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Privacy Policy (Privacy Notice)

Last updated: 24 February 2026

1. Introduction

Mieko Limited trading as The Grocery (“we”, “us”, “our”) is a data controller. This means we decide how and why we use personal information about you and we are responsible for keeping it secure.

We are registered in England and Wales with company number 05349774.
Registered office: 54–56 Kingsland Road, Ground Floor and Basement, London, England, E2 8DP.

Contact us:

  • Email: info@thegrocery.com
  • Telephone: 0207 729 6855
  • Or write to us at the registered office address above.

This Privacy Notice explains how we collect and use your personal information:

  • when you purchase goods from us via our website (the “Website”);
  • when we fulfil and deliver your orders (including from our physical store/distribution premises);
  • when you visit our physical store and/or premises (including where CCTV is in operation);
  • when you contact us; and
  • when you receive email and SMS communications from us (including marketing, where permitted).

Please read and keep this Privacy Notice so you understand what we do with your information and what rights you have.

2. Data protection principles

We will ensure your personal information is:

  1. used lawfully, fairly and transparently;
  2. collected for valid purposes we explain to you;
  3. relevant and limited to what is necessary;
  4. accurate and kept up to date;
  5. kept only as long as necessary; and
  6. kept securely.

3. The kind of information we hold about you

“Personal data” means information that can identify you. It does not include anonymous data.

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

  • Identity Data: first name, last name, username or similar identifier, title, and where relevant date of birth (for age verification where required)
  • Contact Data: delivery address, billing address, email address and telephone number
  • Financial Data: payment card and payment account details (note: we do not typically store full card details ourselves; these are handled by our payment services provider)
  • Transaction Data: details about orders, products purchased, refunds, and payments
  • Technical Data: IP address, login data, browser type and version, time zone setting, device identifiers, operating system and platform, and other technology on the devices you use
  • Profile Data: username and password, purchase history, preferences, requirements, feedback and survey responses
  • Usage Data: how you use the Website, pages visited, time and date of visits, and time spent on pages
  • Marketing and Communications Data: your preferences for receiving marketing by email and/or SMS, and records of communications we send you or you send us
  • CCTV Data: images of you captured by CCTV in and around our physical store and/or distribution premises
  • Delivery and Verification Data: delivery instructions and, where applicable, the outcome of age-verification checks for age-restricted products (for example, “ID checked / not verified / refused”). We do not need or want copies of ID unless required to resolve a dispute or comply with law.

We also may use Aggregated Data (statistics or demographic information). Aggregated Data is not personal data unless it can be linked back to you.

4. How your personal information is collected

We collect personal information about you:

  • when you place orders on the Website or create/manage an account;
  • when you contact us by email, telephone or otherwise;
  • when we fulfil orders from our premises and arrange delivery;
  • when you visit our physical store and/or premises (including via CCTV);
  • from cookies and similar technologies used on the Website (see section 13); and
  • from third parties who help us provide services (see section 9).

5. How we use your personal information (lawful bases)

We will only use your personal information when the law allows us to. Most commonly we use it where:

  1. We need to perform a contract with you (e.g., process your order, take payment, deliver goods, manage your account, provide customer support).
  2. We need to comply with a legal obligation (e.g., record-keeping, handling lawful requests, and compliance relating to age-restricted sales).
  3. It is necessary for our legitimate interests (or those of a third party) and your interests and rights do not override those interests. Legitimate interests include:
    • running and improving our business and services;
    • keeping our Website and systems secure;
    • preventing fraud and protecting customers and our business;
    • protecting our premises, customers and staff via CCTV and investigating incidents; and
    • understanding customer behaviour and improving the Website and customer experience.
  4. We have your consent, for example where required for certain marketing communications and/or optional cookies. You can withdraw consent at any time (see section 12).

6. What we use your personal information for

We may process your personal data for purposes including:

Orders and customer accounts

  • registering you as a customer and managing your account
  • processing orders (including substitutions/out-of-stocks where applicable), taking payment, delivering items, and issuing refunds
  • communicating with you about your orders and delivery

Customer support

  • handling enquiries, complaints and claims
  • keeping a record of communications for training and quality purposes

Website and business operations

  • administering and protecting our business and Website (troubleshooting, testing, system maintenance, support, reporting and hosting)
  • using analytics to improve our Website, products and customer experience
  • preventing fraud and criminal activity

CCTV and premises security

  • monitoring and improving the safety and security of our physical store and/or distribution premises
  • investigating and responding to incidents, claims, complaints, and law enforcement requests where appropriate

Marketing (email and SMS)

  • sending marketing messages by email and SMS where permitted by law and in line with your preferences
  • measuring the effectiveness of marketing campaigns

Legal and compliance

  • complying with legal/regulatory requirements
  • accounting, auditing, and business management/planning

7. If you fail to provide personal information

If you do not provide certain requested information, we may be unable to process your order, deliver goods, provide customer support, or comply with legal obligations.

