Cookie law
A cookie is a text file containing small amounts of information which is placed by a website within a computer or device through your web browser; the cookie is subsequently sent back to the same website by the browser.
Cookies are designed to assist your computer or device to remember something the user has done within that website e.g. remembering that the user has logged in, or which buttons have been clicked.
There are specific cookies related to knowing a user is logged in or not. These are known as authentication cookies. Authentication cookies are important for the website to know what information to show you, or if it needs to ask you to log in.
Cookies cannot carry viruses or install malware.
By using the Homebase website, mobile website and Apps, you are agreeing to our Privacy and Cookie policies and consent to the use of cookies and similar technologies by us and our carefully selected third party partners as described in these policies. If you do not agree to such use, please see the Managing Your Cookies section for details on how to adjust your settings.
At Homebase we use cookies and similar technologies to recognise customers and to understand and facilitate the customer browsing and shopping behaviour. This enables us to understand what elements of our site work well, and which ones don’t. We use this information to improve our website and Apps to offer the best shopping experience for you, our customers. Our website also employs cookies and similar technologies placed by our carefully selected third party partners to help provide you with relevant advertising and manage our commercial relationship with those partners.
To make full use of the Homebase shopping experience, cookies need to be enabled on your browser; certain features will not work if you reject cookies. Cookies are used to offer a personalised experience when browsing the website on your computer, tablet, mobile phone, and by using Apps.
If you choose not to allow cookies you will still be able to browse the site but your experience will not be as good as if you have cookies enabled. Without cookies you will not be able to place a home delivery order or make reservations as cookies are required for the ordering process to be completed.
Yes, cookies, or other data storing devices are used on all of our digital channels (web, mobile, tablet and Apps).
On the whole we only keep cookies for the duration of your visit to one of the Homebase channels (website, mobile website etc). Cookies placed by our carefully selected third party partners may be retained for longer. We are in the process of updating this cookie section and will be able to provide you with more information soon. Meanwhile please email us at the contact email address below if you require more information.
No, cookies do not contain confidential information such as your home address, telephone number or credit card details. However, Homebase does not control what information is stored by third party cookies.
Session Cookies:
These cookies only last for the duration of your visit to our website. We use session cookies to help improve your experience with us and to support key activities that you want to undertake on our website. An example of this is in our website trolley, where session cookies are used to retain the items you added to the trolley until you are ready to checkout. These cookies are administered by us and none of your personal data is stored or retained after you have left our website.
Persistent Cookies:
These cookies are written on to your computer’s browser and remain in place until they expire or you choose to delete them. These cookies are used for a two primary purposes:
Marketing
These cookies are used to measure your engagement with our website. They allow us change and develop our website to improve your experience with us. We may use this data to send you communications around areas of interest to you. Our marketing cookies also allow you to participate in customer surveys, giving you a chance to provide us with feedback and allowing us to further improve your online experience.
Onsite experience
These cookies are used to support your experience on our website, such as the ability for you to leave product reviews, and to measure how you respond to enhancements that we test from ultime to time.
