulation at any time we will not transfer your personal data outside the UK unless we can do so on the basis of an alternative mechanism or exception provided by UK data protection law and reflected in an update to this policy.
- Any changes to the destinations to which we send personal data or in the transfer mechanisms we rely on to transfer personal data internationally will be notified to you in accordance with the section on ‘Changes to this privacy policy’ below.
- Data Security
We have appropriate security measures to prevent personal data from being accidentally lost, or used or accessed unlawfully. We limit access to your personal data to those who have a genuine need to access it.
We also have procedures in place to deal with any suspected data security breach. We will notify you and any applicable regulator of a suspected data security breach where we are legally required to do so.
- Data retention
How long will you use my personal data for?
We will only retain your personal data for as long as necessary to fulfil the purposes we collected it for, including for the purposes of satisfying any legal, accounting, or reporting requirements. It will then be securely and permanently destroyed.
To determine the appropriate retention period for personal data, we consider the amount, nature, and sensitivity of the personal data, the potential risk of harm from unauthorised use or disclosure of your personal data, the purposes for which we process your personal data and whether we can achieve those purposes through other means, and the applicable legal requirements.
Details of retention periods for different aspects of your personal data are available in our retention policy which you can request from us by contact us.
By law we have to keep basic information about our customers (including Contact, Identity, Financial and Transaction Data) for at least six years after they cease being customers for tax purposes.
In some circumstances you can ask us to delete your data: see section 9 below for further information.
In some circumstances we may anonymise your personal data (so that it can no longer be associated with you) for research or statistical purposes in which case we may use this information indefinitely without further notice to you.
You generally have the following rights, which you can usually exercise free of charge. However, we may charge a reasonable fee if your request is clearly unfounded, repetitive or excessive. Alternatively, we may refuse to comply with your request in these circumstances.
:
| Access to a copy of your personal data | The right to be provided with a copy of your personal data. We try to respond to all legitimate requests within one month. Occasionally it may take us longer than a month if your request is particularly complex or you have made a number of requests. In this case, we will notify you and keep you updated. |
| Correction (also known as rectification) | The right to require us to correct any mistakes in your personal data |
| Erasure (also known as the right to be forgotten) | The right to require us to delete your personal data—in certain situations |
| Restriction of use | The right to require us to restrict use of your personal data in certain circumstances, eg if you contest the accuracy of the data |
| Data portability | The right to receive the personal data you provided to us, in a structured, commonly used and machine-readable format and/or transmit that data to a third party—in certain situations |
| To object to use | The right to object:
—at any time to your personal data being used for direct marketing (including profiling) —in certain other situations to our continued use of your personal data, eg where we use your personal data for our legitimate interests unless there are compelling legitimate grounds for the processing to continue or the processing is required for the establishment, exercise or defence of legal claims |
| Not to be subject to decisions without human involvement | The right not to be subject to a decision based solely on automated processing (including profiling) that produces legal effects concerning you or similarly significantly affects you
We do not make any such decisions based on data collected by our website |
| The right to withdraw consents | If you have provided us with a consent to use your personal data you have a right to withdraw that consent easily at any time
You may withdraw consents by [insert details as relevant depending on consents] Withdrawing a consent will not affect the lawfulness of our use of your personal data in reliance on that consent before it was withdrawn |
For further information on each of those rights, including the circumstances in which they do and do not apply, please contact us (see ‘How to contact us’ below). You may also find it helpful to refer to the guidance from the UK’s Information Commissioner on your rights under the UK GDPR.
If you would like to exercise any of those rights, please email, call or write to us—see below: ‘How to contact us’. When contacting us please:
- provide enough information to identify yourself (eg your full name, address and customer or matter reference number) and any additional identity information we may reasonably request from you, and
- let us know which right(s) you want to exercise and the information to which your request relates.
What we may need from you
We may need to request specific information from you to help us confirm your identity and ensure your right to access your personal data (or to exercise any of your other rights). This is a security measure to ensure that personal data is not disclosed to any person who has no right to receive it. We may also contact you to ask you for further information in relation to your request to speed up our response.
- Changes to this privacy policy
We may change this privacy policy from time to time—when we make significant changes we will take steps to inform you, for example via by including a prominent link to a description of those changes on our website for a reasonable period or by other means, such as email.
- How to complain
Please contact us if you have any queries or concerns about our use of your personal data (see below ‘How to contact us’). We hope we will be able to resolve any issues you may have.
You also have the right to lodge a complaint with the Information Commissioner. They may be contacted using the details at https://ico.org.uk/make-a-complaint or by telephone: 0303 123 1113.
- How to contact us
You can contact us and/or our Data Protection Officer by post, email or telephone if you have any questions about this privacy policy or the information we hold about you, to exercise a right under data protection law or to make a complaint.
Our contact details are shown below:
| Our contact details | [Our Data Protection Officer’s contact details] |
| Mercona Ltd
01256 355665 |
Please address queries to our Data Protection Officer at:
01256 355665 |
