ANCOATS CHRISTMAS MARKETS LTD
Privacy policy
1Who we are
ANCOATS CHRISTMAS MARKETS LTD (company number 16761184), registered in England and Wales, operates Ancoats Christmas Markets. Our registered office is The Nord, Ronnis Mount, Ashton-Under-Lyne, Lancashire, United Kingdom, OL7 9PE.
We are the controller of the personal data described in this policy. This policy explains how we use personal data relating to website visitors, ticket buyers, market visitors, people making enquiries, newsletter subscribers, stallholders and business contacts. It applies under the UK GDPR, the Data Protection Act 2018 and applicable electronic marketing rules.
Contact our privacy team by writing to our registered office, marked Privacy Request, or emailing hello@ancoatschristmasmarkets.com. Website enquiries may also be sent through our Contact page.
hello@ancoatschristmasmarkets.com · Contact page
2Information we collect
Depending on your interaction with us, we collect names, email addresses, telephone numbers, billing details, ticket and booking information, payment references, marketing preferences, consent records, correspondence and complaints. Payment providers process card details under their own notices; we may receive the transaction information needed to administer payments and refunds.
For traders and suppliers, we may collect trading names, business addresses, contact names, company details, product descriptions, stall applications, invoices, insurance documents, certificates and relevant safety information. Please avoid including unnecessary personal data in documents you send us.
Website information may include IP address, browser and device information, pages visited, referral information and cookie preferences. If security cameras or event photography are used, the arrangements described below apply.
3Where information comes from
We receive information directly from forms, bookings, subscriptions, enquiries, correspondence and visits. We may also receive it from ticketing and payment providers, authorised booking contacts, event suppliers, publicly available business sources and social media platforms when you interact with our accounts. We use data from other sources only for a compatible, lawful purpose and provide further information where required.
If you provide another person’s details, make sure you are authorised to do so and give them this policy. We do not treat a group booking as permission to add every attendee to our marketing list.
4How and why we use information
Contracts and steps requested before a contract: we use necessary contact, booking, payment and trader information to answer booking requests, issue tickets, process applications, allocate stalls, deliver services, handle payments and administer refunds. Where a contract is with a company rather than the individual contact, our basis for using the contact’s information is our legitimate interest in administering that business relationship.
Legitimate interests: we use proportionate information to run and secure our website and events, manage enquiries and complaints, prevent fraud, maintain business relationships, protect legal rights and improve services. We assess these interests against your rights and reasonable expectations. You can object to processing based on legitimate interests.
Legal obligations: we use information where needed for accounting, tax, licensing, regulatory requirements and legally required disclosures. Consent: we use it for marketing where required, optional cookies and other activities for which we specifically request permission.
We do not routinely need health information. If you choose to share health or accessibility information so we can consider an adjustment, we ask for explicit consent where appropriate, alongside a relevant UK GDPR Article 6 basis. Where information is needed for a legal claim or emergency, another lawful condition may apply. Please provide only what is necessary; we restrict access and keep it only as long as needed.
5Marketing about future Christmas Markets
We may use contact details you provide to tell you about future Ancoats Christmas Markets events, ticket releases, trader announcements, seasonal offers and opportunities to trade, but only where the law permits.
For marketing emails and texts to individuals, sole traders and certain partnerships, we obtain your consent unless the existing-customer soft opt-in applies. We use that exception only where we obtained your details directly during a sale or genuine negotiations for a sale of our services, market our own similar services, and offered a clear, free opportunity to opt out both when collecting your details and in every message. An enquiry, website visit or acceptance of these terms alone is not marketing consent.
For relevant business marketing to corporate email addresses, we may rely on legitimate interests where permitted, identifying ourselves and providing an easy opt-out. Personal contact data remains protected by data protection law.
You have an absolute right to object to direct marketing at any time. Use the unsubscribe link, follow a text opt-out instruction or contact us. Withdrawing consent does not affect earlier lawful use, and does not stop necessary booking or safety messages. We keep a minimal suppression record so we can honour your choice. We do not sell your details or provide them to stallholders for their own marketing without a separate lawful basis and appropriate transparency.
6Cookies and similar technologies
Our website may use cookies and similar technologies for essential functions, preferences, analytics or advertising. Where consent is required, optional technologies will operate only after you opt in. You can reject optional cookies and change your choices through the website’s cookie controls. Accepting this privacy policy is not cookie consent.
Essential technologies are used only where the relevant legal exception applies. The cookie notice or settings panel must identify the technologies actually used, their purposes, providers and durations. Browser settings can also control cookies, although blocking essential cookies may affect website functions.
