This Privacy Policy was last updated September 20, 2023.
Introduction
This Privacy Policy (“Policy”) describes how your information is processed by Pet Valu Canada Inc. (“Pet Valu” “we”, “us” or “our”). This Policy contains details about how Pet Valu collects information about you when you visit any of our websites where this Policy is posted or linked to (each of which is a “Site”), visit or make a purchase at our stores (each of which is a “Store”), participate in our loyalty programs or otherwise contact or interact with us offline (“Offline Services”). This Policy collectively refers to every Site, Store, and all Offline Services as the “Services”. This Policy also explains how Pet Valu uses and shares your information, as well as your ability to access and control certain uses of it.
For ease of reference, you may click on any of the following links to jump to one of the sections addressed below:
1. Changes to this Privacy Policy
Pet Valu may make changes to this Policy at any time. When we do, we will post the change(s) on our Site. Please visit this page from time to time so that you will be aware of any changes. Any changes will be effective once the revised Policy has been posted on our Site unless otherwise specified. It is your obligation to ensure that you read, understand and agree to the latest version of the Policy. The effective date, as well as the last updated date, appear at the top of the Policy.
By continuing to use our Services after any changes are made to this Policy, you are accepting the changes to the Policy. If any of the changes are unacceptable to you, you should stop using our Services.
2. Services We Provide
Our Services include all services and products delivered on or through our Site, services rendered as a result of a visit or transaction at our Store, and services provided through interactions involving our Offline Services, which include our loyalty programs, the sale of pet foods and pet supplies, as well as other pet-related items and services, including dog grooming and dog self-washing services.
3. Information We Collect
We collect personal information, as defined below, in the following ways:
Personal Information You Provide The personal information we collect from you depends on how you use our Services. Personal information is generally defined as information that, by itself or in combination with other information, may be able to identify you or could reasonably be associated with you or your accounts, and includes any information about you that is associated with such information. There are areas of our Services where you may be asked to provide Pet Valu with personal information. For example, Pet Valu may collect personal information such as name, mailing and/or shipping address(es), email address, marital status, military status, business or organizational information, telephone number, credit/debit card number or other payment information, information about your purchases, pet information including age or gender, photographs, location and/or communications preferences, and your username and password when you:
Create a Site account or join or participate in a customer loyalty program through the Services;
Purchase products or services at a Store, through our other retail outlets or online at our Sites;
Communicate with Pet Valu or contact us with questions, complaints or other inquiries;
Contact our customer service help desk;
Complete the “Email Sign Up” box or opt-in to receive SMS/MMS messages from Pet Valu;
Sign up to receive newsletters and other promotions;
Participate in contests and other marketing campaigns;
Participate in Pet Valu customer surveys; and/or
Interact with or follow us on one of Pet Valu’s social media accounts.
You may also provide us with certain information in connection with specific transactions:
Store Visits.
If you schedule an appointment or bring your pet to our Store, such as for grooming or a wellness event, we may collect additional information about your pet.
Information About a Third Party.
If you register for our pet gift registry, we will collect information about your pets and about the products in which you are interested. If you send someone a gift through our pet gift registry, Pet Valu may collect information about your purchase and about the gift recipient.
You may also provide us with personal information when you inquire about or apply for employment or a franchise opportunity.
Information Automatically Collected Pet Valu may collect certain personal information and other information automatically when you interact with our Site, email, social media accounts or online advertising. This information is collected through the use of Pet Valu’s or a third party’s technologies, which include cookies, web beacons, clear GIFs, pixel tags, log files, HTML5 and other technologies. Such automatically collected information may include: your browser type and operating system; web pages you view; links you click; your Internet Protocol (“IP”) address or Media Access Control (“MAC”) address; mobile device identifier or other unique device identifier of your computer or device; geolocation information; device model; carrier information; the length of time you visit or use the Site; and the referring webpage that led you to our Site
Cookies and Other Tracking Mechanisms Pet Valu and our third-party service providers may use cookies and other tracking mechanisms to evaluate how you use the Site or other online Services. We may combine this information with personal information we collect from you (and our third-party service providers may do so on our behalf).
