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Privacy Policy

Last Updated: October 12, 2025

1. Introduction

Welcome to The Book World (“we,” “our,” or “us”). We are committed to protecting your privacy and ensuring the security of your personal data. This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, disclose, and safeguard your information when you visit our website thebookworld.uk, make a purchase, or interact with our services.

By using our website, you consent to the data practices described in this policy.

2. Data Controller

The data controller responsible for your personal data is:

The Book World 40 Hanover Ave, Woodhouse Leeds LS3 1BQ United Kingdom

Email: support@thebookworld.uk Phone: +44 1604 986058

3. Information We Collect

We may collect and process the following types of personal data:

  • Personal Identifiers: Name, email address, phone number, shipping and billing address.
  • Commercial Information: Records of products purchased, obtained, or considered, and purchasing history.
  • Payment Information: Credit/debit card details are processed securely by our PCI-DSS compliant payment processors (e.g., Stripe, PayPal). We do not store full card details on our servers.
  • Technical Data: Internet protocol (IP) address, browser type and version, time zone setting, browser plug-in types, operating system, and other technology on the devices you use to access our website.
  • Usage Data: Information about how you use our website, products, and services, including clickstream data to and from our site.
  • Marketing and Communications Data: Your preferences in receiving marketing from us and your communication preferences.

4. How We Use Your Information (Lawful Basis)

We use your information for the following purposes, relying on the lawful bases under UK GDPR:

  • To Fulfil Your Order (Performance of a Contract): To process your payment, arrange for shipping, and provide you with invoices and/or order confirmations.
  • Customer Service (Legitimate Interests): To communicate with you, respond to your inquiries, and provide support via email or phone.
  • Marketing (Consent or Legitimate Interests):
    • We will only send you direct marketing communications (e.g., newsletters, offers) if you have explicitly consented to receive them. You can opt-out at any time.
    • We may use your purchase history to make personalised product recommendations, which is part of our legitimate interest to develop our products/services and grow our business.
  • Website Improvement (Legitimate Interests): To analyse how customers use the website, to improve our website, products/services, marketing, and customer relationships.
  • Fraud Prevention (Legal Obligation/Legitimate Interests): To screen orders for potential risk or fraud.

5. Google Ads & Other Advertising

We use Google Ads to promote our products. In compliance with Google’s policies:

  • We may use features like Google Analytics and Google Ads Remarketing.
  • These services use cookies and similar technologies to collect data about your website usage to show you personalised ads on other sites within the Google Display Network based on your past visits to our website.
  • You can opt-out of Google’s use of cookies for personalised advertising by visiting Google’s Ads Settings.
  • We do not use sensitive personal data (such as health information) for remarketing.
  • Our ads comply with Google’s policies regarding misrepresentation and prohibited content.

6. Data Sharing and Disclosure

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

  • Service Providers: We share data with trusted third parties who provide essential services, such as payment processing, shipping, email delivery, marketing, and analytics. These partners are contractually obligated to keep your information secure and use it only for the purposes we specify.
  • Legal Obligation: We may disclose your data if required to do so by law or in response to valid requests by public authorities (e.g., a court or a government agency).

We do not sell your personal data to third parties.

7. International Transfers

Your data is primarily processed within the UK and the European Economic Area (EEA). If we transfer data outside the UK/EEA, we will ensure it is protected by appropriate safeguards, such as the UK International Data Transfer Agreement or Standard Contractual Clauses.

8. Data Retention

We will retain your personal data only for as long as is necessary for the purposes set out in this policy, including to fulfil legal, accounting, or reporting requirements. For example, we retain order information for 7 years for tax and accounting purposes.

9. Your Data Protection Rights

Under UK data protection laws, you have rights including:

  • The right to access – You have the right to request copies of your personal data.
  • The right to rectification – You have the right to request that we correct any information you believe is inaccurate.
  • The right to erasure – You have the right to request that we erase your personal data, under certain conditions.
  • The right to restrict processing – You have the right to request that we restrict the processing of your personal data, under certain conditions.
  • The right to data portability – You have the right to request that we transfer the data that we have collected to another organisation, or directly to you.
  • The right to object to processing – You have the right to object to our processing of your personal data.

To exercise any of these rights, please contact us using the details in Section 2.

You also have the right to lodge a complaint with the UK supervisory authority, the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) (www.ico.org.uk).

10. Cookies

Our website uses cookies to distinguish you from other users. This helps us provide you with a good experience and allows us to improve our site. For detailed information on the cookies we use and their purposes, please see our Cookie Policy.

11. Changes to This Privacy Policy

We may update this privacy policy from time to time to reflect changes to our practices or for other operational, legal, or regulatory reasons. We will notify you of any changes by posting the new policy on this page and updating the “Last Updated” date.

12. Contact Us

For any questions about this Privacy Policy or your personal data, please contact us at:

Email: support@thebookworld.uk Phone: +44 1604 986058 Post: The Book World, 40 Hanover Ave, Woodhouse, Leeds LS3 1BQ, United Kingdom

Our customer support hours are Monday to Friday, 9am – 5pm GMT.