Privacy policy

This Privacy Policy explains how Merchants Premium Food Ltd (“we”, “us”, “our”) collects, uses, and protects your personal information when you visit merchantsfoods.com, create an account, or purchase our products. We are committed to handling your information responsibly and in accordance with the UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR) and the Data Protection Act 2018. By using our website, you agree to the practices described in this Privacy Policy.

1. Who We Are

Merchants Premium Food Ltd is the data controller responsible for your personal information. We are registered in England and Wales under company number 16066690, with our registered office at 9 Lodge Close, Halesowen, England, B62 0BG. If you have any questions about how we handle your data, you can contact us at info@merchantsfoods.com.

2. The Information We Collect

We collect information when you interact with our website, place an order, or communicate with us. This includes details you provide directly, such as your name, billing and delivery address, email address, phone number, account login details, and payment information. Payment details are processed securely by our payment provider; we do not store card numbers ourselves. We also keep a record of your orders, any messages you send us, and any reviews or feedback you choose to submit.

In addition, certain information is collected automatically when you browse the site, including your IP address, browser type, device details, pages visited, time spent on the site, and cookie data. We may also receive information from third parties such as payment processors, delivery partners, and analytics providers.

3. How We Use Your Information

We use your personal information to process and deliver your orders, manage your account, and provide customer support. This includes taking payment, sending order confirmations, arranging delivery, and handling returns or refunds. We also use your information to improve our website and services by analysing how visitors use the site and identifying areas for improvement. If you choose to receive marketing communications, we will use your information to send newsletters, offers, and updates. You can unsubscribe from marketing at any time.

Our legal basis for processing your information depends on the purpose. We rely on contractual necessity to fulfil your orders, legitimate interests for website analytics, fraud prevention, and service improvement, consent for marketing and non essential cookies, and legal obligations for tax, accounting, and regulatory compliance.

4. Cookies and How We Use Them

Cookies are small files stored on your device that help the website function and improve your experience. Some cookies are essential for the site to operate, such as those that keep items in your basket or enable the checkout process. These cannot be disabled.
We also use cookies to understand how visitors use the site, which helps us improve performance and user experience. These analytics cookies collect information such as which pages are visited and how long users stay on the site. In addition, we may use cookies to personalise content or support marketing activity, but these are only used with your consent. You can manage or disable non essential cookies through your browser settings or via the cookie banner that appears when you first visit the site.

5. Sharing Your Information

We only share your personal information when necessary to provide our services. This includes trusted third party providers such as Shopify (which hosts our website and ecommerce platform), payment processors, delivery partners, email service providers, and IT or security specialists. We may also share information with regulatory or legal authorities if required by law. We never sell your personal information, and all third parties are required to comply with UK GDPR and keep your data secure.

6. International Transfers

Some of our service providers may process data outside the UK. When this happens, we ensure that appropriate safeguards are in place, such as UK adequacy regulations, Standard Contractual Clauses, or additional security measures, to ensure your information remains protected.

7. Keeping Your Information Safe

We take data security seriously and use a range of technical and organisational measures to protect your information. These include encrypted payment processing, secure servers, access controls, and regular security reviews. While no system can guarantee complete security, we work hard to protect your information from unauthorised access, loss, or misuse.

8. How Long We Keep Your Information

We retain your personal information only for as long as necessary to fulfil the purposes described in this Privacy Policy. Order records are kept for six years to comply with legal and accounting requirements. Marketing information is kept until you unsubscribe, and account information is retained until you choose to close your account.

9. Your Rights

You have several rights under UK GDPR. You can request access to the personal information we hold about you, ask us to correct inaccurate details, request deletion of your data, or ask us to restrict how your information is used. You can also object to certain types of processing, including marketing, and you may request a copy of your data in a portable format. Where we rely on consent, you may withdraw it at any time. To exercise any of these rights, please contact info@merchantsfood.com. We may need to verify your identity before responding.

10. Children’s Privacy

Our website is not intended for individuals under the age of 18, and we do not knowingly collect personal information from children.

11. Links to Other Websites

Our website may contain links to external sites. We are not responsible for the privacy practices or content of these websites, and we encourage you to review their privacy policies before providing any personal information.

12. Changes to This Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. The latest version will always be available on this page. By continuing to use the site after changes are posted, you accept the updated policy.

13. Contact Us

If you have any questions about this Privacy Policy or how we handle your information, please contact us at info@merchantsfoods.com or write to Merchants Premium Food Ltd, 9 Lodge Close, Halesowen, West Midlands, B62 0BG. You also have the right to raise concerns with the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) at www.ico.org.uk.