Like many websites, we use cookies to make our site functional, but also to improve and customise your experience of our site. The purpose of this Cookie notice is to explain what cookies are and how they work, the types of cookies we deploy on our Sites and their purpose, and your rights in relation to the use and storage of cookies on your device. 

Upon first visiting the site, you will be presented with a pop-up banner known as a ‘cookie consent banner’. This banner will inform you that cookies are in use on that Site and ask for acceptance to deploy these on your device. If you click ‘accept’, we will assume that you are happy for the use of cookies and similar technologies during your Site visit. You can change your web browser settings to block the use of cookies. 

If you have any questions on our use of cookies on any Menzies Distribution Solutions Sites, please contact us at [email protected]

All About Cookies¶

What is a cookie?¶

A cookie (or internet cookie) is a small text file of data created by a web server while a user is browsing a website. This small file is shared by our website to your desktop or mobile web browser. These cookies store limited information from a web browser session on the website that can then be retrieved in the future, for example, where you revisit our website on the same device.  At this stage, your web browser shall return the data of the cookie to our Site server, which shall remember and relaunch your data from the previous session. A cookie can be thought of as an internet user's identification card, which tell a website when the user has returned.

How do they work?¶

Cookies work in a few different ways. Cookies can allow us to distinguish you from other users of our website by identifying you as a specific user and recalling data from your previous session (if any). Cookies can also improve your experience when you browse a website by offering personalisation such as customised advertising, and also to monitor website performance and allow for make improvements where necessary. Cookies can also be used for tracking website user behaviour, such as items or pages previous viewed, how long spent on the website, which may indicate the user’s interest in a particular item or service. 

Personal data such as your name, email address, home address are not collected through the use of cookies. This would however be collected if you provide this data to us directly, for example, through a contact form or at account registration. For information on wider data processing, please see MDS’ Privacy Notice. 

Types of cookies¶

The information below sets out the specific types of cookies used by MDS and why we use them. Please note that no information obtained from the use of cookies or similar technologies is sold to third parties or used in any way that contravenes our privacy policy and UK Data Protection Laws. 

The type of cookies that MDS use or may use are set out below: 

• Session (or transient) cookies are used only when journeying through a website and shall only be stored on your device for the length of that browsing session, after which they are automatically deleted when browser page is closed. These cookies ease functionality in terms of your browsers ‘back’ button and allowing you to navigate from page to page on the Site.
• Persistent (or Permanent) cookies in contrast to session cookies, remain on your device indefinitely unless cleared. Some cookies may have a built-in expiration date however this is long after the session ends. Persistent cookies are usually utilised for authentication purposes, for example, where you log into an account on the Site using a username and password. Persistent cookies also allow your browser to ‘remember’ Site passwords to avoid multiple logins.
• Persistent cookies – Tracking are used for a prolonged period as above, however tracking cookies are used specifically to track multiple Site visits over a set period. These cookies will collect usage and behaviour information during Site sessions, such as pages visited, most frequented pages and how long you spend on pages. This information can be used to build a ‘profile’ of that user and may indicate areas of particular interest. 

Internet cookies can be further split into two general categories: first-party cookies and third-party cookies. The applicable category depends on who deploys the cookie. 

• First-party cookies are created and stored by our web server and Site when it is visited. These cookies allow MDS to collect analytical data, sign-in data, language settings and other useful functions. Only the Service can read these cookies.
• Third-party cookies are created by domains that are not ours but may be deployed on our Site. Third party cookies are usually used for online advertising-technology and tracking purposes and are placed on our Site using a script or tag. For example, if a webpage contains an embedded YouTube video, YouTube may set its own cookies to enable the video to work correctly.

Cookie functionality types¶

Cookies take many different forms and serve various purposes. Because of this, it helps to categorise Cookies into specific groups, based on the nature of their functionality. This also helps Site visitors to decide on the level of cookie use they are comfortable with (if any). 

• Essential cookies are placed automatically on your device whenever you access our Sites or perform specific actions on the Site. These cookies are necessary for a website to function and generally do not require user consent and cannot be rejected. Without the functionality of essential cookies, it would not be possible to use and navigate our Sites and access their features.
• Non-essential cookies are the opposite of essential cookies. Our Sites are not contingent on these cookies to function, and user consent is always sought to use non-essential cookies. One example of non-essential cookies would be advertising cookies, social networking tracking cookies, analytical cookies. Non-essential cookies include:
• Functional cookies: cookies that enable a website to provide enhanced functionality and personalisation. They remember choices users make (such as language preferences, region selection and login details) and ensure the website functions as intended. While not essential for the website or app to operate, functional cookies improve the user experience by retaining preferences and settings across user sessions.
• Performance cookies: cookies that collect anonymous data on how visitors use a website, such as which pages are visited most frequently or if there are any errors. They help us understand and improve the site’s performance, ensuring a better user experience. These cookies do not collect personal information and are used solely for analytics and performance monitoring.
• Advertising cookies: cookies that are used to deliver targeted advertisements to users based on their interests and browsing habits. These cookies track users across websites to create “profiles” based on their usage and interests, and display relevant ads based on those profiles. They can also limit the number of times a user sees an ad and help measure the effectiveness of advertising campaigns. 

HOW DO I RESTRICT USE OF COOKIES? ¶

You can restrict or block most cookies that are set by any MDS Sites, or any website generally, by activating the setting in your web browser that disallows the use of all or some optional cookies. However, by doing so this may result in a reduced functionality of our Sites. Unless you have configured your browser to not permit the use of cookies, our Site shall attempt to deploy cookies upon every visit. 

 If you are unclear on how to change your web browser settings, you can visit www.aboutcookies.org, which is an independent website that contains comprehensive information on how to do this on a wide variety of browsers. You will also find more general information about cookies. For more information on your rights in relation to the use of cookies, please see the UK’s Information Commissioner’s Office’s helpful guidance for data subjects. 

ABOUT THIS COOKIE NOTICE¶

We may update this policy from time-to-time by posting a new version on our website, please check regularly to be aware of any updates. Any new version is valid upon publication. 

If you have any questions or concerns in relation to this Cookie Notice, or MDS’ use of cookies in general, please contact us directly at [email protected]