Privacy Policy

Effective date: September 2025

Ashton Little ("we", "us", "our") collects and processes personal data in accordance with the UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR) and the Data Protection Act 2018. This Privacy Policy explains what data we collect, how we use it, and the rights you have over your personal data.

1. Legal Bases for Processing

- Consent: where you have agreed (e.g., receiving marketing communications).
- Contract: to fulfil orders, process payments, or provide quotations.
- Legal Obligation: to comply with tax, accounting, or record-keeping requirements.
- Legitimate Interests: for activities such as:-
- Business analysis and product development.
- Requesting customer feedback via independent review partners (e.g., Feefo).
- Fraud prevention and website security.
Where we rely on legitimate interests, we ensure that your rights and expectations are balanced against our business needs. You have the right to object at any time (see section 7).

2. Types of Data Collected

- Order information: name, contact details, billing and delivery address, order history.
- Account information: login details if you create an account.
- Payment details: processed securely by our payment providers (we do not store card details).
- Website activity: cookies, IP address, device/browser information.
- Customer service interactions: emails, calls, and support tickets.

3. How We Use Your Data

Your data may be used for the following purposes:
- To process and deliver your order.
- To provide quotations and respond to enquiries.
- To request independent product and service reviews via our partner Feefo.
- To improve our website, services, and product offering.
- To comply with legal and regulatory obligations.
- To send you marketing communications (where you have consented).

4. Sharing Your Data

We do not sell your personal data. We may share data only with trusted third parties who are bound by strict data protection obligations, including:
- Payment processors and banks: to process transactions.
- Couriers and logistics providers: to deliver your order.
- Review partners (e.g., Feefo): to send a one-time review invitation by email. Feefo receives only the minimum necessary data (name, email address, and order reference) and cannot use your information for marketing or any other purpose.
- IT service providers: who support our website and systems.
- Regulators and authorities: where required by law.

5. Data Retention

- Quotes: retained for up to 1 year.
- Orders: retained for up to 6 years (for legal, tax, and accounting purposes).
- After retention: data is securely deleted or anonymised.

6. Data Protection

- All transactions are processed over secure SSL encryption.
- Access to data is restricted to authorised staff.
- We maintain technical and organisational measures to protect data from loss, misuse, or unauthorised access.

7. Your Rights

Under UK GDPR, you have the following rights:
- Access: request a copy of your personal data.
- Rectification: correct inaccurate or incomplete data.
- Erasure: request deletion of your data (subject to legal obligations).
- Restriction: limit how your data is processed.
- Objection: object to processing based on legitimate interests (including review invitations).
- Withdraw consent: withdraw consent for marketing at any time.

To exercise your rights, please contact us at: sales@ashtonlittle.com

8. Cookies

Our website uses cookies to improve performance, personalise your experience, and help us understand how visitors use the site.
- Some cookies are essential for the website to function (e.g., to keep items in your shopping basket).
- Analytics cookies help us measure site performance and usage.
- Advertising and affiliate cookies may be set by third-party providers to track performance of adverts or referral links.
- Most cookies expire automatically within 2 years; affiliate cookies typically expire after 30 days.
- You can manage or block cookies through your browser settings at any time. Please note that blocking essential cookies may affect website functionality.

9. Complaints

If you are dissatisfied with how we handle your personal data, you may contact us at sales@ashtonlittle.com

You also have the right to lodge a complaint with the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO): www.ico.org.uk

10. Updates to this Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. Any changes will be posted on our website with the updated effective date.