8. Special category data

We do not intend to collect or process special category data about you and we do not request it. If you voluntarily provide such data, we will treat it as provided with your explicit consent and only use it where necessary to deal with your request.

9. Data sharing (third parties)

We may share your personal information with trusted third parties where necessary to provide services and run our business. We require them to keep your data secure and only use it for the purposes we specify.

We may share your personal information with:

  • Delivery partners: We use Quiver (and/or its subcontractors) to deliver orders. This may include sharing your name, address, contact details, delivery instructions, and relevant order details needed to complete delivery.
  • Payments/merchant services: Our e-commerce merchant services are provided through CSY. Payment processing may involve sharing transaction and payment-related data with CSY and connected payment networks so payments can be authorised and processed.
  • IT and e-commerce service providers: website hosting, order management, customer service systems, analytics, and security tools.
  • Professional advisers: lawyers, accountants, auditors, insurers and banks where necessary.
  • Authorities/regulators/law enforcement: where required by law or where necessary to protect our legal rights, customers, staff, and business.

We do not sell your personal information to third parties for their own marketing purposes.

10. International transfers

Some of our service providers may process data outside the UK (and/or outside the European Economic Area). Where this happens, we will ensure appropriate safeguards are in place to protect your personal information.

11. Data security

We use appropriate technical and organisational measures to protect personal information against accidental loss, unauthorised access, alteration or disclosure. Access is limited to people who need it to perform their role and who are subject to confidentiality obligations.

No online system is completely secure. Sending information over the internet always carries some risk.

12. Your rights and marketing preferences

You have rights under data protection law, including:

  • access to your personal information
  • correction of inaccurate or incomplete information
  • erasure (in certain circumstances)
  • objection to processing (including objection to direct marketing)
  • restriction of processing (in certain circumstances)
  • data portability (in certain circumstances)
  • withdrawal of consent (where processing is based on consent)

Marketing opt-out (email and SMS):

  • You can opt out of marketing emails at any time using the unsubscribe link in the email.
  • You can opt out of marketing SMS at any time by following the opt-out instructions in the message (for example replying STOP, where that functionality is used).
  • You can also contact us at info@thegrocery.com or 0207 729 6855 to update your preferences.

Even if you opt out of marketing, we may still contact you with service messages (for example order confirmations, delivery updates, or important information about your account or purchases).

To exercise any rights, contact us using the details in section 1. We may need to confirm your identity before responding. You will not usually have to pay a fee, but we may charge a reasonable fee or refuse requests that are clearly unfounded or excessive.

13. Cookies and similar technologies

We use cookies and similar technologies to enable core Website functionality and to understand how the Website is used. You can manage cookie preferences via our cookie controls (if enabled) and through your browser settings.

(If you have a separate Cookie Policy page, you can refer to it here.)

14. Data retention

We keep personal information only for as long as necessary for the purposes described in this Privacy Notice, including legal, accounting and reporting requirements.

As a general guide:

  • we retain most customer account, order and communication data for up to 3 years after our last interaction;
  • we may retain data for longer (typically up to 6 years) where it is relevant to a complaint, claim, dispute, incident, or where required by law;
  • CCTV footage is kept for a limited period appropriate to security purposes, and may be retained for longer where required to investigate an incident, respond to a claim, or comply with law.

15. Links to other sites

The Website may contain links to third-party sites not operated by us. If you follow a third-party link, their privacy practices apply. We are not responsible for third-party sites or services.

16. Contacting us and complaints

If you have questions about this Privacy Notice or how we handle your personal information, contact us at info@thegrocery.com, telephone 0207 729 6855, or write to 54–56 Kingsland Road, Ground Floor and Basement, London, England, E2 8DP.

You also have the right to make a complaint to the UK supervisory authority for data protection issues (the Information Commissioner’s Office).

17. Changes to this Privacy Notice

We may update this Privacy Notice from time to time. Any updates will be posted on the Website and the “Last updated” date will change. If we make significant changes, we may take additional steps to notify you where appropriate.