Bestco (“Bestco”) respects and upholds the rights of both consumers and privacy. As a result, we value our clients’ confidence and privacy greatly! We shall make sure that personal information (“information”) is gathered and handled in accordance with the Protection of Personal Information Act, 2013 (“POPIA”) in a transparent and legal manner. 

You should carefully read this Statement before providing any information to Bestco: 

• You provide Bestco with your consent to process your personal information as described in this Statement by sending Bestco any information, and the terms of this Statement are subject to any mandatory, unchangeable legislation that may be in effect; 

• Not to reveal your information to third parties unless needed or permitted by law and with the permission of our information officer. 

• To only allow appropriately qualified, authorized workers access to information. 

1.1. Objective 

Bestco offers a comprehensive selection of goods and services, such as value-added services, digital offerings,  and in-store services. By using our products and/or services or by giving us information, you consent to the information being processed as described in this Statement. This Statement explains how we use the information we gather from you when you use our products and/or services. This assertion also 

• lists the sorts of information we gather; 

• describes why and how we gather and use your information; 

• lists the recipients of your information; and 

• This outlines your options and rights regarding your information. 

• details how to get in touch with us or the appropriate authorities 

For the purpose of offering you their goods and services, some areas of our organization may be required to gather and utilize personal data. Although they will frequently make reference to this Statement, you must read their own terms and conditions as well. Links to websites run by other organizations with their own privacy rules may appear on Bestco’ websites or mobile apps. Before entering any personal information on other websites, please carefully review their terms and privacy policies as we do not take any responsibility or duty for other organizations. These links are only available for your convenience. Third-party websites, their content, and any products or services made available through these websites are not within our control, subject to our inspection or subject to our liability. 

1.2. Scope 

In this Statement, references to “Bestco,” “us,” “our,” or “we” refer to one or more Bestco Group entities with operations in South Africa. 

1.3. Legislation and regulations 

This Statement is governed by South African law, including the Consumer Protection Act of 2008 (CPA), the POPIA, and other pertinent laws pertaining to data protection. To the degree permissible by law, any issue will first be tried to be resolved internally. If this is unsuccessful, it will then be referred to arbitration in Cape Town at a location that will be chosen by us using the Uniform Rules of the High Court of South Africa. 

1.4. Positions and Duties 

The following role players are pertinent to this Statement based on POPIA 

Information Regulator  

The Information Regulator Office’s responsibilities include facilitating cross-border cooperation in the enforcement of privacy legislation, monitoring compliance, handling complaints, and offering education. In relation to this Statement, this refers to the position of those chosen by the President of South Africa under POPIA. 

Information Officer  

The person in charge of Bestco or its CEO, who is listed with the Information Regulator in accordance with the PAIA and POPIA and is in charge of seeing that Bestco complies with the Acts. 

Deputy Information Officers 

Those who have been given authority to carry out required tasks on behalf of the Information Officer and are registered with the Information Regulator under the terms of the PAIA and POPIA. In the context of this statement, these individuals are members of the Privacy and Security Committee. 

Data Subject 

In the context of this Statement, a data subject is a natural or legal person who can be identified by an identifier, such as a name, an ID number, location information, or other means, as well as by characteristics related to his or her physical, physiological, genetic, mental, economic, cultural, or social identity. 

Responsible Party  

In the context of this Statement, the responsible party is either Bestco or a business partner. The responsible party determines the purpose and means of processing personal information and is also responsible for protecting (safeguarding) the information of the data subject (depending on the context) 

Operator or processing party 

 The person or organization that, pursuant to a contract or other requirement on behalf of a responsible party, processes (collects, receives, records, collates, stores, anonymizes, retrieves, alters, uses, distributes, erases, or deletes) information for the responsible party. This is a Bestco or a business partner in the context of this Statement. 

2.Information Gathering 

You must give us your personal information, including but not limited to your South African ID number or passport number (for non-South African citizens), name, surname, contact information, and other personal details, in order to register for or use Bestco programs and services. 

By filling out an application for our products and services or seeking more information about them, whether in writing, via our website, over the phone, or by any other method, you may give us personal information directly or indirectly (via a person acting on your behalf). 

We only gather data that is legitimately required for our business operations, activities, and associated goals. Depending on the reason for collection and use, the sort of information we gather and keep will vary. Wherever possible, we will let you know what data is necessary from you and what data is optional. The information we handle is typically used to fulfill your requests for products and services, assist with orders and refund requests, manage and enhance daily business operations, and manage and enhance our loyalty program, websites, and mobile platforms with the goal of enhancing your customer experience. 

Additionally, we may obtain your personal information from a representative working on your behalf, a regulator, or another third party who may be in possession of it. 

You consent to provide Bestco with current, correct information about yourself and to maintain and update such information as needed. We may augment our data from various third parties, such as credit bureaus, to increase its accuracy and better understand our clients. 

2.1 Services Provided in Partnership with Business Partners 

Bestco has a number of collaborations, and we offer a range of products and services. Diverse levels of information must be processed in order to deliver these goods and services, including information that must be received from or shared with pertinent external business partners (local and/or international) in order to facilitate or compare the goods or services they are offering. By accepting the terms and conditions of Bestco and/or business partner, you give us permission to disclose the information necessary to deliver the good or service to you. 

