Privacy Policy

Last updated: September 2026

Quality Garden Supplies Limited respects your privacy and is committed to protecting your personal information.

This Privacy Policy explains what personal information we collect, why we collect it, how we use it, who we may share it with and the rights you have in relation to your information.

This policy applies to customers and visitors using websites and services operated by Quality Garden Supplies Limited, including:

• qualitygardensupplies.co.uk

• topsoilshop.co.uk

• turfgrowers.co.uk

• thecompostshop.co.uk

• rocksaltshop.co.uk

• barksuppliers.co.uk

and any other website, online store or service operated by Quality Garden Supplies Limited which links to this Privacy Policy.

1. Who We Are

Quality Garden Supplies Limited is the data controller responsible for the personal information described in this Privacy Policy.

Quality Garden Supplies Limited
Unit 3, Micklow House Farm
Eccleshall Road
Stone
Staffordshire
ST15 0BY
United Kingdom

Company number: 07055300

Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Telephone: 01785 850653

In this policy, references to "QGS", "we", "us" or "our" mean Quality Garden Supplies Limited.

2. Personal Information We Collect

Depending on how you interact with us, we may collect the following types of personal information.

Identity and Contact Information

This may include:

• name;

• billing address;

• delivery address;

• email address;

• telephone number;

• mobile telephone number;

• company or trading name;

• account details; and

• other contact information you provide to us.

Order and Transaction Information

This may include:

• products purchased;

• quantities ordered;

• order value;

• order dates;

• payment status;

• delivery requirements;

• delivery instructions;

• delivery tracking information;

• returns and refunds;

• customer-service communications; and

• purchasing history.

Payment Information

Payments may be processed by third-party payment providers.

We do not generally receive or store complete payment-card details ourselves.

We may receive limited information relating to a payment, such as:

• payment status;

• transaction reference;

• payment method;

• card type;

• the last few digits of a payment card; or

• fraud or verification information.

Communications

We may keep records of communications between you and QGS, including:

• emails;

• telephone calls and call notes;

• SMS or text messages;

• WhatsApp messages;

• website enquiries;

• contact forms;

• social-media messages;

• complaints;

• product enquiries; and

• customer-service conversations.

Marketing Information

We may record:

• whether you have agreed to receive marketing;

• which types of marketing you have agreed to receive;

• whether you have opted out;

• marketing preferences;

• email opens and clicks;

• SMS interactions;

• campaigns sent to you;

• products or categories which appear to interest you; and

• other information used to measure and improve our marketing.

Technical and Website Information

When you use our websites, we may collect information including:

• IP address;

• device type;

• operating system;

• browser type and version;

• approximate geographic location derived from technical information;

• pages viewed;

• products viewed;

• referring website or advertising source;

• time spent on our websites;

• website interactions;

• shopping-cart activity;

• purchases and conversions;

• cookie identifiers;

• advertising identifiers; and

• similar online identifiers.

3. How We Collect Your Information

We may collect personal information:

• directly from you when you place an order;

• when you create an account;

• when you contact us;

• when you sign up for marketing;

• when you request a quote;

• when you enter information into our websites;

• when you communicate with us by email, telephone, SMS or WhatsApp;

• when you interact with us through Facebook, Instagram or other social platforms;

• automatically when you use our websites;

• from our payment, ecommerce and delivery providers;

• from analytics and advertising services;

• from publicly available business sources where appropriate; and

• from third parties where permitted by law.

4. Why We Use Your Personal Information

We only use personal information where we have a lawful basis for doing so.

The lawful basis will depend on why we are using the information.

To Process and Fulfil Your Order

We use your information to:

• process your order;

• take or confirm payment;

• arrange dispatch;

• provide delivery information;

• communicate delivery instructions;

• arrange deliveries with carriers and suppliers;

• send tracking information;

• manage returns and refunds;

• deal with order problems; and

• provide customer support.

The lawful basis for this processing is normally that it is necessary to perform our contract with you or to take steps at your request before entering into a contract.

To Contact You About Your Order

We may use your email address and telephone or mobile number to communicate with you about an existing order.

This can include communication by:

• email;

• telephone;

• SMS/text message; and

• WhatsApp.

For example, we may contact you about:

• order confirmation;

• payment issues;

• delivery arrangements;

• access restrictions;

• delivery dates;

• dispatch;

• tracking;

• expected delivery times;

• turf delivery information;

• problems affecting an order;

• delivery failures;

• returns;

• collections; or

• refunds.

These are service and order-fulfilment communications, rather than marketing communications, where their purpose is to administer or fulfil your order.