Cookies. Cookies are small files that are transferred to your computer through your web browser to help keep track of your visits to and how you use our Site or other online Services. Some cookies allow Pet Valu to make it easier for you to navigate our Services, while others are used to help you log-in faster or to allow us to track your activities at our online Services. You can control cookies through our cookie consent tool or by consulting your browser and/or computer instructions. Please note that if cookies are not enabled it could affect how the Site or other online Services appear and/or operate for you. There are two types of cookies that we use:
Session Cookies
. Session cookies exist only during an online session. They disappear from your computer when you close your browser or turn off your computer. We use session cookies to allow our systems to uniquely identify you during a session or while you are logged into our Services. This allows us to process your online transactions and requests, and to verify your identity.
Persistent Cookies
. Persistent cookies remain on your computer after you have closed your browser or turned off your computer. We use persistent cookies to track aggregate and statistical information about user activity on our Site.
Clear GIFs, pixel tags and other technologies. Clear GIFs are tiny graphics with a unique identifier, and these technologies function in a way that is similar to cookies. In contrast to cookies, which are stored on your computer’s hard drive, clear GIFs are embedded invisibly on web pages. We may use clear GIFs (a.k.a. web beacons, web bugs, or pixel tags), in connection with our Site or other online Services to, among other things, track the activities of visitors, help us manage content, and compile statistics about usage. We and our third-party service providers also use clear GIFs in HTML emails to our users to help us track email response rates, identify when our emails are viewed, and track whether our emails are forwarded.
Third Party Analytics. We may use third parties’ analytics and tracking tools to better understand who is using the Services, how people are using the Services, how to improve the effectiveness of the Services and related content, and to help us or those third parties serve more targeted advertising to you across the Internet. We use automated devices and applications, such as Google Analytics, to evaluate usage of our Site. Analytics providers collect information such as how often users visit our Site, what pages they visit when they do, and what other sites they visit prior to visiting our Site. These analytics providers may collect your IP address, page views and date and time stamps, among other information, and they may combine the information that they collect about you on our Site with other information they have collected elsewhere. This Policy does not cover such third parties’ use of data. For more information on how Google Analytics handles the information it collects, please see Google’s privacy policy at https://policies.google.com/privacy. If you would like to opt-out of making your online activity available to Google Analytics, you may be able to install the Google Analytics opt-out browser add-on available at https://support.google.com/analytics/answer/181881.
Third-Party Ad Networks/Targeted Advertising Pet Valu may use advertising networks to serve advertisements on our Site and on third-party websites or other media (e.g., social networking platforms). This enables us and these third parties to target advertisements to you for products and services in which you might be interested based on your browsing and purchase history. These third-party advertising services may use cookies and other tracking technologies to measure the effectiveness of ads and to personalize advertising content for you. These third-party services are governed by each third party’s privacy policy, not this Policy. You can control the collection and use of information by us and third parties for targeted advertising purposes through the cookie consent management tool available on our Site. You may go to the Digital Advertising Alliance of Canada (“DAAC”) Opt-Out Tool, for information about opting out of targeted advertising and the choices you have regarding information circulated among DAAC companies. You may also go to the Network Advertising Initiative (“NAI”) Consumer Opt-Out Page for information about opting out of targeted advertising and the choices you have regarding information circulated among NAI members. Please note that when using these ad industry opt-out tools, you may need to execute the opt-out on each browser or device that you use. Opting out from one or more companies listed on the DAAC Opt-Out Tool, or the NAI Consumer Opt-Out Page will opt you out from those companies’ delivery of targeted content or ads, but it does not mean you stop receiving ads through our Site or on other websites. You may continue to receive ads, for example, based on the particular website that you are viewing. Also, if your browsers are configured to reject cookies when you opt out on the DAAC or NAI websites, your opt-out may not be effective. Pet Valu uses Google’s advertising services to collect and access certain demographic and internet data about your visits to our Sites and third-party websites. We use this information to better understand your needs and preferences, and to provide you with advertising that is customized to your inferred interests and preferences. You may opt out of these Google advertising features by using Google’s ad settings https://www.google.com/settings/ads or by installing the Google opt-out browser add-on.