Please take note that certain of our goods may require you to directly contact one of our business partners to give extra information. In this situation, Bestco handles this information on behalf of the appropriate business partner, who is still in charge of its security rather than Bestco. It is crucial for you to understand that when you sign up with one of our business partners, you are entering into a direct, legally binding agreement with that partner under their terms and conditions and associated privacy policies and that they would be liable under POPIA. 

2.2 Persons under the age of 18 

Bestco will not intentionally gather any data on people (minors) under the age of 18. All of our products and services, as well as our mobile apps and website, are intended for users who are at least 18 years old. 

You must get your parent or legal guardian’s permission before giving Bestco any information if you are under the age of 18. Please get in touch with us right away if you learn that a “kid” has shared personal information without getting permission from their parents. We will take action to delete the information and close the child’s account if we learn that a child has provided us with personal information without getting permission from their parents. 

2.3 Cookies 

When you use our computer server, your web browser places a bit of data called a cookie on your computer’s hard drive. The majority of web browsers automatically accept cookies, but you may change your settings to stop this from happening. This data may pertain to you, your choices, or your device and is mostly used to ensure that the site performs as you would expect. Although the data often does not directly identify you, it can help to personalize your web experience. You might lose access to some parts of our website if you decide not to accept cookies. Push notifications are also used on our website. Check out our Cookies Policy for more details. 

2.4 Embedded scripts 

A piece of programming known as an embedded script is intended to track how you interact with the Bestco website. The code is momentarily downloaded from our web server or another third-party service provider to your device is only active while you are connected to our website, and is then removed or deactivated. 

2.5 Mobile Device Identifiers 

Unique device identification is provided by several mobile service providers. If you use your mobile device to access our website or mobile applications while enabling cookies or push notifications, Bestco or our third-party service providers may obtain such device information. Please refer to our Mobile Application Policy and Cookies Policy for further details. 

2.6 Closed-Circuit Television 

In our stores and regional support offices, closed-circuit television (CCTV) images are processed, watched, and recorded for the objectives of crime prevention, detection, as well as public safety. Refer to our CCTV Policy for more details. 

3. Purpose and Use of Information 

In order to enable the delivery of our products and services to you, Bestco uses your information for the purposes for which it was acquired or for which it was agreed upon with you, as well as for purposes that are reasonable and legal when applicable. 

The examples below (which are not all-inclusive) are linked to the purposes for which Bestco received and processed information from you or other sources. 

• ID number or passport number (which we may obtain from credit bureaus and/or other aggregators with your consent) — this allows us to recognize you as a distinct individual in our database and to verify your identity. In order to give perks like tailored birthday, pensioner, or other life stage-relevant offers, we also use this information to inform segmentation analytics. As required by law or to allow the registration of an external service or product you have signed up for, we are also compelled to process this information. 

• Biometric data will make the self-RICA procedure easier. 

• Contact information: 

– To support necessary activities for the services and programs you have chosen to participate in, such as OTPs, invoices, statements, deliveries, etc.; – to send information regarding services and programs via direct marketing, such as new benefits, clubs, or partners, as well as to inform you of promotions or deals. 

– Handle product deliveries to or returns from our retailers. 

– Use direct marketing to send you information on services and programs, such as new benefits, clues, or partners, or to let you know about sales or specials; 

– Deliver or send you personalized advertisements via social media, other digital platforms, and postal mail; 

• Any other information about you that you voluntarily give us through our representatives, the website, mobile apps, or other channels, whether directly or indirectly. 

• About your computer – gather statistical information about your computer’s operating system, browser type, and IP address in order to provide material as effectively as possible. 

• Help our internal commercial team, vendors/suppliers, and business partners by informing segmentation or analysis based on your transaction history in order to present pertinent content or offers. We may use and disclose de-identified or pseudonymized information in this way to ascertain preferences and purchasing habits. 

• In accordance with this Statement, the specific terms and conditions of the relevant service, as well as the privacy policies, notices, and statements of the business partner, we may additionally share certain information with our business partners to help them promote goods and services. 

• In order to communicate with you and/or implement (run) the paid service, we may share information with third parties as an outsourced function (s). 

SOURCE	PURPOSE	DATA SUBJECT INFORMATION
Emailers / SMSs	Send you communications for Bestco associated programs and services you are using where you have not opted out of direct marketing communications through your preferences.    These communications include one-time passwords, invoices, statements, and personalized discounts linked to the Bestco associated programs and services you are using.	First Name and Surname Email address Contact Numbers (Telephone and Mobile)  Other account number
Products and services (in-store or online) rendered by either Bestco and/or business partners	Processing your application; Establishing a customer record with a unique identifier; Providing the pertinent services as outlined in the applicable Terms & Conditions for the relevant Products and/or Services that the Data Subject has subscribed to; Processing payments; Regular communications;  Providing individually tailored promotions and discounts.	First Name and Surname Email address  Contact Numbers (Telephone and Mobile) ID or Passport Number Gender Date of Birth Physical Address Communication Preferences Language Preferences Related Basket Data Payment Card and CCV Number
Bestco Customer Care  Complaints or Compliments	Help Bestco classify the data subject’s complaint or compliment; Give the data subject feedback on the complaint or compliment.	First Name and Surname Email address Contact Numbers (Telephone and Mobile)