Providing us with a mobile telephone number therefore means we may use that number where reasonably necessary to communicate with you about your order, including by SMS or WhatsApp.

To Maintain Customer Accounts and Records

We may use your information to:

• maintain your customer account;

• keep records of previous orders;

• answer enquiries;

• provide invoices;

• administer business credit accounts;

• resolve disputes;

• prevent duplicate or incorrect records; and

• manage our relationship with you.

Depending on the circumstances, we rely on contract, legal obligations or our legitimate interests in operating and administering our business.

To Meet Our Legal and Regulatory Obligations

We may process and retain information where necessary to comply with legal obligations relating to matters such as:

• accounting;

• taxation;

• VAT;

• fraud prevention;

• consumer law;

• product safety;

• legal claims; and

• regulatory requirements.

The lawful basis is compliance with a legal obligation.

To Prevent Fraud and Protect Our Business

We may use information to:

• detect suspicious transactions;

• prevent fraud;

• protect our websites and systems;

• investigate misuse;

• establish, exercise or defend legal claims; and

• protect QGS, our customers and our suppliers.

We normally rely on our legitimate interests in protecting our business and customers.

5. Marketing

We may use personal information to tell customers and prospective customers about products, offers, promotions, seasonal products and other QGS services which we believe may be relevant to them.

Marketing may be sent through channels including:

• email;

• SMS/text message;

• WhatsApp, where legally permitted;

• online advertising;

• Facebook;

• Instagram; and

• other digital advertising platforms.

Marketing communications are separate from necessary communications concerning an order.

Email and SMS Marketing

We will only send electronic marketing to individual customers where we are permitted to do so under applicable data-protection and electronic-marketing law.

This may be because:

• you have specifically consented to receive that type of marketing; or

• the legal soft opt-in applies because you gave us your contact details when purchasing or negotiating to purchase products from us, we are marketing similar products or services, and you were given an opportunity to opt out when your information was collected.

Where we rely on consent, you may withdraw that consent at any time.

Where we rely on the soft opt-in, you may opt out at any time.

You will be given an appropriate opportunity to unsubscribe or opt out in marketing communications.

The ICO confirms that where the soft opt-in is used, the business must have obtained the details directly during a sale or negotiation, marketing must concern its own similar goods or services, and an opt-out must be offered both when the information is collected and in each subsequent communication. citeturn738613search1

Different Marketing Channels

Consent to one type of marketing does not necessarily mean consent to another.

For example, a customer may choose to receive:

• email marketing but not SMS marketing; or

• SMS marketing but not email marketing.

Where consent is required, we aim to record marketing preferences by communication channel.

6. Klaviyo

We may use Klaviyo or similar customer communication and marketing platforms to help us manage:

• email marketing;

• SMS marketing;

• customer marketing preferences;

• audience segmentation;

• campaign performance;

• customer purchasing history;

• abandoned-cart or browsing communications where legally permitted; and

• automated customer communications.

Information shared with these services may include your:

• name;

• email address;

• telephone number;

• order history;

• products purchased;

• browsing activity;

• marketing preferences; and

• interactions with marketing communications.

We use these services to communicate with customers, understand the effectiveness of our marketing and make our communications more relevant.

7. Facebook, Instagram and Meta

We may use services provided by Meta, including Facebook and Instagram, for advertising, measurement and customer communication.

Depending on your cookie choices and the services being used, Meta technologies may receive information about activity on our websites, including:

• pages or products viewed;

• purchases;

• shopping-cart activity;

• browser or device information;

• IP address; and

• advertising identifiers.

We may also use customer information to create or manage advertising audiences where legally permitted.

For example, we may provide encrypted or "hashed" contact information such as an email address or telephone number to an advertising platform so that it can attempt to match that information with its users.

This may be used to:

• show advertising to existing customers;

• exclude existing customers from particular advertising;

• measure advertising effectiveness; or

• create audiences with similar characteristics.

We will only undertake this type of activity where we have an appropriate lawful basis and comply with applicable marketing and privacy requirements.

8. Google

We may use Google services including:

• Google Analytics;

• Google Ads;

• advertising conversion measurement;

• remarketing;

• audience services; and

• other Google advertising and analytics technologies.

Depending on your cookie choices and the services used, information may be shared with Google about activity on our websites.

This may include:

• pages viewed;

• products viewed;

• purchases;

• conversion information;

• device and browser information;

• IP address;

• cookie or advertising identifiers; and

• interactions with advertising.

We may also use customer information for advertising audience matching or measurement where legally permitted.

