Cookie Policy
1. What Cookies Are
Cookies are small text files placed on your device by a website when you visit it. Similar technologies — such as browser localStorage, sessionStorage, and tracking pixels — serve related purposes. This policy covers all of these technologies as they apply to stephens-equipment.com ("the Site").
Cookies can be "session" cookies (deleted when you close your browser) or "persistent" cookies (which remain until they expire or you delete them). They allow us to keep Stephens & Co. Reels working smoothly, remember your preferences, and understand how visitors use our games.
2. Why We Use Cookies
We use cookies and similar technologies to keep Stephens & Co. Reels running, remember your preferences (such as whether you've confirmed your age), and understand in aggregate how visitors use our games. We do not use cookies to build personal advertising profiles or to track you across other websites for advertising purposes without your prior consent.
3. Categories of Cookies We Use
| Category | Purpose | Examples | Duration |
|---|---|---|---|
| Strictly necessary | Keep the Site running, handle your session, store age-gate confirmation, and record your cookie-consent choice. These cannot be turned off without breaking core functionality. | __age_ok, __cc_v1 (localStorage) | Session to 12 months. No consent required. |
| Performance / analytics | Anonymous traffic measurement — which pages are visited, how long sessions last, and where visitors come from. Helps us improve the games and site experience. No personally identifiable data is associated. | __cf_bm (Cloudflare Bot Management) | Up to 30 days. Set only with consent. |
| Functional | Remembers UI preferences such as volume settings on game widgets and whether you've completed the age gate in a previous visit. | localStorage preference keys | Up to 12 months. Set only with consent. |
| Advertising / targeting | The Site may serve paid advertising via Google Ads and Microsoft Advertising. When a visitor arrives via a paid campaign, these third-party cookies may be set to measure campaign performance. Google's ad cookies policy / Microsoft's privacy statement. | Google Ads conversion tag, Microsoft UET tag | Up to 13 months. Set only with consent. |
4. Lawful Basis (UK GDPR + PECR)
Under the UK GDPR and the Privacy and Electronic Communications Regulations (PECR), strictly necessary cookies are set on the basis of legitimate interest — they are essential for the Site to function and do not require your consent. All other categories (performance, functional, advertising) are set only on the basis of your freely given, informed consent (opt-in). You may withdraw that consent at any time; see Section 5 below.
5. How to Manage Your Cookies on Stephens & Co. Reels
When you first visit the Site, a cookie banner offers you "Accept all" or "Essential only" choices. Your selection is stored in localStorage.__cc_v1. To change your preference later, clear that key using your browser's developer tools (Application → Local Storage → stephens-equipment.com → delete __cc_v1), then reload the page — the banner will reappear. Alternatively, clearing all site data in your browser achieves the same result.
6. How to Manage Cookies in Your Browser
Every major browser lets you view, block, or delete cookies independently of our banner. Links to the relevant help pages:
Note that blocking all cookies may affect functionality on this and other websites.
7. Third-Party Cookies and Services
The following third parties may set cookies or access data on the Site when your consent is given:
- Cloudflare, Inc. — provides infrastructure, security (DDoS protection, bot management), and anonymised analytics. Cloudflare may set
__cf_bmand related cookies. Cloudflare Privacy Policy. - Google LLC — Google Ads conversion measurement only, set when a visitor arrives via a paid Google Ads campaign and has consented to advertising cookies. Google Privacy Policy.
- Microsoft Corporation — Microsoft Advertising (Bing Ads) conversion measurement only, when a visitor arrives via a paid Microsoft Advertising campaign and has consented. Microsoft Privacy Statement.
8. Do Not Track and Global Privacy Control
We honour the Global Privacy Control (GPC) signal. If your browser sends a GPC signal indicating that you have not consented to the sale or sharing of personal data, we treat it as a withdrawal of consent for analytics and advertising cookies — only strictly necessary cookies will be set. We do not currently process the older DNT (Do Not Track) header in a technically meaningful way, as there is no agreed standard for its interpretation, but GPC is honoured as described above.
9. Changes to This Policy
We may update this Cookie Policy from time to time as technologies and regulations evolve. The "Last updated" date at the top of this page reflects the latest revision. If we make material changes, we will re-display the consent banner so you can review and reconfirm your preferences.
10. Contact
Questions about this Cookie Policy? Email us at support@stephens-equipment.com. Our registered office is at 780 Bridge Gardens, Edinburgh, EH3 9LB.