Privacy Policy

AO World plc is committed to ensuring that your privacy is protected. This policy explains why and when we collect personal information about you, how we use it, the conditions under which we may disclose it to others and how we keep it secure. We may change this policy from time to time by updating this page. You should check this page from time to time to ensure that you are happy with any changes.  This policy was last updated on 12 June 2018.

Who we are

ao-world.com (the ‘”Website”) is owned and operated by AO World plc (“AO”’, “we” or “us”). Registered office: AO Park, 5A The Parklands, Lostock, Bolton, BL6 4SD Registered number 05525751 (England and Wales).

This Privacy Policy should be read together with our Cookie Policy and Website Terms and Conditions of Use. It sets out how we will treat any personal information that you provide to us or that we collect from you when you visit the Website. AO respects your right to privacy and will process personal information you provide in accordance with applicable privacy laws.

Information we collect from you and how it is used

We may collect the following information from you:

Alert services: If you register for the alert service, you will need to provide your name and email address. This information is collated via Investis, a third party service provider and will be stored securely and will only be used to provide and administer the alert service.  Please refer to the Investis privacy policy www.investis.co.uk/site-services/privacy-statement.  Investis may provide these details to us, for us to contact you regarding events that may be of interest to you.

Webcasts: If you register to watch the webcast of our results presentation, you will need to provide your name, Company name and email address.  This information is collated via a third party service provider and will be stored securely and will only be used to enable you to access the webcasts.  Please refer to the third party privacy policy at the time of registration.  The third party may provide these details to us, for us to contact you regarding events that may be of interest to you.  You may ask us to stop sending you details of events at any time by contacting us by email at ir@ao.com.

Information that you voluntarily provide to us: such as when you contact us with an enquiry using AO’s contact details provided.  This may include information such as your name and contact details.  We process this data on the basis of our legitimate interests.

Information we collect automatically: This may include cookies to collect some basic information such as your browser type, IP address, internet service provider’s domain name, date and time of access and which pages you visit. More details can be found in our Cookie Policy. We may also collect anonymised details about visitors to the Website for the purposes of aggregate statistics or reporting purposes. No single individual will be identifiable from the anonymised details collected for these purposes.

Typically where we process your personal data it will be because we have a legitimate interest in operating our business and the Website to assist you with your enquiry, or because you have consented to our use of your personal data.

Third-party use of information

We may share your personal information with third parties in the following circumstances:

  • We may share your personal information with other companies and departments within the AO World plc group for administration purposes or, where you have agreed, for the purpose of sending you updates about AO. If we do this, they will use your information in accordance with this privacy policy.
  • Where we are using a third party service provider to provide us with services (for example, to operate the Website, send news alerts or arrange corporate/investor related events). If we do this, we contractually require them to apply appropriate safeguards for personal information and they will never be allowed to use the data for their own purposes.
  • Where we are under a legal, regulatory or professional obligation to disclose your personal information, or in order to enforce or apply our Terms and Conditions.

Except as described above, AO will not disclose, sell or rent your personal information to any third party.

For any processing that is performed on the basis of consent, you may contact AO to ask for any such activity to stop by emailing us at ir@ao.com

If a third party acquires all (or substantially all) of AO’s business and/or assets, AO may disclose your personal information to that third party in connection with the acquisition.

International transfers

We may transfer personal information that is collected from you to service providers located in countries outside the European Economic Area in connection with the above purposes. We will take legally required steps to ensure adequate safeguards are in place to protect your personal information and to ensure it is kept securely. You may contact us regarding the safeguards which we have put in place to protect your personal information in these circumstances.

Security and Information Retention

Whilst AO takes appropriate technical and organisational measures to safeguard the personal information that you provide, no transmission over the Internet can ever be guaranteed secure. Consequently, please note that the security of any personal information that you transfer over the internet to AO cannot be guaranteed.

We will keep your personal data for as long as we need it for the purposes set out above, and so this period will vary depending on your interactions with us. Where we no longer have a need to keep your information, we will delete it or anonymise it. 

Your rights

You have certain rights in relation to your personal information, including the right to object to, restrict and/or withdraw your consent to the processing of your personal information, the right to access your personal information, and the right to receive a digital copy of your personal information.

You also have the right to ensure that we correct or delete any inaccurate or out of date personal information which we have about you. If you believe that any personal information which we have about you is inaccurate or out of date and you would like us to correct or delete it, or you wish to exercise any other of your rights, please contact us at ir@ao.com

Third-party sites

The Website may contain links to other websites operated by third parties. Please note that this privacy policy applies only to the personal information that AO collects through the Website and AO will not be responsible for personal information that third parties may collect, store and use through their website. You should always read the privacy policy of each website you visit carefully.

Contacting The Information Commissioner’s Office

If you are not happy with the way in which we have dealt with your personal data or your enquiries relating to that personal data, it is your right to make a complaint to the data protection regulator. The regulator is the Information Commissioner’s Office. You can find more detail at www.ico.org.uk.

Contacting Us

Any questions regarding this policy and our privacy practices should be sent by email to ir@ao.com

We have appointed a Data Protection Officer (DPO). You may contact the DPO by writing to us at the registered office address set out above or by emailing dataprotection@ao.com.

Cookies Policy

A ‘cookie’ is information that a website stores on your computer so that it can remember something about you at a later time. Cookies are commonly used on the Internet and do not harm your system.

The cookies used on the AO World Website do not include any information that others could read and understand about you, such as your name or contact details. Overall, cookies help us provide you with a better website, by enabling us to monitor which pages you find useful and which you do not.

We use Google Analytics to measure the performance of our website and to understand what pages are of interest to the visitors to the Website.  The Google Analytics privacy policy is available for review at support.google.com/analytics#topic=1008008.

This practice is strictly adhered to. We know that people have concerns about cookies, but we believe that the benefit we both gain from their proper use is worthwhile. You may set your web browser to notify you of cookie placement requests or decline cookies completely. You can also delete the files that contain cookies – those files are stored as part of your internet browser.

Security

When browsing or shopping online, there are a few things to look out for that let you know you’re on a site that’s secure. On the Website you’ll see a closed padlock, green address bar and https in the URL, which ensures a valid security certificate and a secure, encrypted connection.

The security of your personal information is important to us. Our site uses SSL (secure socket layer) encryption technology, the most advanced security software currently available, to keep the information you give us secure.