Privacy policy

Empire Carpets International NV respects the privacy of website visitors, customers, suppliers, business partners and other individuals whose personal data we process. This Privacy Policy explains which personal data we may collect, why we collect it, how we use and protect it, how long we retain it and what rights you have under applicable data protection legislation, including the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR).

By visiting www.empire.be or providing personal data to us, you acknowledge this Privacy Policy.

The data controller responsible for the processing of your personal data is:
 

Empire Carpets International NV
Brugsestraat 140
8531 Hulste
Belgium

Company number: BE 0878.377.263
E-mail: info@empire.be
Telephone: +32 (0)56 20 67 07
Website: www.empire.be

For questions regarding the processing of personal data or this Privacy Policy, please contact us using the details above.

Depending on how you interact with us, we may process the following categories of personal data:

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Contact and business information

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When you contact us, request information or communicate with us, we may collect:

• First and last name

• Company name

• Job title or professional role

• E-mail address

• Telephone number

• Postal or business address

• The content of your message or request

• Other information you choose to provide
   

Newsletter information

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If you subscribe to our newsletter, we may process your e-mail address and information relating to your subscription and communication preferences.

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Recruitment information

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If you apply for a position through our website or contact us regarding employment opportunities, we may process information you provide as part of your application, such as your name, contact details, CV, motivation letter, qualifications and other information relevant to the recruitment process.

Website and technical information

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When you visit our website, certain technical information may be processed automatically, such as:

• IP address

• Browser and device information

• Date and time of your visit

• Pages visited

• Referring website or source

• Information relating to your interaction with our website
   

Some of this information may be collected through cookies or similar technologies. 

We process personal data for the following purposes:

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• Responding to enquiries and contact requests

• Providing information about our products and services

• Preparing quotations and following up on business enquiries

• Managing customer, supplier and business relationships

• Processing and following up on orders and agreements

• Sending newsletters and other communications where you have subscribed or where otherwise permitted by law

• Managing recruitment and job applications

• Maintaining, securing and improving our website

• Understanding how visitors use our website and improving its content and functionality

• Complying with legal and administrative obligations

• Protecting our legitimate business interests and preventing misuse or fraud
   

We do not collect or process more personal data than is necessary for these purposes.

Depending on the circumstances, we process personal data on one or more of the following legal bases under the GDPR:

Performance of a contract
Where processing is necessary to enter into or perform an agreement with you or the company you represent.

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Legal obligation
Where processing is necessary to comply with a legal or regulatory obligation.

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Legitimate interest
Where processing is necessary for our legitimate business interests, provided that these interests do not override your fundamental rights and freedoms.

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Consent
Where you have given your consent, for example for certain newsletters, cookies or other optional communications. You may withdraw your consent at any time.

If you subscribe to our newsletter, we use the information provided to send you updates, news, product information and other relevant communications from Empire Carpets International.

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You can unsubscribe at any time by using the unsubscribe link included in our marketing e-mails or by contacting us directly.

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Withdrawing your consent does not affect the lawfulness of processing carried out before your withdrawal.

Our website uses cookies and similar technologies to ensure that the website functions correctly, to remember certain preferences and, where permitted, to analyse website usage and improve our services.

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Cookies may be classified as:

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• Strictly necessary cookies – required for the basic operation, security and functionality of the website.

• Functional cookies – used to remember preferences and improve the user experience.

• Analytics cookies – used to understand how visitors interact with our website and to improve its performance.

• Marketing cookies – where applicable, used to measure marketing activities or provide more relevant communications.
   

Non-essential cookies are only used where the required consent has been obtained. You can change or withdraw your cookie preferences at any time through our cookie settings.
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The Belgian Data Protection Authority requires non-essential cookies to be subject to prior, informed and freely given consent, and visitors must be able to withdraw that consent.

We may share personal data with trusted service providers who process data on our behalf and who are necessary for the operation of our business and website.

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These may include providers for:

• Website hosting and website infrastructure

• IT and technical support

• E-mail and newsletter distribution

• Website analytics

• Recruitment services

• Professional and administrative services

• Other services necessary to provide our products and services
   

These parties may only process personal data in accordance with our instructions and, where required, under an appropriate data processing agreement.
 

We may also disclose personal data where required by law, regulation, court order or another legally binding request from a competent authority.
 

We do not sell personal data to third parties.

Some of our service providers may process or store personal data outside the European Economic Area (EEA). Where personal data is transferred outside the EEA, we take appropriate measures to ensure that the transfer is carried out in accordance with applicable data protection legislation. Depending on the circumstances, this may include an adequacy decision of the European Commission or appropriate safeguards such as Standard Contractual Clauses. As our website is hosted on the Wix platform, certain website data may be processed by Wix and its service providers in locations outside the EEA. Wix states that such transfers are subject to applicable data protection requirements and appropriate safeguards where required.

We retain personal data only for as long as necessary to fulfil the purposes for which it was collected, unless a longer retention period is required or permitted by law.

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The applicable retention period depends on the type of information and the reason for processing.

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For example:

• Contact and enquiry data is retained for as long as necessary to handle the request and for a reasonable period afterwards.

• Customer and supplier information is retained for the duration of the business relationship and afterwards where necessary to comply with legal or administrative obligations.

• Newsletter information is retained until you unsubscribe or your subscription is otherwise terminated.

• Recruitment information is retained for as long as necessary to complete the recruitment process and, where permitted, for a limited period afterwards.
   

We periodically review the personal data we hold and delete or anonymise information that is no longer required.

We take appropriate technical and organisational measures to protect personal data against accidental or unlawful destruction, loss, alteration, unauthorised disclosure or access.

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Access to personal data is limited to persons and service providers who need the information for legitimate business purposes.

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However, no method of transmission or storage can be guaranteed to be completely secure.

You have the following rights with regard to your personal data:

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Right of access and rectification

You have the right, at any time and free of charge, to request access to your personal data and to obtain a copy of the personal data we hold about you. You also have the right to request the correction or updating of any inaccurate or incomplete personal data.

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Right to object

You have the right, at any time, to object to the processing or retention of your personal data for certain purposes, including direct marketing.

Where your personal data is processed for direct marketing purposes, you have the right to object to such processing at any time.

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Verification of identity

To protect your personal data, we may ask you to provide additional information to verify your identity. This allows us to ensure that your request is legitimate and that personal data or other information is only provided to the person who is entitled to receive it.

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To exercise your rights, please contact us at info@empire.be.