7Who we share information with
Where necessary, we share information with providers of hosting, IT, ticketing, payment processing, email delivery, customer support and event administration; venue operators and security or event contractors; professional advisers and insurers; and public authorities where required or lawfully justified. Providers acting as processors must follow appropriate contractual instructions and safeguards.
We share only information needed for the purpose. If a complaint concerns a trader, we may share relevant correspondence and contact details where needed to investigate or help resolve it, explaining this where appropriate. Payment providers, ticketing platforms or venue operators may also act as independent controllers; their privacy notices explain their separate activities.
If the business is reorganised or transferred, necessary information may be shared with professional advisers and the proposed successor under confidentiality and lawful safeguards.
8Independent stallholders
Stallholders operate as independent businesses. If you buy from, subscribe to or give personal data directly to a stallholder, that stallholder is normally a separate controller responsible for its own privacy notice, security and lawful marketing. Displaying a stall at our event does not give it permission to access our customer list.
Product contracts, faults, warranties, guarantees and refunds relating to independent stallholder sales are addressed in our Terms and Conditions. This does not remove our responsibility for our own processing or conduct.
9International transfers
Some service providers may process information outside the United Kingdom. Where a restricted transfer occurs, we use an applicable UK adequacy regulation or appropriate safeguards, such as the UK International Data Transfer Agreement or UK Addendum to approved contractual clauses, together with the required assessment and supplementary measures where necessary. Contact us for information about the safeguards relevant to your data and how to obtain a copy.
10How long we keep information
We keep personal data only for as long as needed for the stated purpose. Our normal retention approach is: booking, trader contract, payment and associated complaint records for up to six years after the transaction or relationship ends, with accounting records retained for the applicable statutory period; unsuccessful trader applications and general enquiries for up to 24 months after closure unless an ongoing relationship justifies longer retention.
Marketing contact records are reviewed at least annually and are normally removed after 36 months without meaningful interaction unless renewed permission or another documented lawful reason justifies continued use. An objection or withdrawal is actioned sooner.
Minimal suppression and consent evidence may be retained for as long as needed to respect preferences and demonstrate compliance.
If CCTV is used, routine recordings are normally deleted within 30 days, unless footage is needed for an incident or legal obligation. Identifiable promotional material is reviewed annually and retained only while relevant and lawful. Legal holds, active claims or regulatory duties may justify longer retention; access is restricted and deletion follows when the reason ends.
11Security and automated decisions
We use appropriate organisational and technical safeguards, proportionate to the information and risks, including controlled access and appropriate provider arrangements. No online transmission can be guaranteed completely secure. Where a personal data breach triggers a notification duty, we notify the ICO and affected individuals as required.
We do not make decisions about you based solely on automated processing that produce legal or similarly significant effects. If that changes, we will explain the processing and applicable rights before using it.
12Photography, security and children
Photography or filming may be present during your visit. General event imagery may be used on legitimate interests where this is proportionate and people’s rights are respected; we may seek consent for posed promotional portraits where appropriate, including parental or guardian permission for identifiable children. Attendance alone does not give unrestricted consent to use a child’s image.
Where CCTV is operated, signage identifies the relevant controller, purpose and contact route. Venue-controlled systems are covered by the venue’s own notice. Our website and marketing sign-ups are intended for adults; we do not knowingly solicit marketing subscriptions from children under 18. Contact us if a child has provided details so we can review and remove them where appropriate.
13Your rights and complaints
Subject to the applicable conditions and exemptions, you may request access to your data, correction, erasure, restriction and portability. You may object to processing based on legitimate interests and withdraw consent at any time. Your right to object to direct marketing is unconditional.
Contact us using the details above. We may request proportionate identification. We normally respond within one month; lawful extensions may apply for complex or numerous requests and we will explain any extension. Requests are normally free, subject to the limited circumstances in which the law permits a fee or refusal.
You can complain to the Information Commissioner’s Office at ico.org.uk/make-a-complaint or on 0303 123 1113. You do not have to contact us before contacting the ICO.
14Providing information and changes to this policy
Required booking and application fields are identified when we collect information. If you do not supply information necessary to administer a booking, assess an application or meet a legal obligation, we may be unable to provide the relevant service. Marketing permission is optional and is not a condition of purchasing tickets or applying for a stall.
We update this policy when our practices or legal obligations change. The latest version is published on our website with its effective date. We provide further notice or seek fresh consent where required.