9. WhatsApp

We may communicate with customers using WhatsApp, particularly in relation to:

• existing orders;

• delivery arrangements;

• order queries;

• customer-service issues; and

• fulfilment problems.

Where we contact you by WhatsApp in connection with an order, we may use the mobile telephone number you supplied when ordering.

WhatsApp is operated by a third-party provider and your use of WhatsApp is also subject to that provider's own terms and privacy practices.

We will not treat the fact that you supplied a mobile number for delivery purposes as unlimited permission to send marketing through WhatsApp.

Where a WhatsApp communication constitutes direct marketing, we will comply with the applicable electronic-marketing rules.

10. Cookies and Similar Technologies

Our websites use cookies and similar technologies.

These can include:

• cookies;

• pixels;

• tags;

• scripts;

• local-storage technologies; and

• similar identifiers.

They may be used for purposes including:

Strictly Necessary Technologies

These are required for functions such as:

• shopping baskets;

• checkout;

• security;

• fraud prevention;

• remembering essential website settings; and

• maintaining website sessions.

Analytics Technologies

These help us understand:

• how visitors use our websites;

• which pages are popular;

• how customers move through the website;

• where visitors came from; and

• how our websites perform.

Advertising and Marketing Technologies

These may help us:

• measure advertising performance;

• attribute sales to advertising campaigns;

• show more relevant advertising;

• build advertising audiences;

• understand whether advertising resulted in an order; and

• avoid repeatedly showing irrelevant adverts.

Where consent is required for a cookie or similar technology, we will seek that consent through our cookie-management system before using it.

Further information is available in our Cookie Policy.

11. Who We Share Personal Information With

We do not sell personal information as a database of customer details to third parties.

However, we may share personal information with trusted organisations where this is necessary to operate our business.

These may include:

Delivery Companies and Suppliers

We may provide information to:

• couriers;

• pallet networks;

• hauliers;

• local delivery depots;

• turf suppliers;

• product suppliers; and

• fulfilment partners.

Information provided may include:

• customer name;

• delivery address;

• telephone or mobile number;

• email address where required;

• delivery instructions;

• access information; and

• details necessary to complete the delivery.

A carrier may use the contact information supplied to provide tracking information or contact you about the delivery.

Ecommerce and Technology Providers

We may use third parties to provide:

• ecommerce platforms;

• website hosting;

• order management;

• customer relationship management;

• cloud infrastructure;

• email services;

• software;

• customer support tools; and

• security services.

Marketing Providers

We may share relevant information with providers that help us manage marketing and advertising, including services such as:

• Klaviyo;

• Google;

• Meta/Facebook;

• Instagram; and

• other advertising or communications providers.

The information shared depends on the service being used and your relevant privacy or cookie choices.

Payment Providers

We use third-party payment processors to securely process payments.

Payment providers may process information independently under their own privacy policies and legal obligations.

Professional Advisers and Authorities

We may disclose information where appropriate to:

• accountants;

• auditors;

• insurers;

• solicitors;

• debt-recovery providers;

• courts;

• law-enforcement bodies;

• regulators; or

• government authorities.

12. Our Lawful Bases

Depending on what we are doing, we may rely on one or more lawful bases under UK data-protection law.

These include:

Contract – where processing is necessary to take your order, fulfil it, arrange delivery or otherwise perform our contract with you.

Legal obligation – where we must keep or use information to comply with the law.

Consent – where you have positively agreed to a particular use, including certain types of marketing or cookies.

Legitimate interests – where use of personal information is reasonably necessary for operating and improving our business and those interests are not overridden by your rights and interests.

Our legitimate interests may include:

• providing customer service;

• administering our business;

• keeping appropriate business records;

• improving our products and websites;

• understanding customer behaviour;

• preventing fraud;

• protecting our systems;

• resolving disputes; and

• marketing our products where permitted by law.

UK data-protection law requires organisations to identify and disclose an appropriate lawful basis for processing. citeturn467740search5turn467740search7

13. Marketing Opt-Outs

You have the right to object to direct marketing at any time.

You can stop receiving marketing by:

• clicking the unsubscribe link in a marketing email;

• following the opt-out instructions in an SMS;

• telling us that you do not want to receive further marketing; or

• contacting us using the details below.

We may retain limited information on a suppression list after you opt out.

This allows us to remember that you do not want to receive marketing and helps prevent your details from being accidentally added back to a marketing list.

Opting out of marketing does not prevent us from sending necessary communications relating to an order, payment, delivery, return, account or other transaction with us.

