Privacy Policy
Last updated: 23 October 2026
1. Who is responsible for your information
Greater Manchester Businesses is operated by Creative Apple Solutions Ltd, registered in England and Wales under company number 12417645. We are the controller of personal information used to operate this directory and marketplace. Our registered office is 67 Europa Business Park, Bird Hall Lane, Stockport, England, SK3 0XA.
For questions or privacy requests, email info@creativeapple.ltd or use the details on our Contact Us page.
2. Information we collect
We receive information when you register, submit or update a listing, buy a package, publish a review, use direct messaging or contact us. Depending on how you use the site, this includes:
- Your name, account email, login information, contact details and billing address.
- Business descriptions, locations, opening hours, images, website links and other listing content you submit.
- Reviews, messages, enquiries and related correspondence.
- Order information, subscription status, renewal dates, payment references and limited payment-method details.
- Technical information used to deliver and protect the site, such as your IP address, browser information and records of relevant website requests or account activity.
Some information is necessary to create an account, publish a listing or process an order. If you do not provide it, we may be unable to supply that feature. Please avoid sending unnecessary sensitive information, passwords or payment-card details in messages or listing content.
3. Public listings, reviews and messages
Information included in a published listing or review is visible to other visitors and may appear in search engines. Only submit information and images you are entitled to publish. Images can contain embedded location information; remove this before uploading if you do not want it disclosed.
Direct messages are shared with their intended recipients. A business that receives your enquiry is responsible for its own subsequent use of that information. Its privacy practices may differ from ours.
4. Why we use personal information
- To provide your service: we use account, listing, order and subscription information to perform our contract with you or take steps you request before entering one.
- To communicate and provide support: we answer enquiries, send service and subscription messages, resolve problems and administer business relationships. Where you are a contact person for another business, we rely on our legitimate interest in managing that relationship.
- To protect and operate the directory: our legitimate interests include preventing misuse and fraud, maintaining security and accurate records, moderating content and handling complaints.
- To meet legal obligations: we keep relevant financial and other records and respond to lawful requests.
- Where consent applies: you can withdraw consent to the relevant use at any time. Withdrawal does not affect processing that was lawful before it was withdrawn.
You may object to processing based on legitimate interests. We consider the purpose of the processing, its necessity and its effect on your rights when assessing such use and any objection. Essential account and payment communications are separate from marketing.
5. Payments and recurring subscriptions
Payments are processed through Stripe. Relevant billing, transaction and technical information is shared with Stripe for payment processing, recurring payments and fraud prevention. Card details are entered into Stripe’s payment fields; we do not store your full card number or card security code on this website. We retain payment references, payment status and limited payment-method information needed to administer orders and subscriptions.
Stripe also processes information for its own legal and regulatory purposes. Its Privacy Policy explains these activities and your choices.
6. Hosting, other recipients and international processing
Hostinger provides the website hosting infrastructure and processes website information needed to provide that service. Its Data Processing Addendum explains its role and safeguards.
With your consent, we use Google Analytics to understand website use. We also use Mapbox for map features. These services and the Google Analytics choice are explained below, with links to their privacy notices.
Information may also be available to authorised people and providers supporting website administration, security, communications, accounting or professional advice, to the extent necessary for their role. We may disclose relevant information where required by law or needed to establish, exercise or defend a legal claim.
Our service providers operate internationally, so information may be processed outside the UK. Stripe’s policy describes transfers including to the United States and India and the safeguards it uses, including adequacy arrangements and contractual clauses with the UK International Data Transfer Addendum where applicable. Hostinger’s data processing terms also provide for international processing and applicable contractual transfer safeguards. Contact us if you would like information about the arrangements relevant to your data.
7. Keeping and deleting information
The site currently has no automatic age-based deletion schedule for inactive accounts, order records, ended subscriptions or locally held Stripe payment records. These records can remain stored indefinitely unless they are manually removed. Cancelling a renewal does not by itself delete your account, listing, messages or payment records.
You can contact us to ask about a particular record or request deletion. When assessing a request, we consider whether the information is still needed for an active account or listing, outstanding payments, an unresolved enquiry or complaint, accounting and tax requirements, or an actual or potential legal claim. Where there is no continuing lawful reason to retain personal information, it must be deleted or anonymised. Some records must be retained to meet legal obligations. Stripe and other providers apply their own retention arrangements to information they hold, as explained in their linked policies.