| Cookie Name |
Description |
| Apache |
This session cookie is used to support our core website system and helps ensure the website will work correctly. This means we can effectively deliver information and functionality to you when you browse or shop online. You cannot be personally identified by this cookie. |
| WC_PERSISTENT |
This session cookie holds information about you to ensure the correct version of the website is being displayed to suit your preferences. For example, it stores information about your Language preferences so we know you would like us to show you the website in English. |
| JSESSIONID |
This session cookie provides a backup so the systems can still work and we can still display as much of the website to you as possible if you have set your browser to reject cookies. |
| WC_SESSION_ESTABLISHED |
This session cookie is used to support our core website system and helps ensure the website will work correctly. This means we can effectively deliver information and functionality to you when you browse or shop online. You cannot be personally identified by this cookie. |
| WC_ACTIVEPOINTER |
This session cookie remembers whether you are looking at the Homebase, Argos UK or Argos Republic of Ireland website and ensures you continue to see the right one. |
| WC_AUTHENTICATION_{xxxx} |
This cookie is created when you add a product to your home delivery trolley or stock check list for the first time. |
| WC_USERACTIVITY_{xxxx} |
This cookie effectively delivers website information and functionality to you when you browse or shop online. You cannot be personally identified by this cookie. |
| BrowseHistory |
This cookie remembers the page you were last on which helps us to identify and improve customer journeys through our site via our Analytics software. |
| LastBrowseCookie |
These session cookies enable you to return to last page you looked at if you click on the back button on your browser, or a 'continue shopping' button. |
| UserSessionCookie |
These cookies are used to support our core website system and help ensure the website will work correctly. This means we can effectively deliver information and functionality to you when you browse or shop online. UserPersistentSessionCookie is specific to customers who have accounts and are signed in. |
| ProductAvailabilityCookie |
This cookie is used to store the delivery postcode which is used to check delivery availability for each product added to your shopping trolley. |
| StoreStockCheckCookie |
This cookie tracks which products are stock checked against our stores. This information feeds into our Analytics software to help us understand the demand for our products. |
| BreadCrumbCookie |
This cookie allows the website to produce a navigation trail which enables you to browse our site more efficiently. |
| total |
This session cookie keeps a running total of the cost of the products you have added to your trolley. |
| quantity |
This session cookie means we know the number of products in your trolley and can display this to you correctly. |
| AMRIT_CARD_NUMBER |
This cookie is used to capture your Nectar card number and pass it to our website system, this will enable us to apply Nectar points to your account when you purchase. |
Homebase uses a variety of carefully selected third parties to provide certain services to improve the service we offer to you. Some of these third parties use cookies. Third party cookies are those that are set by a domain different to the one that the user is visiting.
Homebase also provides links to external third party websites and you may chose to click through to these sites. If you do so, these third party sites may send cookies to your browser. We do not control the setting of, and accept no liability in connection with, these cookies – please look at the cookies policies on the respective websites for more information about what they do with cookies and how you manage them.
Adobe Omniture SiteCatalyst
| Cookies |
s_cc, s_sq, s_vi [ID} |
| Description |
SiteCatalyst provides anonymised statistical information to Homebase. SiteCatalyst gathers data on behalf of Homebase about visits to Homebase. Omniture uses cookies, log file data and code which is embedded on homebase.co.uk. Homebase uses this information to track volume of usage on the Homebase site and to help improve the services it provides to customers. Information that SiteCatalyst collects is transferred to them in the United States of America. Homebase confirms that SiteCatalyst satisfies the EU's data protection requirements.
You can find out how to opt out of these cookies here: www.omniture.com/en/privacy/2o7 |
Zmags
| Cookies |
stats.zmags,
JSESSIONID,
ARPT_SERVICES,
JSESSIONID,
ARPT_STATS, "magStatsLastVisit+magid
(viewer 2)",
"zmagStatsLastVisit+magid
(viewer 3)",
SSOToken'
"zmagsMobileVi
sitorID",
Password,
emoteAuthUsername,RemoteAuthPassword,
"serverVerifiedFixedPasswordCookie",
"remoteAuthenticationCookie" |
| Description |
The Zmags Viewer used to view Homebase digital catalogues / magazines utilises a number of text files known as cookies. These are placed on your computer when you access the catalogue / magazine and fall in to the categories of "strictly necessary" and "targeted". Those that are strictly necessary are used by the Zmags Viewer in order for it to function. Those being classed as "targeted" are used for statistical data gathering so that Homebase, and Zmags, are able to obtain a picture of how the catalogue / magazine is being used. The data we collect includes things like "number of unique visitors", "number of pageviews" and doesn't include any personably identifiable information (PII). For more information about the cookies used by the Zmags Viewer please visit their Privacy Policy; http://www.zmags.com/privacypolicy |
Summit Media
| Cookies |
tracking.dc-storm |
| Description |
DC Storm cookies are used for web analytics.