The right to object to the use of personal information for direct marketing is absolute, and the ICO specifically recognises retaining limited suppression information as an appropriate way of ensuring an opt-out continues to be respected. citeturn467740search1turn467740search3

14. How Long We Keep Personal Information

We retain personal information only for as long as reasonably necessary for the purpose for which it was collected, including satisfying legal, accounting, tax and reporting obligations and dealing with disputes or legal claims.

Different information may therefore be retained for different periods.

For example:

• transaction and invoice records may be retained for the period required by tax and accounting law;

• order records may be retained to provide customer service and deal with potential claims;

• customer communications may be retained where relevant to an order or dispute;

• marketing information may be retained while you remain subscribed or while we have a lawful reason to use it;

• suppression records may be retained for longer so that we continue to respect an opt-out; and

• technical and analytics information may be retained for periods determined by the relevant system and our business requirements.

We periodically review information and remove, anonymise or restrict it when it is no longer required.

15. International Transfers

Some of the technology providers we use operate internationally.

This means that personal information may sometimes be processed or accessed outside the United Kingdom.

Where personal information is transferred internationally, we take reasonable steps to ensure the transfer complies with UK data-protection law.

Depending on the country and provider, this may include reliance on:

• UK adequacy regulations;

• the UK Extension to the EU-US Data Privacy Framework where applicable;

• an International Data Transfer Agreement;

• the UK Addendum to approved contractual clauses; or

• another lawful transfer mechanism.

The ICO confirms that international transfers must generally be covered by an applicable adequacy arrangement, appropriate safeguards or another recognised legal exception. citeturn467740search0turn467740search6turn467740search10

16. Security

We take appropriate technical and organisational measures intended to protect personal information against:

• unauthorised access;

• accidental loss;

• misuse;

• alteration;

• disclosure; and

• destruction.

Access to personal information is restricted to employees, contractors and service providers who need it for legitimate business purposes.

No internet-based system can be guaranteed to be completely secure, but we regularly consider appropriate measures to protect the information we hold.

17. Your Data Protection Rights

Depending on the circumstances, UK data-protection law may give you rights including the right to:

• be informed about how your information is used;

• request access to your personal information;

• ask us to correct inaccurate information;

• request deletion of information in certain circumstances;

• ask us to restrict the use of information in certain circumstances;

• receive certain information in a portable format;

• object to certain processing;

• object to direct marketing at any time;

• withdraw consent where processing relies on consent; and

• raise concerns about how your personal information is being used.

These rights are not all absolute and may depend on the circumstances and the lawful basis on which we are processing your information.

We may need to verify your identity before responding to a request.

18. Automated Decision-Making and Profiling

We may use automated systems to analyse customer behaviour or group customers according to interests, purchasing history or website activity.

For example, this may be used to:

• decide which marketing campaign may be relevant;

• recommend product categories;

• create marketing audiences;

• measure campaign performance; or

• identify customers who may be interested in particular seasonal products.

We do not intend to make decisions solely by automated means which produce legal or similarly significant effects on customers unless we have a lawful basis and comply with the applicable requirements.

19. Social Media

If you interact with QGS through Facebook, Instagram or another social-media platform, that platform may separately process information about you under its own privacy policy.

Depending on the interaction, QGS may receive information such as:

• your public profile information;

• your username;

• messages you send us;

• comments;

• advertising interactions; and

• campaign or audience information.

We encourage customers to review the privacy controls and policies of the social-media services they use.

20. Links to Other Websites

Our websites may contain links to websites which are not operated by QGS.

We are not responsible for how independent third-party websites process personal information.

You should review the privacy information provided by those organisations when visiting their websites.

21. Children's Privacy

Our products and websites are not specifically directed at children.

We do not knowingly seek to collect personal information from children for marketing purposes.

If we become aware that personal information relating to a child has been provided to us inappropriately, we will take reasonable steps to deal with that information in accordance with applicable law.

22. Complaints and the Information Commissioner's Office

If you have concerns about how we use your personal information, please contact us first and we will try to resolve the issue.

You also have the right to complain to the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO), the UK supervisory authority for data protection.

You can find current information about making a complaint on the ICO website.

23. Changes to This Privacy Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in:

• our services;

• the technologies we use;

• our marketing activities;

• our suppliers; or

• applicable law.

The latest version will be published on our website with the date it was last updated.

Where a change is particularly significant, we may also bring it to customers' attention in another appropriate way.

24. Contact Us

If you have questions about this Privacy Policy or wish to exercise your data-protection rights, please contact:

Quality Garden Supplies Limited
Unit 3, Micklow House Farm
Eccleshall Road
Stone
Staffordshire
ST15 0BY

Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Telephone: 01785 850653

Company number: 07055300