Privacy Policy

Last updated: April 2026

At Sheffield Knives we take your privacy seriously. This Privacy Policy explains how J. Adams Ltd collects, uses, stores and protects your personal data when you use our website or purchase from 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. Please read this policy carefully. By using our website or placing an order with us, you acknowledge that you have read and understood this Privacy Policy.

1. What Data We Collect

We collect the following categories of personal data:

1.1 Data You Provide to Us

• Identity data: first name, last name, date of birth
• Contact data: email address, telephone number, billing address, delivery address
• Transaction data: details of products purchased, order history, payment method used
• Age verification data: date of birth, identity document details (processed by our age verification provider — see Section 5)
• Communications data: messages sent to us by email, telephone or contact form
• Marketing preferences: your preferences for receiving marketing communications from us

1.2 Data Collected Automatically

• Technical data: IP address, browser type and version, device type, operating system
• Usage data: pages visited, time spent on pages, referring website, links clicked
• Cookie data: see Section 8 for full details of cookies used on this website

1.3 Data We Do Not Collect

We do not store your full payment card details. All card payments are processed securely by our payment providers (see Section 4). We do not knowingly collect data from persons under the age of 18.

2. How We Use Your Data

Purpose	Data Used	Legal Basis
Processing and fulfilling your order	Identity, contact, transaction data	Performance of a contract
Age verification (legal requirement for knife sales)	Date of birth, identity data	Legal obligation
Processing payment	Identity, contact, transaction data	Performance of a contract
Delivery of your order	Identity, contact data	Performance of a contract
Customer service and responding to enquiries	Identity, contact, communications data	Performance of a contract / Legitimate interests
Fraud prevention and security	Identity, technical, transaction data	Legitimate interests / Legal obligation
Legal compliance and record keeping	Identity, transaction data	Legal obligation
Website analytics and improvement	Technical, usage, cookie data	Consent
Marketing communications (where consented)	Identity, contact, marketing preferences	Consent
Abandoned cart reminders (where consented)	Identity, contact, transaction data	Consent / Legitimate interests

3. Age Verification — Special Requirements

By placing an order with Sheffield Knives you consent to us carrying out age and identity verification checks. These checks are carried out in accordance with Section 141A of the Criminal Justice Act 1988 and associated legislation.

3.1 How Age Verification Works

• At checkout you are required to provide your date of birth and confirm that you are aged 18 or over.
• We use Experian Crosscore Identity Services to carry out offline identity and age verification checks where required.
• Your personal data may be disclosed to Experian for the purposes of verifying your age and identity. Experian may retain a record of this check in accordance with their own privacy policy.
• These checks confirm your age only. A credit check is not performed and your credit rating will not be affected.
• At the point of delivery, our carrier may also require you to present valid photo identification to confirm you are the person who placed the order and that you are aged 18 or over.

3.2 Bulk Purchase Reporting

In accordance with forthcoming provisions of the Crime and Policing Bill, we may be required to report certain bulk purchases of bladed articles to the police. Where such reporting is required, your purchase details may be shared with law enforcement agencies. This is a legal obligation and does not require your consent.

4. Payment Processing

All payments are processed securely by our payment providers. We do not store your full payment card details on our systems.

4.1 PayPal

If you choose to pay by PayPal, your payment is processed by PayPal (Europe) S.à r.l. et Cie, S.C.A. Your use of PayPal is subject to PayPal’s Privacy Policy.

4.2 Card Payments

Card payments are processed by our payment processor. Card data is encrypted and handled in accordance with PCI DSS standards. We do not have access to your full card number.

5. Third Party Data Processors

We share your personal data with the following third parties who process data on our behalf:

Provider	Purpose	Data Shared	Location
Experian Crosscore	Age and identity verification	Name, date of birth, address	UK
PayPal	Payment processing	Name, address, order details	UK/EU
Delivery carrier	Order delivery and age verification at delivery	Name, address, contact details	UK
Google Analytics	Website analytics (with your consent)	Anonymised usage data, cookies	USA (adequacy decision)
WooCommerce / WordPress	Website and ecommerce platform	Order and account data	UK/EU
Email marketing provider (if applicable)	Marketing emails and abandoned cart reminders (with your consent)	Name, email address	UK/EU/USA

We require all third-party processors to handle your data securely and in accordance with UK GDPR. We do not sell your personal data to any third party.

6. Google Analytics

We use Google Analytics 4 to help us understand how visitors use our website. Google Analytics collects anonymised data about your visit including pages viewed, time spent on the site and how you arrived at the site.

• Google Analytics only operates with your consent. If you decline cookie consent, Google Analytics will not be loaded.
• We have configured Google Analytics to anonymise IP addresses.
• Data collected by Google Analytics is processed by Google LLC in the United States under the EU-US Data Privacy Framework adequacy decision.
• You can opt out of Google Analytics tracking at any time by adjusting your cookie preferences or using the Google Analytics Opt-out Browser Add-on.

7. Marketing Communications

7.1 Email Marketing

We will only send you marketing emails if you have explicitly consented to receive them. You can withdraw your consent and unsubscribe at any time by clicking the unsubscribe link in any marketing email or by contacting us directly.