This is the information which we measure about your visit:
- A randomly generated unique identifier in order to link different visits by the same visitor.
- Pages, session and visit counters to capture the period and number of pages that a visitor has visited.
- If present, the URL (referrer) of the page from which a visitor enters the site. This is obscured by a hash algorithm in the cookie. An example of this could be "http://www.google.com/search?q=dcstorm" to "12345678 | 560 868" is encoded. This is captured in order to avoid duplicates of new visits. This cookie will be stored for 20 minutes.
The collected data will be anonymised and sent to a DC Storm server based in the UK.
By using this site you agree that the website data is collected as described above and is stored anonymously.
We take privacy very seriously and do not give the collected data to any third party. The data collected is used only for the purposes of evaluating and optimising our website. The visitors are non identifiable by the data collected. Furthermore, the data is not merged with other data.
You can prevent cookies from being stored by your browser. We suggest that you do not make use of this feature as this may limit the use of the Website and may cause it to not function correctly. If you would like to opt out of being tracked by DC Storm Ltd then we provide a link below which will stop our tracking from loading on the site. By clicking this link, a cookie will be set with the name _#uid. The value of this cookie will inform our tracking code to not track any information about your visit.
Stop DC Storm Tracking My Visit Information
|
Maxymiser
| Cookies |
mmid,
mmcore.tst,
mmcore.srv,
mmcore.pd,
mmcore.mmact |
| Description |
The cookies that Maxymiser uses are known as “first party cookies” and are classified as “analytical cookies”. They allow us to recognise and count the number of visitors to see how visitors browse around the site. This helps Homebase to understand things that don’t work well and find better ways to serve you. Maxymiser never shares data or observations with anyone outside of Homebase and the data is used at an aggregated level so it does not and is never used to identify you. |
adGenie
| Cookies |
Tracking pixel |
| Description |
Homebase sometimes uses these banners on other websites to help you find the products you've appeared interested in. It's part of our initiative to make it as easy for you as possible to find and get what you are looking for.
We have a partnership with AdGenie who help us with this type of behavioural retargeting. The cookies related to AdGenie help us look at your browsing behaviour, e.g. which product categories and product pages you look at. This means we can make sure the banners you see on other websites are as relevant to you as possible.
No personal data is held in these cookies. Just an anonymous ID number.
You can opt out of AdGenie cookies here: http://www.youronlinechoices.com/uk/your-ad-choices
Please note that opting out of AdGenie cookies will not stop you receiving advertising banners on the internet, but it may mean the advertising you see is less relevant to you.
You can opt out of AdGenie cookies without interfering with your shopping experience on Homebase channels. |
Foresee
| Cookies |
fsr.s |
fsr.r |
fsr.a |
| Description |
This session-level cookie is used to determine which survey will be presented to a web user, and when. |
This persistent cookie is used to ensure that customers are not re-invited to participate in a survey for a specific number of days. The default value is 90 days |
This session-level cookie is used to collect information about how visitors use our site, such as their interactions with specific functions and site navigation. This information is used by Foresee to compile reports and help us improve our sites. |
Ecircle
| Cookies |
Conversion Tracking |
| Description |
To help us better understand our email marketing activities we use a conversion tracking cookie to help identify when you make an online purchase, or in-store appointment via an email. This data is aggregated and helps us to improve the relevance of our emails. No product or personal data is involved. |
Bizarre Voice
| Cookies |
General,
Google Analytics support,
Split Test Assignment,
Anonymous Id,
Remember Me,
Submit In Progress,
Feedback Submitted,
Comment Submitted,
Social Answering State,
Display State,
Mobile Preferences,
Load Balancer Stickiness |
| Description |
Our customer Reviews and Q&A services are powered by Bazaarvoice. Like most web companies, Bazaarvoice uses "cookies" and "web beacons" to make their products and services work. These are used to improve the efficiency of their products to give you the best customer experience, and to recognise you when you return.