Information Collected from Other Sources We may collect information from trusted third parties, such as our marketing partners or other sources to update or supplement the information that you provide or that we collect automatically. This may include information to validate or update your shipping address or other demographic information. Telephone calls to and from our customer service help desk may be recorded for training and support purposes and, when they are, you will be notified at the outset. Any personal information collected through such records will be used for us to respond to your inquiry or complaint as well as for training purposes with a view to improving our customer service. We may collect personal and other information through various types of technologies used in our Store. These can include our point-of-sale systems (through which we collect transaction and loyalty information), video surveillance (which we use for safety and security purposes) or other similar types of technologies. For example, we may use video analytics which allows us to track the number of individuals in our Stores and consider certain demographic information about our customer base in order to generally identify your location in our Store or your close proximity to it for marketing, to generate coupons and other offers, for analytical purposes and to prompt our associates as to which customers may need help. We may also use technology that recognizes the Wi-Fi or Bluetooth MAC address of a visitor to our Store so that we can better understand foot traffic patterns within the Store. We may collect information from other sources with your consent. For example, if you apply for employment or a franchise opportunity, we may contact references that you provide in your application.
4. How We Use Information
We use personal and other information collected from or about you for any of the following purposes:
To provide our Services to you, to communicate with you about your use of our Services, to respond to your inquiries, to fulfill your orders, and for other customer service purposes;
To process transactions, process and track returns and exchanges, and to detect and protect against error or fraud as part of our loss prevention program (including through the use of automated decision-making tools);
To improve your online in-store shopping experience, to tailor the content and information that we may send or display to you, and to otherwise personalize your experiences while using the Services;
To review the usage and operations of our Services, develop new products or services, and conduct analysis to enhance or improve our Services;
For tailored marketing and promotional communications such as newsletters and special offers, online tailored advertising, or to otherwise contact you about products or information we think may interest you, including information about third party products and services;
To process and administer our customer loyalty program;
To communicate with you about Pet Valu surveys, contests, sweepstakes and other promotions;
To better understand and improve how users access and interact with our Services, and for other research and analytical purposes;
To process your application for employment, or for a franchise opportunity;
To protect the security or integrity of the Services and our business;
To comply with legal obligations, as part of our general business operations, and for other business administration purposes;
To communicate with you regarding any changes to this Privacy Policy or our agreements, terms or policies;
We may anonymize and/or aggregate personal information so that it is no longer considered personal information, and we may use and disclose the anonymized and/or aggregated information for any purpose; and/or
For other purposes disclosed at the time you provide your information or otherwise with your consent.
5. Information We Share
A. Service Providers In the course of providing our programs, products, promotions, contests, events and other aspects of the Services, Pet Valu may share personal information with service providers (including our franchisees and affiliates acting in this capacity). These service providers help us operate our business, technology systems and applications, internal procedures, infrastructure and advertising and marketing. They provide services to us such as the administration and processing of our customer loyalty programs, data hosting, e-commerce operations, payment processing, contest administration, email deployment, product reviews, marketing, and processing or analysis of personal information and other data. Our service providers may be located in the United States or Canada.
B. Third Parties Pet Valu may provide certain aspects of the Services through arrangements with third parties. As a result, your personal information may be shared with the applicable third party. These third parties may have their own privacy policies and terms and conditions, which will govern their use of your personal information. You will be informed of the specific third-party arrangement in this Privacy Policy or when signing up for the relevant program, product or service so that you can review the appropriate privacy policies. Examples of such third-party arrangements are set out below.
Fraud Detection and Prevention We share information with Kount (a third party) for the purposes of detecting and preventing fraudulent e-commerce transactions. The information that we share with Kount includes your name, phone number, email and shipping and billing addresses, transaction information and information about any returns or exchanges. Kount also collects certain information automatically through cookies and similar technologies, such as your IP address and device information. Kount uses this information, in combination with similar information obtained from other merchants, to provide fraud detection and prevention services to us and to others, and for other purposes such as statistical analysis, fraud prevention, and product improvement development, as further described in the Kount Privacy Policy at https://kount.com/legal/privacy-policy.
