Cookie policy

Effective from: 01.10.2024

This policy applies to cookies or similar tools on the website www.homefinishing.bg (hereinafter referred to as the "Site", "Website"), operated by "HOME FINISHING" Ltd., UIC 148120124, VAT No. BG 148120124, with registered office and management address at: Varna, Western Industrial Zone, 10 "Perla" St., correspondence address: Varna, Western Industrial Zone, 10 "Perla" St., contact phone: 052 575525, email: bg-orders@elmarkstore.eu (hereinafter referred to as "We").

When you first visit www.homefinishing.bg, we will ask you to accept the use of cookies in accordance with the terms of these rules. By using our website and accepting these rules, you agree to our use of cookies.

What Cookies Are

A cookie is a small file consisting of letters and numbers that is stored on your computer, mobile device or other equipment when internet access is established. A cookie is installed via a request sent from a web page's server to the browser (e.g. Internet Explorer, Chrome) and is entirely "passive" — it does not contain software programs, viruses or spyware, and does not have access to information from the user's hardware.

The Purpose of Cookies

We use cookies or similar tools on our site to improve its performance and your experience, in accordance with all applicable standards and legislation in the field. In general terms, the purpose of cookies is to ensure the efficiency and usefulness of our Site, to ensure its proper functioning, and to remember important actions (for example, what you have selected in your cart, which pages of the Site you visit most frequently, whether you have saved certain settings, and whether you are receiving error messages from certain pages). With the help of cookies, the Site correctly displays product availability which you can add to your shopping cart.

Cookies make it possible to recognise the user's device and display content adapted to their preferences. They provide users with a pleasant browsing experience and help the Site offer goods and services suited to users — such as online privacy preferences, shopping cart contents, or relevant advertising. They are also used in the preparation of anonymous statistics that help us understand how users prefer to use our website, allowing us to improve its structure and content, while excluding the identification of individual users.

What Cookies We Use

Our site uses several types of cookies: mandatory cookies, session cookies, and third-party cookies.

Mandatory Cookies

These are strictly necessary for the site to perform its functions and are stored as a file on your computer or mobile device for a long period of time, typically for the period configured by the cookies or until manually deleted by the user. We use these cookies to authenticate our users when they use the site, so that we can provide our services, enforce our General Terms and Conditions, and maintain the security of our services.

Session Cookies

Session cookies are temporary files that remain on your device for the duration of your visit to our website and are active until the end of your user session or until the browser is closed, after which they are deleted. We may use session cookies, for example:

• To allow you to navigate between pages of our site without needing to log in again;
• To recognise you when you return to our site to use our services.

Third-Party Cookies and Technologies, Including Pixels

We also use certain third-party cookies as part of our services. These cookies are managed by the respective sites and are not controlled by us. Listed below are the third-party cookies we use, some of which can be disabled using your browser's general settings. For others, you will need to visit the relevant provider's website and follow the instructions provided. These service providers may collect your IP address and non-personally-identifiable information about your visits to our site. Some of these advertising cookies enable our advertisements to be displayed while you visit other websites. This information is anonymous in accordance with the privacy policies of these third parties and does not include your name, address, email address or other personal information, although your IP address may be collected. Anonymous information is collected through the use of a pixel tag (also known as action tags), which is a standard technology used by most large websites.

These cookies and technologies are often referred to as targeting cookies and are used to:

• Deliver advertisements that are more relevant to you and your interests;
• Limit the number of times you see an advertisement;
• Measure the effectiveness of advertising campaigns;
• Track the behaviour of users after they see an advertisement.

They are typically installed on behalf of advertising networks with the permission of the site operator and remember that you have visited a site, often linking to functionality provided by a third-party organisation.

We use the following third-party services:

• Doubleclick.net — for remarketing and display advertising on Google;
• Facebook — to track user actions after seeing or opening a Facebook advertisement, measure ad effectiveness and collect anonymised statistical data. Facebook may use this information for its own advertising purposes in accordance with its data use policy;
• Google Analytics — to generate statistics on site traffic and traffic sources;
• MailerLite (mailerlite.com) — to allow unregistered users to subscribe to our free newsletter;
• Yandex.ru — to generate information about orders, site visits and ad impressions;
• Intercom (intercom.com) — to enable the chat functionality provided on the Site.

We also use pixel tags (web beacons), which do not place information on your device but can work together with cookies to monitor website activity.

If you are concerned about third-party advertising cookies, you can disable them here: Your Online Choices.