7.2 Abandoned Cart Reminders

If you add items to your basket and begin the checkout process but do not complete your order, we may send you a reminder email. This is only done where you have provided your email address and we have a legitimate interest or your consent to do so. You can opt out of these reminders at any time by contacting us or clicking the unsubscribe link in any reminder email.

7.3 Order Communications

We will send you transactional emails relating to your order (such as order confirmation, dispatch notification and delivery updates). These are necessary for the performance of your contract with us and are not marketing communications. You cannot opt out of transactional emails while you have an active order.

8. Cookies

Our website uses cookies. A cookie is a small text file stored on your device that helps us provide a better experience when you use our website.

8.1 Essential Cookies

These cookies are necessary for the website to function and cannot be switched off. They include:

• Shopping basket: remembers the contents of your basket
• Session: maintains your login session
• Security: protects against cross-site request forgery

8.2 Analytics Cookies (Consent Required)

With your consent, we use Google Analytics cookies to understand how visitors use our website. These cookies collect anonymised data and do not identify you personally.

8.3 Marketing Cookies (Consent Required)

With your consent, we may use cookies to provide relevant marketing and to track the effectiveness of our advertising.

8.4 Managing Cookies

When you first visit our website you will be asked to accept or decline non-essential cookies via our cookie consent banner. You can change your cookie preferences at any time by clicking the cookie settings link in the footer of our website. You can also control cookies through your browser settings — please refer to your browser’s help documentation for guidance.

9. Data Retention

Data Type	Retention Period	Reason
Order and transaction records	7 years	Legal obligation — financial records (HMRC)
Age verification records	2 years	Legal compliance — knife sales regulations
Customer account data	Duration of account + 2 years after last activity	Legitimate interests
Marketing consent records	Until consent withdrawn + 1 year	Legal obligation — evidence of consent
Customer service communications	3 years	Legitimate interests
Analytics data	26 months	Google Analytics default retention period

After the relevant retention period, your data will be securely deleted or anonymised.

10. Data Security

We take appropriate technical and organisational measures to protect your personal data against unauthorised access, loss or destruction. These measures include:

• SSL/TLS encryption for all data transmitted to and from our website (HTTPS)
• Secure hosting with access controls
• Regular security updates and monitoring
• Limited staff access to personal data on a need-to-know basis
• Secure payment processing via PCI DSS compliant providers

In the event of a data breach that is likely to result in a risk to your rights and freedoms, we will notify the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) within 72 hours and will inform affected individuals without undue delay.

11. International Data Transfers

Some of our third-party providers are based outside the United Kingdom. Where we transfer your data outside the UK we ensure appropriate safeguards are in place, including:

• Transfers to countries with UK adequacy regulations in place
• Standard contractual clauses approved by the ICO
• Participation in recognised data transfer frameworks

Google Analytics data is transferred to the United States under the EU-US Data Privacy Framework, which has been recognised as providing adequate protection.

12. Your Rights Under UK GDPR

Under UK GDPR you have the following rights in relation to your personal data:

Right	Description
Right of access	You can request a copy of the personal data we hold about you (Subject Access Request)
Right to rectification	You can ask us to correct inaccurate or incomplete data
Right to erasure	You can ask us to delete your data in certain circumstances (the “right to be forgotten”)
Right to restrict processing	You can ask us to restrict how we use your data in certain circumstances
Right to data portability	You can ask us to provide your data in a structured, machine-readable format
Right to object	You can object to processing based on legitimate interests or for direct marketing
Rights related to automated decision making	You have rights in relation to any automated decisions that significantly affect you
Right to withdraw consent	Where processing is based on consent, you can withdraw it at any time

Please note that some rights are subject to exemptions. For example, we may need to retain certain data to comply with our legal obligations (such as financial records) even if you request erasure. To exercise any of your rights, please contact us at enquiries@sheffieldknives.com or by post to J. Adams Ltd, 124 Scotland Street, Sheffield, S3 7DE. We will respond within one month of receiving your request. We may need to verify your identity before processing your request.

13. Complaints

If you are unhappy with how we have handled your personal data, please contact us in the first instance and we will do our best to resolve your concern. You also have the right to lodge a complaint with the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO), the UK’s independent data protection authority:

• Website: ico.org.uk
• Telephone: 0303 123 1113
• Post: Information Commissioner’s Office, Wycliffe House, Water Lane, Wilmslow, Cheshire, SK9 5AF

14. Changes to This Privacy Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our practices or in applicable law. We will post the updated policy on this page with a revised date. Where changes are significant we will notify you by email or by a prominent notice on our website. We encourage you to review this policy periodically.

15. Contact Us

If you have any questions about this Privacy Policy or how we handle your personal data, please contact us:

• Email: accountsoffice@sheffieldknives.co.uk
• Telephone: +44 (0) 114 272 3612
• Post: J. Adams Ltd, 124 Scotland Street, Sheffield, S3 7DE, United Kingdom

 

Sheffield Knives recommends that you review this Privacy Policy periodically for any changes.