Co-Branded Relationships. Certain areas of our Services may be provided to you in association with third parties, such as advertisers that provide products and services or rewards programs. We may share information with these third parties if you participate in a co-branded, co-sponsored, or jointly presented promotion, contest, survey, voting feature, or service.
Sweepstakes, Contests, and Promotions. If you choose to enter into one of our sweepstakes, contests, or other promotions (a "Promotion") through the Services, we may disclose your information to third parties (such as prize suppliers or co-sponsors) or the public (for example, to announce winners) in connection with the administration of such Promotion, as required by law, as otherwise permitted by the Promotion's official rules, or otherwise in accordance with the terms of this Policy.
C. Other Permitted Reasons Pet Valu may also share information in the following circumstances:
Stores.
Personal information that we collect in connection with our loyalty program, including customer name and contact information, information about the customer’s pet(s), and transaction information, is shared with our retail stores (both owned and franchised) to administer the loyalty program, provide customer service, provide personalized product or service recommendations, and for marketing purposes.
Business Transfers:
If we are acquired by or merged with another company, or if all or any portion of our business, assets, or stock are transferred to another company (including in connection with any bankruptcy or similar proceedings), we may transfer the information we have collected from you to such other company.
To Comply with Law or in Response to Legal Process:
We or our service providers may disclose the information we collect from you in order to comply with United States, Canadian or foreign laws applicable to us or our service providers, including in connection with a judicial proceeding, court order, or other legal process, such as in response to a subpoena or to cooperate with law enforcement.
To Protect Pet Valu and/or Others:
We also may disclose the information we collect from you where we believe it is necessary to investigate, prevent, or take action regarding illegal activities, suspected fraud, situations involving potential threats to the safety, rights, privacy, or property of any person, violations of our respective terms or conditions of use, or as evidence in litigation in which Pet Valu is involved.
With Your Consent.
We may share your personal information for other purposes with your consent or as otherwise permitted by law or required by law.
User Generated Content If you post content on our Site or through our other online Services, including on our social media pages or outreaches, everything you post may become publicly available. We cannot prevent any information or content you post online from being viewed or copied by others and used in a manner that may violate this Policy, the law, or your personal privacy.
6. Your Rights and Choices Regarding Your Information
In connection with Pet Valu’s collection and use of your personal information, you have the right to request access to or correction of the personal information in Pet Valu’s custody or control and to withdraw your consent to the collection, use or disclosure of your personal information. You may also have additional rights, in specified circumstances to request the deletion of your personal information or to request a copy of the information you have provided to us be transferred to another person. These rights are subject to applicable legal and contractual restrictions, and we will respond to your request consistent with applicable law. If you would like to make a request in relation to your personal information in Pet Valu’s control, or if you would like to withdraw your consent to our processing of your personal information, please contact us at: privacy@petvalu.com or (if available on a particular Site) you may be able to review and make certain changes regarding your collected personal information by editing your information and preferences on the "My Account" page. Please note that we may take appropriate steps to verify your identity before responding to your request. Do-Not-Track. Currently, Pet Valu’s systems do not recognize browser “do-not-track” requests.
Opt-Out Preferences To opt-out of marketing communications we send to your email address or mobile device, you may use one of these methods:
Electronic Promotional Offers.
If you do not want to receive emails from Pet Valu regarding special promotions or offers, you may (i) click the unsubscribe link in the footer of any email we send you; or (ii) contact us using the information listed in the “Contact Us” section below. Please note that it may take up to 10 business days for us to process opt-out requests. If you opt-out, we may still send you emails about your account, rewards earned or forfeited, and/or any services you have requested or received from us.
Mobile Promotional Offers.
With your consent, we may send you marketing via text message to the mobile phone number you provided to Pet Valu. Standard data and message rates will apply. If you no longer wish to receive mobile alerts from us, you can (i) follow the instructions provided in those messages or otherwise reply STOP to any Pet Valu alert; or (ii) contact us using the information listed in the “Contact Us” section below.
