Effective Date: 14th June 2025
Last Updated: 27th October 2025
The Postal Pantry Co Ltd T/A Porridge (“we”, “us”, “our”) is committed to protecting your personal data and respecting your privacy. This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, store, and protect your information when you visit www.porridgepantry.co.uk or interact with us in-store.
By using our website or services, you agree to the practices described in this policy.
1. Who We Are
We are an independent health food shop and café based in Brixham, Devon, offering wholefoods, natural supplements, eco-friendly household essentials, personal care items, gifts, and locally sourced goods.
We operate both in-store and online through www.porridgepantry.co.uk, which offers local delivery, national delivery, and Click & Collect services.
Data Controller:
The Postal Pantry Co Ltd (Company Number: 12782269)
Registered Office: 34 Devon Square, Newton Abbot, TQ12 2HH
Trading Address: 13 Fore Street, Brixham, TQ5 8AA
Email: hello@porridgepantry.co.uk
Phone: 01803 926246
2. What Personal Data We Collect
We collect and process personal data when you interact with us online or in-store. This may include:
Customers & Website Users:
- Contact Information: Name, email address, phone number, and postal address.
- Order Details: Purchase history and delivery details. Payment information is handled securely by trusted third-party providers.
- Loyalty & Rewards: Details provided if you sign up for our loyalty scheme.
- Communication Data: Messages sent via our contact form or customer support channels.
- Website Usage Data: Information such as IP address, browser type, device information, and pages visited (collected via cookies and analytics tools).
Suppliers & Contractors:
- Business contact information for invoicing and order management.
- Payment and financial data to process transactions.
We only collect the information necessary to provide our services and meet legal obligations.
3. How We Use Your Data
We process your data for the following purposes:
- Order Processing: Managing and fulfilling purchases, including payments, deliveries, and Click & Collect orders.
- Customer Support: Responding to enquiries, processing returns, and resolving issues.
- Loyalty & Marketing (with consent): Sending newsletters, offers, or updates you’ve opted in to receive.
- Website Analytics: Improving website functionality, security, and user experience.
- Legal Compliance: Meeting tax, accounting, and regulatory requirements.
We will never sell or rent your data to third parties.
4. Legal Basis for Processing Personal Data
We process personal data under the following legal grounds:
- Consent: When you sign up for marketing or the PORRIDGE Rewards scheme.
- Contractual Obligation: To fulfil an order or service you’ve requested.
- Legal Obligation: To comply with UK tax and accounting laws.
- Legitimate Interest: To improve our services, prevent fraud, and provide customer support.
You can withdraw your consent for marketing at any time by clicking “unsubscribe” in our emails or contacting us directly.
5. How We Protect Your Data
We take appropriate security measures to protect your personal data, including:
- Encryption: Payment details are processed via secure, PCI-compliant third-party providers.
- Access Controls: Only authorised staff can access personal data.
- Secure Storage: Password-protected systems and secure physical storage for in-store records.
- Regular Review: We review our data handling procedures to ensure continued compliance.
6. Who We Share Your Data With
We share personal data only where necessary to provide our services:
- Payment Processors: To securely process online transactions (e.g. Square).
- Delivery Couriers: To deliver your orders (e.g. Royal Mail, UPS).
- IT and Website Providers: For secure website hosting and system maintenance.
- Regulatory Authorities: If required by law or to comply with legal obligations.
All third parties are required to respect your data privacy and act in compliance with UK GDPR.
7. Data Retention – How Long We Keep Your Data
We only keep your data for as long as necessary to fulfil the purposes it was collected for, including legal, accounting, or reporting requirements.
- Marketing Data: Retained until you unsubscribe or request deletion.
- Customer Orders and Account Data: Up to 3 years after your last transaction (unless consent is withdrawn sooner).
- Financial and Legal Records: Retained for 6 years in accordance with UK tax law.
Once data is no longer required, it is securely deleted or anonymised.
8. Your Rights Under GDPR
You have the right to:
- Access – Request a copy of the personal data we hold about you.
- Rectification – Correct any inaccurate or incomplete information.
- Erasure – Request deletion of your data where legally permitted.
- Restriction – Ask us to limit how we use your data.
- Data Portability – Request your data in a transferable format.
- Object – Withdraw consent or opt out of marketing communications.
To exercise your rights, please contact us at hello@porridgepantry.co.uk. We will respond to all requests within one month, as required by law.
9. Cookies & Website Tracking
Our website uses cookies to help it function properly and to improve your browsing experience. Cookies are small text files placed on your device when you visit a website.
We use the following types of cookies:
- Essential cookies – Required for the website to operate, such as remembering your basket and enabling checkout.
- Analytics cookies – Help us understand how visitors use our website so we can improve layout and content. These may include tools such as Google Analytics or Hotjar (which records anonymised browsing behaviour and interaction patterns).
- Marketing cookies – Used occasionally through third-party services like Mailchimp, for example when you subscribe to our newsletter or interact with a signup form. These may track campaign performance and subscriber preferences.
You can manage or delete cookies at any time in your browser settings. By continuing to use our website, you agree to the use of essential and analytics cookies as described above.
We do not use advertising or behavioural tracking cookies for remarketing purposes.
10. Contacting Us About Privacy
If you have any questions or concerns about this Privacy Policy or how we handle your data, please contact:
The Postal Pantry Co Ltd T/A Porridge
13 Fore Street
Brixham
TQ5 8AA
Email: hello@porridgepantry.co.uk
Phone: 01803 926246
11. Complaints & Further Assistance
If you are not satisfied with our response, you have the right to raise a complaint with the UK’s data protection authority:
Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO)
Website: www.ico.org.uk
Phone: 0303 123 1113