8. Cookies and external content
Cookies and similar technologies support functions such as signing in, keeping an account session, remembering a basket, completing checkout and protecting payments. Stripe may also use device information and cookies for payment security; see its Cookie Policy.
Google Analytics (optional): we load our Google Analytics tag only after you choose Accept analytics. It helps us understand visits, page use and interactions. Google can receive information about visited pages, your browser or device, and approximate location, and use analytics cookies such as _ga and _ga_MRPP05779W. You can choose Reject analytics without losing access to the website’s account or shopping features. Read how Google uses information from websites using its services and its Privacy Policy.
Use the Privacy settings button to change your choice at any time. To withdraw consent, open it and select Reject analytics. This stops our Google Analytics tag sending further analytics information from this browser and clears known Google Analytics cookies accessible to this website. It does not erase information already sent to Google or affect processing that was lawful before withdrawal.
We use a record in this browser’s local storage to remember whether you accepted or rejected analytics, together with the choice and expiry times. Your choice remains effective for six months; after expiry, analytics stays off until you choose again. Clearing the site’s browser storage can reset your choice earlier. Choices are specific to the browser and device; if storage is unavailable, a choice may not persist when you leave the page.
This control covers Google Analytics. The directory separately records listing views and button clicks to provide listing-performance information to listing owners. The analytics choice does not turn off those records, account and checkout functions, payment security or the map features described below.
Mapbox: when map features load or are used, Mapbox can receive technical information such as an IP address, browser details and information needed to answer a map request. If you choose to share device location, location information may also be used for the requested feature. See the Mapbox Product Privacy Policy.
Your browser lets you view, remove or block cookies. Blocking cookies needed for a requested service may prevent sign-in, basket or checkout features from working. Removing a cookie does not itself cancel a subscription or close an account.
If you follow an external link or interact with content supplied by another website, that provider’s own privacy and cookie information applies to its processing. A link to another business does not mean that we control its website or privacy practices.
9. Your rights
Depending on the circumstances, you can ask to access, correct or erase your personal information, restrict its use or receive a portable copy. You can object to processing based on legitimate interests and to direct marketing. You can withdraw consent where processing relies on it. These rights are subject to applicable conditions and exemptions.
Email info@creativeapple.ltd to make a request. We may need information to confirm your identity before disclosing or changing personal information. You can also complain to the Information Commissioner’s Office. Please contact us if you have a concern so we can try to resolve it.
10. Policy updates
We will update this policy when our practices change and publish the latest version here. The date above indicates when it was last updated.
Rental adverts and enquiries
If you advertise a rental, we process the property details, photographs, location and advertiser contact information you provide, together with enquiries and messages. We use these details to publish and manage your advert, handle your advertising purchase, and enable communication about the property. Information shown on your published advert can be viewed publicly. Do not include identity documents, bank details or information about current occupiers in public descriptions or photographs.
Stripe processes payments for our advertising packages. Our rental advertising checkout does not collect a tenant’s rent or tenancy deposit. The other sections of this privacy policy, including sharing, retention and your rights, also apply to rental-advert information.
Events, marketplace orders and promotions
For event adverts and listing or product promotions, we process the submitted details, organiser or account contact information, purchases and promotion records needed to supply the service. Published advert and seller-profile information is public. Our advertising checkout does not issue event tickets or collect tenants’ rent or tenancy deposits.
For marketplace orders, we process customer and seller names and contact details, product and order information, delivery or collection details, payment status, commission and seller-payment records, and correspondence about fulfilment, refunds or disputes. The relevant seller receives the information needed to fulfil and support their part of the order, which can include the customer’s name, contact details and delivery address. An order involving several sellers may require relevant information to be shared with each of those sellers.
For their own sales, fulfilment, accounting and legal obligations, sellers normally determine how they use the information they receive and are responsible for that processing. A seller must provide appropriate privacy information, protect customer data and use it only for lawful purposes. Receiving an order or enquiry does not automatically permit unrelated marketing. Contact the seller about their own handling of your information, and contact us about the platform’s processing; we remain responsible for our own activities.
Messages, complaints and payment disputes
Enquiries and messages are made available to their intended recipients. If you report non-delivery, a product problem, fraud, misuse or a privacy concern, we process the complaint and the relevant evidence supplied to us. This may include order details, correspondence, tracking information, photographs and payment references. Please remove information that is unrelated to the complaint and never send passwords or full card details.