7. Data Security and Retention
Personal information is maintained on our servers or those of our service providers and is accessible by authorized employees, representatives and agents as necessary for the purposes described in this Privacy Policy. Our Services implement, use and maintain reasonable physical, administrative, and technical steps designed to safeguard the personal information we collect from and about our customers and Site visitors. These security measures are reasonably designed to help secure your personal information from loss, unauthorized access or disclosure, both in storage and in transmission. While Pet Valu takes the issue of protecting your personal information seriously, please be aware that security cannot be totally guaranteed. You should exercise discretion in what information you disclose and/or transmit online. Pet Valu cannot guarantee that information sent over the Internet is fully secure. The transmitted information may be intercepted by others before it reaches Pet Valu. If you are concerned about sending personal information to Pet Valu over the Internet, please send the information by mail or call us to make other arrangements. Pet Valu is not responsible for the security of information sent over the Internet. Pet Valu retains personal information for a reasonable amount of time in order to fulfill the stated purpose for why the information was collected. Pet Valu will also retain personal information connected to business records for periods of time required by law. If Pet Valu determines that information is no longer needed, it will anonymize, delete or dispose of any copies of such information. Our retention periods will be consistent with applicable law.
8. Children
Our Services are not designed for, directed at, marketed to, nor intended for, children under 13 years of age. Pet Valu does not knowingly collect any information, including personal information, from children under 13 years of age. If we discover that a child under 13 has provided us with personal information, we will delete such information from our systems, and/or we will destroy or otherwise properly dispose of any copies of such information.
9. International Concerns
Our Services are meant for individuals within Canada. Pet Valu only knowingly collects information from individuals within Canada. If you provide information to Pet Valu from outside these jurisdictions, you do so at your own risk. If you are outside of Canada, you are responsible for complying with any local laws regarding your use of our Site and Services, and any related information collection. You also understand that, by providing any information, including personal information, on the Site or through the Services, that such information will be transmitted to, and stored in, any Canadian province or the United States.
10. Third Party Content, Links, and Plug-Ins
Certain parts of our Services may have links to third-party websites, applications or other online services, including those embedded in third-party advertisements or sponsor information, which are not controlled by Pet Valu and which may have privacy policies that differ from our own. Pet Valu is not responsible for the privacy practices or information collection policies of such third-party services. You should consult the privacy policies of those third-party services for details.
Pet Valu may also allow interaction between our Services and other online services such as social media providers. This may include “Like” buttons or other plugins available through the Services that allow you to share information with persons outside of the Site or our other online Services. Please consult the privacy policies of such third-party providers before using them to make sure you are comfortable with the level of sharing.
11. Our Relationship with Franchisees
Pet Valu Canada Inc. (“Pet Valu Canada”) operates and franchises retail stores in Canada under the banners: “Pet Valu”, “ Paulmac’s Pets,” “Bosley’s by Pet Valu,” “Total Pet,” and “Tisol.” Pet Valu Canada is in control of the personal information collected at retail stores in Canada that are owned by Pet Valu and at all retail stores in Canada where the personal information is collected in connection with the Your Rewards ™ program. As independent businesses, Pet Valu Canada’s franchisees control personal information collected at their stores (other than in connection with the Your Rewards ™ program) and are responsible under applicable laws for adopting their own privacy policies to protect your personal information in a manner consistent with this Policy. Pet Valu Canada is in control of the personal information collected from the following websites: “petvalu.ca;” “paulmacs.com;” “bosleys.com;” “tisol.ca;” “totalpet.ca;” “performatrin.com;” “headtotaildaily.com;” and “franchise.petvalu.ca.”
12. Contact Us
If you have any questions or comments about this Privacy Policy, please contact the Privacy Officer by:
Calling Pet Valu Canada Customer Service at 905-946-1200
Emailing us at privacy@petvalu.com
Writing us at 130 Royal Crest Court, Markham, Ontario, L3R 0A1
