Last updated: 24 June 2026

This Privacy Policy explains how HCI Distribution Ltd ("HCI", "we", "us", "our") collects, uses, shares and protects personal data when you visit our website, open a trade account, place an order, or otherwise deal with us. We are committed to handling your personal data in accordance with the UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR) and the Data Protection Act 2018.

1. Who we are (the data controller)

HCI Distribution Ltd is the data controller responsible for your personal data.

• Company: HCI Distribution Ltd, registered in England, company number 04488504.
• VAT number: 758247889.
• Registered/trading address: 4–6 Parkside, Christchurch Road, Ringwood, BH24 3SQ, United Kingdom.
• Telephone: 01425 484280.
• Data protection enquiries: privacy@hci.co.uk.

2. The personal data we collect

Depending on how you interact with us, we may collect:

• Identity and contact data: name, business name, job role, billing and delivery address, email address and telephone number.
• Account and trade-account data: login credentials, trade-account application details, company registration and VAT details, and any credit or trade-reference information you provide.
• Order and transaction data: products purchased, order history, prices, payment confirmations and correspondence about your orders, returns and warranty claims.
• Payment data: card payments are processed by our payment provider; we do not store full card numbers on our systems.
• Technical and usage data: IP address, browser type, device information, pages viewed and how you use our website, collected via cookies and similar technologies (see our Cookie Policy).
• Marketing preferences: your choices about receiving marketing from us.

3. How and why we use your data (lawful bases)

Under UK GDPR we must have a lawful basis for processing your personal data. We rely on the following:

• Performance of a contract: to set up and manage your account, process and deliver your orders, take payment, handle returns and honour warranties.
• Legal obligation: to comply with accounting, tax, VAT and other legal and regulatory requirements.
• Legitimate interests: to run and improve our business, secure our website, prevent fraud, carry out credit checks for trade accounts, and send business-to-business marketing relevant to your trade, provided your interests and rights do not override ours.
• Consent: to send marketing emails to consumers, and to set non-essential cookies. You can withdraw consent at any time.

4. Marketing

We may send you information about products and offers where you have consented or where we are permitted to do so under the "soft opt-in" for existing business customers. Every marketing message contains an unsubscribe link, and you can opt out at any time by emailing privacy@hci.co.uk or using the contact page.

5. Who we share your data with

We share personal data only as necessary, with:

• Couriers and logistics providers to deliver your orders;
• Payment processors to take and reconcile payments;
• IT, hosting, e-commerce platform (Shopify) and email service providers who support our website and systems;
• Professional advisers (accountants, auditors, lawyers) and credit-reference or fraud-prevention agencies where relevant;
• Regulators, law enforcement or other authorities where we are legally required to do so.

We require all third parties to respect the security of your data and to process it only on our instructions.

6. International transfers

Some of our service providers may process data outside the UK. Where this happens, we ensure an appropriate safeguard is in place, such as a UK adequacy decision or the International Data Transfer Agreement (IDTA)/UK Addendum to the EU Standard Contractual Clauses.

7. How long we keep your data

We keep personal data only for as long as necessary for the purposes set out above. Order, transaction and tax records are generally retained for at least six years to meet legal and accounting obligations. Account data is retained for the life of your account and for a reasonable period afterwards. Marketing data is kept until you opt out.

8. Your rights

Under UK data protection law you have the right to:

• be informed about how your data is used;
• access a copy of the personal data we hold about you;
• have inaccurate data corrected;
• have your data erased in certain circumstances;
• restrict or object to processing in certain circumstances;
• data portability;
• withdraw consent at any time where we rely on consent.

To exercise any of these rights, contact privacy@hci.co.uk. We will respond within one month. There is normally no charge.

9. How we protect your data

We use appropriate technical and organisational measures to protect personal data against unauthorised access, loss or misuse, including access controls, encryption in transit and vetting of our suppliers.

10. Cookies

Our website uses cookies and similar technologies. Please see our Cookie Policy for details and to manage your preferences.

11. Complaints and the ICO

If you have a concern about how we handle your data, please contact us first at privacy@hci.co.uk so we can try to resolve it. You also have the right to complain to the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO), the UK supervisory authority, at ico.org.uk or on 0303 123 1113.

12. Changes to this policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. The "Last updated" date at the top shows when it was last revised. Please check back periodically.