1. Introduction

Melba Swintex ("Melba Swintex", "we", "us" or "our") takes the privacy of visitors to our website seriously. This Privacy & Cookies Policy explains what personal information we collect through melbaswintex.com, why we collect it, how we use and protect it, and the rights available to you.

We are a business-to-business manufacturer and distributor of temporary traffic management products. Our website and sales activity are intended for businesses, contractors, local authorities and other professional customers; we do not sell directly to consumers.

We process personal data in accordance with the UK General Data Protection Regulation ("UK GDPR"), the Data Protection Act 2018, and other applicable data protection law. For the purposes of those laws, Melba Swintex is the data controller of the personal data covered by this policy.

Please read this policy alongside any specific privacy information we provide when collecting data from you. If you have questions, see the Contact Us section below.

2. What Information We Collect

We collect only personal data that is relevant to the purposes described in this policy.

Information you give us

You may provide us with information when you contact us, request a quotation, subscribe to our newsletter, or apply for a role with us. This may include:

• your name;
• company or organisation name and job title;
• business email address;
• telephone number;
• postal address, where relevant to your enquiry or order;
• the content of your message or quotation request;
• newsletter subscription preferences; and
• information included in a job application, such as your CV, employment history and qualifications, where recruitment is available through the website.

Please do not send us sensitive personal data through our website unless we specifically request it. We do not intentionally collect sensitive personal data through our standard website forms.

Information collected automatically

When you use our website, we may automatically collect technical and usage information, including:

• IP address;
• browser type and version;
• device type and operating system;
• pages viewed, links selected and actions taken;
• the date and time of your visit;
• the page or website from which you arrived (referral source); and
• information about how you navigate the website.

We collect this information through cookies and similar technologies, including Google Analytics. See the Cookies section below for more detail.

3. How We Use Your Information

We use personal data to:

• respond to enquiries, product queries and quotation requests;
• communicate with you about an order, quotation or business relationship;
• send our newsletter and relevant updates where you have opted in;
• administer and improve our website, products, services and user experience;
• understand website use and produce aggregated, anonymised statistical analysis;
• protect the security and operation of our website and systems, including detecting and preventing misuse; and
• comply with our legal, regulatory, accounting and record-keeping obligations.

Where appropriate, we also process personal data because it is necessary for our legitimate interests in running and improving our business. We balance these interests against your rights and freedoms before relying on this basis.

4. Legal Basis for Processing

Under Article 6 of the UK GDPR, we rely on one or more of the following lawful bases:

• Legitimate interests — to respond to business enquiries, maintain the security and effective operation of our website and systems, understand how our website is used, and run and improve our business. We only use this basis where our interests are not overridden by your rights and freedoms.
• Consent — to send marketing newsletters where you have chosen to subscribe, and to place non-essential cookies on your device. You may withdraw consent at any time.
• Legal obligation — where processing is necessary to meet a legal or regulatory requirement, including tax, accounting or record-keeping obligations.
• Contract — where processing is necessary to take steps at your request before entering into a contract, or to perform a contract with you or the organisation you represent.

5. Cookies Policy

What cookies are

Cookies are small text files placed on your device when you visit a website. They help the site work properly, remember preferences and understand how visitors use it. Some cookies last for the duration of your visit only; others remain on your device for a defined period or until you delete them.

We use cookies in accordance with applicable law. Where required, we will ask for your consent before placing non-essential cookies on your device.

Types of cookies we use

Managing cookies

You can accept, reject or change your non-essential cookie preferences using our cookie controls when available. Most browsers also allow you to control cookies through their settings, including blocking or deleting cookies — guidance is normally available in your browser's help section.

Blocking or deleting some cookies may affect the availability or functionality of parts of our website. Essential cookies cannot be disabled through our website controls because they are needed for it to work; however, you may be able to block them via your browser settings, which may cause the website not to function properly.

We do not use third-party advertising, behavioural advertising or social-media tracking cookies on this website.

6. Data Sharing

We do not sell, rent or trade your personal data.

We may share personal data with trusted service providers that process it on our behalf and only under our instructions, including:

• SiteGround — website hosting and related technical services;
• Klaviyo — our newsletter and email marketing service; and
• Google — Google Analytics.

These providers are required to protect personal data and to process it under appropriate data processing terms. We may also share information with professional advisers, insurers, auditors or authorities where necessary and lawful.

We may disclose personal data where required by law, regulation, court order or another valid legal process, or where necessary to protect our rights, safety, property or those of others.

We do not transfer personal data outside the UK or European Economic Area (EEA) unless appropriate safeguards are in place as required by applicable data protection law.

7. Data Retention

We keep personal data only for as long as reasonably necessary for the purposes for which it was collected. Our usual retention periods are:

We may retain information for longer where necessary to establish, exercise or defend legal claims, resolve disputes or comply with legal obligations.

8. Your Rights Under UK GDPR

Subject to certain conditions and legal exemptions, you have the following rights in relation to your personal data:

• Right of access — to ask for a copy of the personal data we hold about you.
• Right to rectification — to ask us to correct incomplete or inaccurate personal data.
• Right to erasure — to ask us to delete your personal data in certain circumstances (also known as the "right to be forgotten").
• Right to restrict processing — to ask us to limit the way we use your data in certain circumstances.
• Right to data portability — to receive personal data you have provided to us in a structured, commonly used and machine-readable format, and to ask us to transfer it to another controller where technically feasible.
• Right to object — to object to processing based on legitimate interests, including profiling. You can object to direct marketing at any time.
• Right to withdraw consent — where we rely on consent, you may withdraw it at any time without affecting the lawfulness of processing before withdrawal.

To exercise any of these rights, please email info@melbaswintex.co.uk. We may need to verify your identity before acting on a request and will normally respond within one month.

9. Third Party Links

Our website may contain links to third-party websites or services. Those websites are not operated by us and have their own privacy policies and cookie practices. We are not responsible for their content, security or privacy practices. We encourage you to read the privacy notices of any third-party site before providing them with personal data.

10. Changes to This Policy

We may update this Privacy & Cookies Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our practices, services or legal obligations. Any revised version will be posted on this page with an updated "Last updated" date. Please check this policy periodically. Your continued use of our website after an update takes effect indicates your acceptance of the revised policy, to the extent permitted by law.

11. Contact Us / Data Controller Details

If you have any questions about this policy or wish to exercise your data rights, please contact us: