Privacy Policy
Last updated: 16 August 2026
1. Who We Are
The European Private Label Awards (“EPLA” or the “Awards”) are organised by Madison Publications Ltd, 3 Adelaide Street, Dún Laoghaire, Co. Dublin, A96 D6P8, Ireland.
Madison Publications Ltd is the data controller responsible for personal data collected through privatelabelawards.com (the “Website”), the EPLA entry process and associated Awards communications and activities.
For questions about this Privacy Policy or how we use personal data, please contact:
2. Scope of This Privacy Policy
This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, store and protect personal data relating to:
- visitors to the Website;
- people registering for or submitting Entries to the Awards;
- representatives of retailers, manufacturers, producers and suppliers;
- judges, assessors and other individuals involved in the Awards;
- people who contact us about EPLA; and
- people who choose to receive marketing or other communications from us.
We process personal data in accordance with the General Data Protection Regulation (“GDPR”), the Data Protection Act 2018 and other applicable data protection and electronic communications legislation.
3. Personal Data We May Collect
Depending on how you interact with us, we may collect:
- your name;
- job title;
- company or organisation;
- email address;
- telephone number;
- postal or business address;
- country;
- account and registration information;
- correspondence with us;
- Entry and Awards administration information;
- invoicing and transaction information;
- marketing and communication preferences;
- information you provide when making an enquiry or contacting us;
- IP address, browser and device information;
- Website usage information; and
- information collected through cookies and similar technologies where applicable.
Where payment is made through a third-party payment provider, payment-card information may be processed directly by that provider. We may receive information relating to the transaction, such as payment status, amount and transaction reference, without receiving full payment-card details.
Product, retailer, supplier and company information will not normally constitute personal data unless it identifies or relates to an identifiable individual.
4. How We Collect Personal Data
We may collect personal data:
- directly from you when you register, submit an Entry, make a payment, contact us or otherwise interact with EPLA;
- from another person within your organisation where they nominate you as an Awards contact;
- from a retailer, manufacturer, producer or supplier in connection with an Entry;
- through our Website and Entry Platform;
- through our social media platforms;
- through service providers acting on our behalf; and
- from publicly available business sources where appropriate.
If you provide us with personal data relating to another person, you should ensure that you are entitled to provide that information to us.
5. How and Why We Use Personal Data
We may use personal data to:
- create and administer Entrant accounts;
- process and administer Entries;
- process payments and issue invoices;
- communicate with Entrants and other Awards contacts;
- provide Entry confirmations and status information;
- provide sample-delivery instructions;
- send reminders relating to incomplete Entries, payments, samples or Awards deadlines;
- administer judging and the Awards process;
- communicate with judges and assessors;
- respond to enquiries and provide support;
- verify Entries where appropriate;
- manage Awards results and Recognition;
- publish and promote Awards results where appropriate;
- administer and protect the Website and Entry Platform;
- maintain business and financial records;
- prevent misuse, fraud or security incidents;
- improve the Website and Awards process;
- comply with legal and regulatory obligations; and
- where permitted, provide information about EPLA, European Supermarket Magazine and other relevant publications, products, services and events operated by Madison Publications Ltd.
Awards-related operational communications, including Entry, payment, sample, judging and results communications, are part of administering participation in the Awards and are separate from unrelated marketing communications.
6. Our Legal Bases for Processing
Depending on the circumstances, we process personal data on one or more of the following legal bases:
Contract
Where processing is necessary to enter into or perform a contract, including registering an Entrant, processing an Entry, taking payment and administering participation in the Awards.
Legitimate interests
Where processing is necessary for our legitimate business interests, including operating and improving the Awards, communicating with business contacts, administering judging, maintaining records, protecting our systems, managing our business and promoting EPLA.
Where we rely on legitimate interests, we consider those interests against the rights and interests of the individuals concerned.
Legal obligation
Where processing is necessary to comply with legal, taxation, accounting, regulatory or other obligations.
Consent
Where we rely on consent, including for certain marketing communications, cookies or similar technologies where consent is required.
Where processing is based on consent, you may withdraw that consent at any time.
7. Marketing Communications
From time to time, we may send information about EPLA, European Supermarket Magazine or other relevant publications, products, services and events operated by Madison Publications Ltd where permitted by applicable law.
Where consent is required, we will obtain consent before sending marketing communications.
You can stop receiving marketing communications at any time by using the unsubscribe facility included in the relevant communication or by contacting:
Opting out of marketing does not prevent us from sending communications reasonably necessary to administer an Entry or participation in the Awards.
8. Awards Results and Publicity
Information concerning Products, retailers, manufacturers, producers, suppliers and Awards Recognition may be published as part of the operation, reporting and promotion of EPLA in accordance with the Awards Terms & Conditions.
This may include:
- Product names;
- Product and packaging images;
- company names;
- retailer names;
- manufacturer, producer or supplier names;
- country;
- category;
- Awards year; and
- Recognition received.
We do not normally publish the personal contact details of Entrants.
Awards results, associated Product information and related editorial material may remain publicly available as part of the historical EPLA archive.
9. Sharing Personal Data
We may share personal data where reasonably necessary with:
- employees and authorised personnel of Madison Publications Ltd;
- Checkout Ireland Ltd, where it provides administrative, operational or other outsourced services to EPLA and processes personal data on our behalf;
- providers of our Awards Entry Platform;
- payment-processing providers;
- website hosting and technology providers;
- email, cloud-storage and communications providers;
- CRM and business administration providers;
- judges, assessors and other persons involved in administering the Awards where relevant;
- analytics and advertising providers where those services are enabled and lawfully used;
- accountants, auditors, legal advisers and other professional advisers;
- suppliers and contractors processing information on our behalf; and
- government bodies, regulators, courts or law-enforcement authorities where disclosure is required or permitted by law.
Where Checkout Ireland Ltd or another service provider processes personal data on our behalf and on our instructions, it acts as an outsourced service provider or data processor in relation to that processing.
Service providers processing personal data on our behalf are required to handle that information appropriately and only for authorised purposes.
We do not sell personal data to third parties.
10. International Transfers
Some of the service providers we use may process personal data outside the European Economic Area (“EEA”).
Where personal data is transferred outside the EEA, we will use an appropriate lawful transfer mechanism where required, which may include:
- a European Commission adequacy decision;
- European Commission approved Standard Contractual Clauses; or
- another transfer mechanism permitted under applicable data protection law.
We take appropriate steps to ensure that personal data transferred internationally receives the protection required by applicable data protection law.
11. How Long We Keep Personal Data
We keep personal data only for as long as reasonably necessary for the purposes for which it was collected.
This may include retaining information where necessary to:
- administer the Awards;
- maintain appropriate business and financial records;
- comply with legal, accounting and taxation requirements;
- deal with enquiries or disputes;
- establish, exercise or defend legal claims; and
- maintain appropriate historical records of the Awards.
Limited information associated with Awards Entries, results and Recognition may be retained for longer periods where necessary to maintain the historical EPLA archive and an accurate record of past Awards.
Where a person opts out of marketing, we may retain limited information necessary to record and respect that preference.
We may delete or anonymise personal data when it is no longer reasonably required.
12. Security
We use appropriate technical and organisational measures designed to protect personal data against accidental or unlawful destruction, loss, alteration, unauthorised disclosure or access.
Access to personal data is restricted where appropriate to employees, contractors and service providers who require access for legitimate business purposes.
No electronic or internet-based system can be guaranteed to be completely secure, but we take reasonable measures to protect personal data under our control.
13. Your Data Protection Rights
Subject to applicable law and any relevant exemptions, you may have the right to:
- request access to personal data we hold about you;
- request correction of inaccurate or incomplete personal data;
- request deletion of personal data;
- request restriction of the processing of personal data;
- object to certain processing, including processing based on legitimate interests;
- object at any time to processing for direct-marketing purposes;
- request the transfer of certain personal data to you or another organisation where the right to data portability applies;
- withdraw consent at any time where processing is based on consent; and
- make a complaint to the Data Protection Commission.
These rights and the transparency requirements around them are reflected in the DPC’s current GDPR guidance.
Withdrawing consent does not affect the lawfulness of processing carried out before consent was withdrawn.
To exercise any of these rights, contact:
We may request information reasonably necessary to confirm your identity before responding to a request.
14. Automated Decision-Making
We do not use personal data to make solely automated decisions that produce legal effects or similarly significant effects on individuals.
Awards judging and Recognition are not determined solely by automated processing of personal data.
15. Cookies and Similar Technologies
The Website may use cookies and similar technologies to:
- provide essential Website functionality;
- maintain security;
- remember user preferences;
- administer account or Entry Platform functionality;
- understand how visitors use the Website;
- measure Website performance;
- measure advertising effectiveness; and
- support advertising or remarketing activities where enabled.
Strictly necessary cookies may be used where required for the operation and security of the Website.
Non-essential analytics, advertising and similar cookies will be used subject to applicable consent requirements and the choices made by visitors through the Website’s cookie controls.
Where such technologies are enabled, third-party providers may process online identifiers, device information and information concerning interactions with the Website.
Visitors may manage or withdraw their cookie choices through the cookie controls available on the Website and through their browser settings.
16. Analytics and Advertising Services
Where enabled and subject to applicable consent requirements, we may use third-party analytics and advertising technologies to understand Website usage, measure the effectiveness of our communications and advertising and reach relevant business audiences.
These may include services provided by platforms such as Google, LinkedIn and Meta.
The particular technologies used on the Website may change from time to time. Where required, information about cookies and tracking technologies in use will be provided through our cookie-management system or Cookie Policy.
Third-party providers may process information in accordance with their own privacy policies in circumstances where they act as independent controllers.
17. Social Media
EPLA may operate accounts or pages on social media platforms including LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram and X.
When you interact with EPLA through a social media platform, that platform may also collect and process information about you in accordance with its own privacy policy and account settings.
We recommend reviewing the privacy information provided by the social media platforms you use.
18. Third-Party Websites
The Website may contain links to websites or services operated by third parties.
We are not responsible for the privacy practices of third-party websites or services. You should review the relevant third party’s privacy information before providing personal data through those services.
19. Complaints
If you have concerns about how we process your personal data, please contact us at:
You also have the right to make a complaint to the Data Protection Commission, Ireland’s independent data protection supervisory authority.
20. Changes to This Privacy Policy
We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time, including to reflect changes to EPLA, the Website, our services, technologies we use or applicable legal requirements.
The current version will be published on the Website together with the date on which it was last updated.
21. Contact Us
For questions about this Privacy Policy, requests concerning personal data or other data protection matters, contact:
Madison Publications Ltd
3 Adelaide Street
Dún Laoghaire
Co. Dublin
A96 D6P8
Ireland
Email: [email protected]