Links to Other Sites

The Site contains links which, if followed, may take you to the websites of other companies and organisations. For example, if you click the Facebook "Like" button or log in through that social network on our Site, you are sharing data with those third parties. We bear no responsibility for their content or data protection policies. These other websites, services and applications may set their own cookies, collect data or request personal information.

Do Cookies Contain Personal Data?

By themselves, cookies do not require personal information in order to be used and most often do not identify individual internet users. Personal data collected through the use of cookies may only be collected to facilitate use by the user. Such data is encrypted in a manner that prevents unauthorised persons from accessing it.

Can Cookies Be Blocked and How?

By default, web browsers allow the storage of cookies. These settings can be changed so that automatic cookie management is blocked, or so that the user is informed each time cookies are sent to their device. Restricting the use of cookies may affect certain functions of the website.

Most browsers allow you to refuse cookies; for example:

• In Internet Explorer (version 10): go to "Settings" → "Internet Options" → "Privacy" → "Advanced";
• In Firefox (version 24): click "Tools" → "Options" → "Privacy", select "Use custom settings for history" from the drop-down menu and uncheck the relevant option;
• In Chrome (version 29): open the "Customise and control" menu → "Settings" → "Show advanced settings" → "Content settings".

Blocking all cookies will have a negative impact on the usability of many websites, including ours.

Deleting Cookies

You can delete cookies already stored on your computer; for example:

• In Internet Explorer (version 10): manually delete cookie files (instructions available here);
• In Firefox (version 24): click "Tools" → "Options" → "Privacy", select "Use custom settings for history", then click "Show Cookies" and delete them;
• In Chrome (version 29): open the "Customise and control" menu → "Settings" → "Show advanced settings" → "Clear browsing data, other site and plug-in data" → "Clear browsing data".

Deleting cookies will have a negative impact on the usability of many websites.

Why Cookies Are Important on the Internet

Cookies represent a central point for effective functioning on the internet, helping to build a model of preferences and interests for each user. Refusing or disabling cookies may make some sites impossible to use.

Refusing or disabling cookies does not mean you will stop receiving online advertising — it means that advertising will no longer be tailored to your preferences based on your browsing behaviour.

Examples of important roles of cookies (not requiring account authentication):

• Content and services adapted to the user's preferences — product and service categories;
• Offers adapted to user preferences — password remembering;
• Storing child protection filters for internet content (family mode, safe search);
• Limiting ad display frequency — restricting how often a given advertisement is shown to a particular user;
• Delivering advertisements likely to interest the user;
• Measurement, optimisation and analytics — confirming traffic levels, understanding what content is viewed, and how users reach the website (e.g. via search engines, direct access, other websites). Websites develop and use these analyses to improve the site for users.

Security and Confidentiality

Cookies are NOT viruses. They use a plain text format, are not composed of executable code, and cannot run independently, duplicate themselves or spread across networks. They cannot therefore be considered viruses.

Cookies can, however, be used for negative purposes. Because they store information about user preferences and browsing history, they can be used as a form of spyware. Many anti-spyware programs routinely flag cookies for removal during scanning procedures.

Browsers generally have built-in privacy settings that provide different levels of cookie acceptance, validity periods, and automatic deletion after visiting a site.

Other security considerations related to cookies: cookies transmit information continuously and in both directions between the browser and the website. If a hacker or unauthorised person intercepts the data during transmission, cookie information may be captured — most likely if the browser connects to the server over an unencrypted network (e.g. an unsecured wireless network).

Other cookie-based attacks may exploit incorrect server-side cookie settings. If a website does not require the browser to use only encrypted channels, hackers can trick browsers into sending information over unsecured channels and gain unauthorised access. It is important to choose the most appropriate personal data protection settings for your situation.

Tips for Safe and Responsible Cookie-Based Browsing

Due to their flexibility and the fact that most large, widely visited sites use cookies, they are almost unavoidable. Disabling cookies will prevent access to the most commonly used sites, including YouTube, Gmail and Yahoo.

All modern browsers offer the ability to change cookie settings, generally found in the "Options" or "Preferences" menu, through which you can customise cookie use in your browser.

Periods for Which We Store Cookie Data

Please refer to the Privacy Policy, in which we have comprehensively set out the retention periods for cookie data and similar technologies.

Contact Us

Questions and requests relating to the exercise of your personal data protection rights may be directed to us via the contact form available on the Site or through the contact details below:

Data Protection Officer