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Our Cookie Policy
It’s all in the detail

This Cookie Policy forms part of our Privacy Policy which can be viewed here

Our websites and apps use cookies and similar technologies to collect information about users’ activities, including browsing and purchasing behaviour. This includes information about pages viewed, products purchased and the customers’ journey around our apps and websites. Detailed information is set out in our Cookie Policy. We use the term ‘site’ to refer to websites and apps.

 

Cookie Policy

 

WHICH SITES DOES THIS POLICY RELATE TO?

This policy applies to all Marks and Spencer Plc (“M&S”) owned and operated sites, both in the UK and in the international territories in which we operate. This includes M&S owned web pages which refer a user to M&S branded products and services which are provided by third party organisations.

 

WHAT ARE COOKIES?

Cookies are small data files which are placed on your smart phone, tablet, laptop or other device when you use sites. They are used to ‘remember’ when the same device returns to a site, to track activity via the device, or to identify a user as having come from another site. Some cookies are used just for the duration of your visit (“session cookies”) and others for an extended period (“persistent cookies”).

M&S sites use cookies and other similar technologies which also store or provide access to information stored in your devices including, web beacons, plug ins, APIs, and fingerprinting technologies which permit the identification and tracking of a device. For the purposes of this policy we use the term “cookies” to include all technology that stores or accesses information on a user’s device all of which are governed by the same legal rules.

 

CONSENT FOR USE OF COOKIES

In most cases cookies cannot be deployed without consent. When you first enter our sites, you will be shown a pop-up cookie notification banner. The banner informs the user that our site uses cookies and provides options on whether to accept all cookies, to reject all (except ‘essential’ ones) or to accept only certain types. When you click “Accept all Cookies”, you are consenting to non-essential cookies unless you have disabled them using your browser settings. An explanation of what we mean by the terms essential and non-essential cookies is set out in the section below.

 

WHAT DO WE USE COOKIES FOR?

Essential cookies

  • are those used by M&S to deliver and maintain on-line services, including providing basic site functionality, remembering your basket content, facilitating transactions and payments, fraud prevention, and maintaining and securing our sites.

Essential cookies used for these purposes are deployed automatically for all users as soon as they enter our sites. They are legally exempt from the requirement to gain users’ consent. If you wish to use our sites you cannot opt out of these cookies as they are an essential and integral feature.

 

Non-essential cookies

With your consent, we’ll also use what we call ‘non-essential’ cookies for the purposes set out below:

To enhance sites and services and to comply with contractual duties

  • To improve the quality of our services and develop new ones.
  • To enable special site features such as widgets or embedded media files.
    These special features are not essential to the operation of the site but are intended to enhance user experience. They also allow us to develop and test new site features.
  • To Enable M&S to meet its contractual obligations to make payments to third parties when a product is purchased by someone who has visited our site from a site operated by those parties.

 

Show personalised content based on your interests, preferences or location

We use these cookies to improve the way our sites and mobile apps work so that we can personalise your experience and show you content which is most relevant to you. For example, a product or service may only be available in a particular location and may be more relevant to you depending on where you are, or we might show you certain products or services that we believe are most relevant to you based on your previous browsing or purchasing behaviour.

 

Show personalised or generic adverts either on M&S or third-party sites

We also use cookies to help us deliver online advertising that we believe is most relevant to you on our sites and third-party sites, including on social media such as Facebook, Instagram, TikTok or the search engine Google.

These types of cookies may collect information about your online attributes or behaviour, as well as your device identifier and/or IP address, the sites you arrived from and information about your browsing and purchase history or the content of your shopping basket. If you accept Advertising and Marketing cookies, your information will be shared with the third party sites if you have an account with them or use them. The third parties may incorporate the data into their information held about you and use it for personalisation of advertisements.

To help us to deliver online advertising that is relevant to you, we may also combine data we collect through cookies in the browser of your desktop computer or other devices with other data that we have collected, for example your purchases online and in store.

 

Deliver and measure the effectiveness of adverts, marketing and promotional communications

Some cookies can tell us if you have seen a specific advert, and when you saw it. This information allows us to measure the effectiveness of our online advertising campaigns and control the number of times you are shown an advert.

We also use cookies to measure the effectiveness of our marketing communications, for example by telling us if you have opened a marketing email that we have sent.

 

Retention of cookies on your device(s)

Persistent cookies will be retained for no longer than is necessary for our purposes outlined in the Cookie policy. In general, cookies will not be retained for more than 18 months. In exceptional cases, cookies may be retained for longer but only if required and following appropriate internal sign off.

WHAT IF YOU DON’T WANT NON-ESSENTIAL COOKIES TO BE USED?

You can continue to use our sites and complete transactions without consenting to cookies, but if you do this some site functionality may be impaired.

Note - if you have already consented to cookies on our site, you can change your preferences at any time by selecting the ‘manage cookies’ tab at the bottom of each page. Alternatively, you can clear cookies from your browser and re-enter the site. This will cause the pop-up banner to re-display, and you can choose to use the site(s) without consenting to cookies.