Authorised people handling a report may review relevant platform account, order and support records, together with messages or evidence provided for that investigation. To address the report, we may share necessary information with the relevant buyer or seller, Stripe, service providers helping us handle the issue, professional advisers or competent authorities where appropriate. We limit sharing to what is relevant and have regard to confidentiality and the rights of everyone involved. A complaint is not automatically published as a review.
We use this information to perform our contracts, meet legal obligations and pursue legitimate interests in administering transactions, preventing misuse, resolving disputes and establishing, exercising or defending legal claims. Your rights and the explanation of those lawful bases elsewhere in this policy continue to apply. Records may need to be retained while a complaint, payment dispute, legal duty or claim remains unresolved; this is subject to the retention explanation above and does not mean every record must be kept permanently.
Stripe and seller onboarding
Stripe processes payments and seller payment-account connections. It may collect identity, business and financial information directly from sellers during onboarding. We receive account and transaction information needed to operate the marketplace, such as connection status, payment and transfer status and reference identifiers. The website does not store full card numbers or card security codes.
We may disclose information to tax or other competent authorities when legally required. This does not mean every seller or transaction is reportable. The other provisions of this policy, including recipients, international transfers, retention and your rights, apply to marketplace and complaint information.
Service bookings and appointments
Where you request or purchase a bookable service, we process the account and contact details, selected service, date and time, duration, number of participants where relevant, booking status, payment references and necessary instructions you provide. We use these details to administer the request or booking, communicate about its status and handle changes, cancellations or disputes.
The relevant service provider receives the information needed to deliver and support the booking. This may include your name, contact details, chosen appointment and relevant instructions. A provider is responsible for its own use of customer information for delivering its services and meeting its legal obligations, as explained in the seller information above. Booking details are not published as directory content.
Please provide only information needed for the booking. Do not put medical records, identity documents, payment-card details or other unnecessary sensitive information in public descriptions or ordinary booking messages. If a provider needs additional information, it must explain why and provide an appropriate way to supply it.
The contract, legitimate-interest and legal-obligation grounds, recipients, payment processing, retention criteria and rights described elsewhere in this policy apply to booking records. Cancelling an appointment does not automatically delete its order or correspondence, particularly where a refund, complaint or legal obligation remains outstanding.
News advertising data
When you create a banner campaign, we use your account details, business name, artwork, accessible image description, destination URL, order reference, payment status and moderation records to provide and administer the advertising service. The main basis is performing our contract with you; preventing misuse, reviewing content and resolving disputes also support our legitimate interests.
Artwork is stored on our website. Approved adverts for running campaigns display the artwork, business name, description and destination link publicly. Uploaded images should not contain confidential information or personal information you do not have permission to publish. Campaign-management information and order details are restricted to the account holder and authorised administrators.
Banner selection uses the current eligible campaigns and a request made when the page loads. This advertising feature does not set tracking cookies or record individual advert clicks or impressions. Ordinary website and security logs may still contain technical request information. Clicking an advert opens another website, which processes information under its own privacy and cookie practices. Affiliate or referral parameters in the destination link may let that provider attribute a referral.
Campaigns, artwork and related order records follow the retention and rights provisions in this policy. Expiry stops advert display; it does not automatically delete the campaign, artwork or financial record.
Advertising Review Records and Service Emails
When you submit or update advertising, we process your account and contact details, submitted artwork, destination links and moderation records to administer the campaign, assess compliance, communicate decisions and manage complaints. Records may include approval or rejection decisions, reasons, relevant timestamps and content fingerprints (hashes) used to identify changes and check that the published material matches the approved version.
We use transactional emails to notify the administrator of campaigns requiring attention and to inform advertisers about campaign review and decisions. Notification records help us manage delivery attempts and avoid duplicate messages; email receipt cannot be guaranteed. These service messages do not enrol you in marketing communications or imply marketing consent.
Payment information remains subject to the payment-processing provisions of this Privacy Policy. Our existing provisions on access, sharing, security, retention and your rights also apply to advertising review records. For the rules governing submitted content and campaign approval, see the Advertising Content and Approval Policy.
Optional calculator emails
You can use our calculators without providing an email address. If you choose to email an estimate to yourself, Creative Apple Solutions Ltd, trading as Greater Manchester Businesses, processes your address and the figures needed to recalculate and send that estimate. Please use an address you own. Emailing an estimate does not subscribe you to marketing.