For full details of how Bazaarvoice use these cookies follow this link http://www.bazaarvoice.co.uk/ugc-cookie-policy |
Commission Junction
| Cookies |
apmebf.com, emjcd.com |
| Description |
Homebase products are featured on several affiliate websites, such as price comparison sites or product review sites. Our relationship with these affiliates is managed through a third party called Commission Junction.
Commission Junction helps us maintain our commercial relationships with affiliates and understand how our customers are reaching their desired products on Homebase channels. Cookies are used in the following scenarios...
1. If you click onto a Homebase product from a link on an affiliate site, Commission Junction uses a cookie that allows them to recognise the individual click within their system and know from which affiliate site the click was made.
2. If you go onto place a reservation or a home delivery order on Homebase for a product after visiting an affiliate site, the cookie enables Commission Junction to know when a sale has been made.
The information is encrypted to ensure it cannot be tampered with. The duration of this Homebase tracking cookie is 14 days. |
Mercado
| Cookies |
s_mercsearch |
| Description |
We have a partnership with Adobe Mercado to help us understand our customers' needs better. These cookies help us identify which products sell well, and which are showing up as out of stock. This helps us to improve your customer journey by making sure we make it easy to get you to the right products by optimising their position on the website. Knowing when customers are viewing products that are out of stock means that we can better forecast demand and make sure the product you want is in stock.
Mercado lets us react quickly to poor customer experiences in product searches, allowing our in-house merchandising team to optimise the product search results displayed. Adobe Mercado is purely anonymous and is behaviour based e.g. onsite search term or category page navigated to.
You can find out how to opt out of these cookies here: www.omniture.com/en/privacy/2o7 |
We offer our customers the ability to share products on social networking sites such as Facebook. If you take the opportunity to share content in this way, the social network may send cookies to your browser. We do not control the setting of, and accept no liability in connection with, these cookies – please look at the social network’s websites for more information about what they do with cookies and how you can manage them.
We have a variety of pages on social networking sites such as Facebook. If you use these pages, the hosting sites may drop cookies onto your devices. We do not control the setting of, and accept no liability in connection with, these cookies – please look at the third-party websites for more information about what they do with cookies and how you can manage them.
From time to time Homebase may run competitions or other applications within Facebook or other social networking site, these applications may drop cookies onto your devices and you are advised to read the terms of the application for more information.
You have different options to manage the cookies on your computer or device. You can change your browser settings to prevent cookies from being accepted, or, depending on which browser you are using, you might be able to receive an alert when a website is trying to place one on your browser. With most browsers you can allow first party cookies to be set but refuse third party cookies.
If you change your cookie preferences, you will still be able to browse around the site but certain functions will not be available, for example you will not be able to place a reservation or a home delivery order. Also, by not allowing cookies, some of our standard functionality will not work, for example deleting certain cookies will remove items from your trolley. Also, in the trolley icon at the top right of the web page, it may appear that you have items in your trolley, although these may actually have been deleted.
Your browsers ‘help’ menu should tell you how to block cookies or change your cookie settings. How you adjust your browser will depend on the browser you are using.
You can delete cookies stored in your browser by using a function in your browser. Whilst this does not mean you won’t collect cookies in the future, it gives you freedom to delete your cookies after you have been online. This function is often known as ‘clearing cookies’.
Clearing your cookies on one browser of one device does not automatically clear them on another. You need to clear all browsers on all channels independently.
You can find some helpful information about cookies on www.aboutcookies.org (Homebase is not responsible for the content of external websites. This link will open in a new window.)
You can manage the cookies on your computer through your internet browser, using the links provided below. Remember that the choices you make in managing the cookies on your browser may impact the experience you have when visiting our website, and other websites.
For further information on the cookies we use on our website please contact us by email via cookies@homebase.co.uk