HOW TO DISABLE COOKIES VIA YOUR BROWSER SETTINGS?

You can also disable cookies by changing your sites browser settings to reject cookies. How you can do this will depend on the browser you use. Further details on how to disable cookies for the most popular browsers are set out below: -

For Microsoft Internet Explorer:

  1. Choose the menu “tools” then “Internet Options”
  2. Click on the “privacy” tab
  3. Select the setting the appropriate setting

 

For Google Chrome:

  1. Choose Settings> Advanced
  2. Under "Privacy and security," click “Content settings”.
  3. Click “Cookies”

 

For Safari:

  1. Choose Preferences > Privacy
  2. Click on “Remove all Sites Data”

 

For Mozilla Firefox:

  1. Choose the menu “tools” then “Options”
  2. Click on the icon “privacy”
  3. Find the menu “cookie” and select the relevant options

 

For Opera 6.0 and further:

  1. Choose the menu Files”> “Preferences”
  2. Privacy

 

WHAT HAPPENS IF I DISABLE COOKIES?

This depends on which cookies you disable, but in general the sites you visit may not operate properly if cookies are switched off.

 

WHAT COOKIES DO WE USE?

Cookie type

Key purposes

Essential

These cookies are deemed essential, do not require user consent and, as set out above, will be deployed to all users (unless they are disabled via browser settings). There are two categories of essential cookies as set out below.

1. Cookies used for various functions that allow the sites to operate, including:

  • - Setting language and directing a user to the correct site
  • - Basket persistence and size
  • - User identification, session ID, Log in detail to facilitate flow of data between browser and server
  • - To differentiate between user device and set layout and display of pages
  • - Redirecting users to new pages from old ones
  • - Order tracking
  • - Retaining persistence of information in forms or online chats
  • - Facilitating payments
  • - Managing consents such as for the deployment of cookies or for direct marketing

2 Cookies used for fraud prevention and information security functions including;

  • - User authentication
  • - BOT attack prevention,
  • - Visitor prioritisation,
  • - Performance optimisation,
  • - Phased release for page updates

In some cases, these cookies are shared with third party providers to deliver these services. These include the third parties who work with us to provide

  • - Security detection and session replay software

Preference Management System(s) tools

Functional

These cookies make your shopping experience easier. They enable basic functions such as seeing recently viewed products or searches.

Switching off these cookies will mean that areas of our sites won’t work properly.

They are used for various functions to improve your shopping experience such as:

  • - Displaying recently viewed products or searches,
  • - Retaining previous basket contents,
  • - Allowing non-essential widgets or videos to operate,
  • - Allowing non-essential services such as store locators to work.

In some cases, these cookies are shared with third parties to deliver these services Such third parties include:-

  • - Webchat Service Provider(s)
  • - Online Application and Widget Provider(s)
  • - Feedback and Survey tool Providers
  • - Virtual apparel sizing software Providers

Personalisation

These cookies help us to learn what you’re interested in so we can show you relevant content while you shop on our site. Switching off these cookies will mean you see a generic version of the sites, rather than content which is more relevant to you

They are used for various functions to tailor our sites to your preferences and interests, including:

  • - Visitor identification,
  • - Targeted content based on location or references, targeted content based on location or preferences,
  • - To ensure consistent experience on the sites,
  • - To personalise display banners,
  • - To display user generated content.

In some cases, these cookies are shared with third party providers to deliver these services. Examples of the services that such third parties provide include:-

  • - Personalisation tools, to display product recommendations and recently viewed products
  • - Tools to display User-generated content such as from social media

Analytics

These cookies are used to help us understand how users interact with our sites, products and/or services on an individual basis, so that we can better understand their needs. For example, these cookies are used to collect and analyse information about:

  • - Visitor page views or movements around the sites
  • - Customer likes and preferences
  • - Online and offline purchases

In some cases, these cookies are shared with third party providers to deliver these services. Such third parties include:-

  • - Analytical platform Providers
  • - Analytic tagging Service Providers
  • - User performance and feedback Providers

Advertising and Marketing

These cookies help us learn what you’re interested in so you will be shown relevant adverts on other sites. Switching off these cookies will mean you will see generic advertising on other sites, rather than ads which are most relevant to you.

They are used to:

  • - Gather information from you on your device to display advertisements
  • - Measure performance of advertisements
  • - Coordinate marketing campaigns across a user’s devices
  • - Share information gathered with other advertisers
  • - Build user profiles
  • - To support ad targeting on other sites

In some cases, these cookies are shared with third party providers to deliver these services. Such third parties include:-

  • - Third Party Advertisers and Affiliate Marketing Partners
  • - Social Media Advertising Platforms (Facebook, Instagram and TikTok)
  • - Search Engines (including Google)
  • - Customer Data Platforms which combine online and offline data for use by third party marketing Partners

Our Privacy Policy