For ordinary requested estimate emails and operational delivery records, we rely on our legitimate interests in providing the service you request, preventing misuse and resolving delivery problems. Optional marketing relies on your separate consent. For BMI health information and any ethnic origin information you choose to provide, we rely on your explicit consent, including the special-category condition for health and ethnic origin data. You can still use the on-screen calculator without giving that consent. You may object to processing based on legitimate interests, and the rights explained in this policy continue to apply.
For BMI, a separate unchecked box asks for your explicit consent to process your BMI details, including height, weight, any optional age or sex, and any ethnic background you choose to provide. Ethnic background is optional and adjusts the interpretation thresholds, not the BMI formula. When you explicitly request the email and give that consent, your current figures are sent to our server for validation and recalculation, and we attempt to email the estimate directly to the address you entered. Please check that the address is correct and belongs to you. You may stop before submitting; you can also contact us about withdrawing consent or exercising your data rights. Withdrawal does not undo processing already completed or recall a delivered email.
Our calculator request database records your email address, the selected tool, request date, delivery-processing status and consent reference. It does not store calculator inputs or results. Request records are scheduled for deletion once they are more than 90 days old. Short-lived keyed hashes support request limits and duplicate prevention. Your chosen mail service, our website mail plugins and our delivery providers may process or retain the email and its contents in delivery queues, mail logs or mailboxes; the calculator database restriction is not a promise that email contents are never stored elsewhere.
The separate, optional news-and-offers checkbox is unchecked by default. If selected, it starts a marketing preference which becomes active only after you confirm the separate email link, valid for 48 hours. We keep the address and confirmation evidence while the preference is active. You can unsubscribe using the email link without an account, or contact us. A minimal suppression record is retained to respect an opt-out. Marketing exports contain confirmed contact details and consent evidence, not calculator figures or results. We do not use BMI, health or ethnic background details to select marketing recipients.
See the rest of this Privacy Policy for our contact details, service providers and your data-protection rights.
News, AI assistance and editorial complaints
AI assistance may be used to organise public sources and draft news. Relevant publicly available names, professional roles and business details may be processed by editorial AI service providers for that purpose. Public availability does not remove data-protection rights.
We process editorial information in our legitimate interests in reporting local news and maintaining accurate records, where balanced with individuals’ rights. When you send a correction, permission record or rights complaint, we use your contact details, page addresses and supporting information to investigate, reply and handle legal obligations or claims.
Where necessary and lawful, relevant details may be shared with contributors, rights holders, advisers or authorities. For a defamation complaint, tell us whether you consent to your name and email being shared with the author.
Contact info@creativeapple.ltd about these uses. The retention criteria, transfer safeguards and rights explained elsewhere in this policy continue to apply. This addition does not grant a licence to train AI on private user submissions.
Optional Address Search and Road Distance
The fuel and EV calculators can be used with a distance you enter yourself. Where available and enabled, if you activate the optional Mapbox lookup, the text you type into its address fields is sent to our website server, which requests suggestions from Mapbox. Selecting a suggestion lets the server request its coordinates; asking for a road distance sends the selected coordinates to Mapbox for a driving-route estimate. These requests include a temporary search-session identifier and technical connection information. The feature does not request your device’s current location.
Address searches, selected places and coordinates are processed temporarily in the current page and while our server handles the lookup. The calculator does not save them in its database, include them in estimate emails or record them as calculator analytics events. The resulting numerical distance can be used in your cost calculation and, if you choose, included with that estimate’s figures in an email. We keep a current-month aggregate usage counter and security identifiers derived from network addresses to limit misuse; these records do not contain the searched addresses or coordinates. The identifiers are replaced when a new hourly rate-limit window is used. A daily scheduled cleanup also removes identifiers older than 24 hours; its timing depends on the site scheduler or traffic, so deletion is not guaranteed exactly 24 hours after a request. Disabling the lookup clears these identifiers when storage is available. Plugin deactivation attempts the same cleanup; if it cannot be verified, the operator must complete the cleanup separately. The aggregate count of provider attempts is kept separately from these identifiers.
Mapbox receives the search and route information through our server and processes requests under its Product Privacy Policy. This explanation of what our calculator stores is not a promise that Mapbox, hosting infrastructure or other service providers keep no technical records. We use the lookup to provide the optional service you request and the limited security records to protect that service. You can enter a distance manually without activating the lookup. Our other explanations of service providers, international processing, retention and your rights continue to apply. The separate Google Analytics choice does not control a Mapbox lookup you expressly activate.