Privacy policy | The Wholesaler

1. Who is responsible for your information

The Wholesaler (UK) Limited is the controller of personal information handled through this website. The company is registered in England and Wales under company number 05631568. Its registered office is Bronsens Hillside, Albion Street, Chipping Norton, Oxfordshire OX7 5BH.

You can raise a privacy question through the contact page, by telephoning 01608 662 298 or by writing to the registered office.

2. Information we collect

The information depends on how you use the service. It may include:

your name, role, business name and business contact details;
the contents of an enquiry or other correspondence;
information supplied with an advertising application or for a directory listing;
contract, invoice and payment records relating to an advertiser;
records of consent and communication preferences;
technical information such as an IP address, browser, device, requested pages, timestamps and security logs; and
information supplied when reporting an inaccurate listing or other problem.

Please do not send sensitive personal information unless we have specifically asked for it and explained why it is needed.

3. How we use information and our lawful bases

We use personal information only where we have a lawful basis. Depending on the activity, we may use it:

to answer an enquiry and provide requested information, based on our legitimate interests in operating the directory;
to assess an advertising application and take steps requested before a contract;
to create, maintain and administer an advertiser’s listing and account, where needed to perform a contract;
to forward an enquiry to a supplier selected by the sender, at the sender’s request;
to keep financial and business records, comply with legal obligations and handle disputes;
to protect the website, prevent misuse and diagnose technical problems, based on our legitimate interests in running a secure service; and
to send optional marketing where consent has been given or another lawful route is available under data protection and electronic marketing law.

Where we rely on legitimate interests, we consider whether the use is necessary and whether a person’s rights override those interests.

4. Where information comes from

Most information comes directly from the person or business contacting us. We may also check public business sources, including a supplier’s website and official registers, when reviewing an advertiser, maintaining a listing or investigating an accuracy concern.

5. Who we share information with

We may share information with:

a supplier when a visitor asks us to send that supplier an enquiry;
service providers supporting hosting, email, forms, backups, security, analytics, payments or business administration;
professional advisers, insurers and auditors where necessary;
public authorities or law-enforcement bodies where disclosure is required or permitted by law; and
a buyer or successor if the business or its assets are reorganised or sold, subject to appropriate safeguards.

We do not sell personal information. Public supplier listings may contain business contact information supplied or approved for publication.

6. International transfers

Some service providers may process information outside the United Kingdom. Where UK data protection law requires a safeguard, we use an adequacy regulation, approved contractual protection or another lawful transfer mechanism. The relevant arrangements will be reviewed whenever the production service stack changes.

7. How long we keep information

We keep information only for as long as reasonably needed for the purpose for which it was collected. Enquiry records are retained while the matter is active and for a reasonable follow-up period. Unsuccessful advertising applications are removed when the review and complaint period has passed. Contract, invoice and accounting records are normally retained for the period required by tax, accounting and limitation law. Security logs and backups follow limited operational rotation periods unless an incident or legal requirement makes longer retention necessary.

8. Your rights

Depending on the circumstances, UK data protection law may give you the right to:

ask for a copy of your personal information;
correct inaccurate or incomplete information;
ask for information to be erased or its use restricted;
object to processing based on legitimate interests or to direct marketing;
receive certain information in a portable format; and
withdraw consent where processing relies on consent.

These rights are not absolute. We may need to verify your identity and may retain information where the law permits or requires it. You also have the right to complain to the Information Commissioner’s Office.

9. Security

We use proportionate technical and organisational measures to protect personal information, including access controls, software maintenance, backups and service-provider review. No internet service can guarantee absolute security.

10. Cookies and similar technologies

The current use of cookies and browser storage is explained in the cookie policy. Non-essential technologies will not be enabled without the information and choice required by law.

11. Changes to this notice

We review this notice when the website, service providers or legal requirements change. A production review will be completed before the redesigned site goes live, and the review date at the top of this page will be updated when material changes are made.