Privacy Policy

At the Bernard Group, we value the privacy of our users.

This Privacy Notice, effective March 25, 2019, applies only to the practices of the websites owned and operated by The Bernard Group (“we,” “us,” “our,” or “TBG”).

Accordingly, this Privacy Notice aims to clarify how we collect, maintain, and use information on https://thebernardgroup.com/ (the “Site”).  This Privacy Notice explains our online information practices and your choices about how we collect and use your information on the Site.  The terms of this Privacy Notice are subject to the Site’s Terms of Use Agreement, available at: <link to Terms of Use>

This Privacy Notice is subject to periodic changes and updates.  These changes are effective upon posting to the Site.  Please check this Privacy Notice periodically for updates.  Carefully read this Privacy Notice before using the Site.  Your continued use of the Site constitutes your acceptance of the terms of this Privacy Notice, as amended from time to time.  If you do not accept the terms of this Privacy Notice, you may NOT use the Site or services offered therein.

This Privacy Notice does not apply to the practices of any third parties.  In cases where the Site directs you to the website of any third party, this Privacy Notice does not govern the privacy practices of such third parties, and we ask that you refer to their respective privacy policies for details on their use of your information.

We are a visual merchandising company serving the needs of some of the most prestigious retailers in the industry.  We have a proven ability to consistently execute on complex ideas at the very highest levels, from design to manufacturing. Ranging from printed Point of Purchase displays to retail environments, we offer a vast array of services and custom solutions to create a compelling experience for your clients and customers.

By using the Site, you affirm that you are a U.S. resident at least 18 years of age (according to our Terms of Use), and you are using the Site for a legitimate purpose such as (1) to submit a question or comment to us; (2) because you are interested in utilizing our services; or (3) because you are a current customer of ours.

The amount, type, and use of the personal information we collect from you depends upon your use of the Site and our services.  As a general matter, we only collect the personal information that you provide to us.

The Personal Information We May Collect Consists Of:

• Contact information, including name, e-mail address, place of work, and telephone number;
• Correspondence and other information that you send to us;
• Information regarding your social media accounts, including any social media platforms that interact with the Sites; and
• Additional information as otherwise described to you at the point of collection or that you otherwise provide to us.

How Your Personal Information May Be Used:

We may use your personal information, if and to the extent that you provide it to us:

• To provide you with news, products, promotions, services, newsletters, and/or information that you request;
• To respond to you regarding the reason you contacted us;
• To contact you about products, services, and events that we think might be of interest to you;
• To send you promotional materials, special offers, or other marketing communications;
• To provide, maintain, administer, or expand the services that we provide;
• To perform research and analyses so that we can improve the quality of our business, the Site, and other products and services we offer;
• To customize and personalize your use of the Site;
• To provide to third parties so they can help us perform any of the above-listed tasks or processes; and

As otherwise described to you at the point of collection or pursuant to your consent.

During your use of the Site, we may collect certain non-personal information (“NPI”) like your internet service provider, browser type, domain name, website that referred you to the Site, web pages that you request on the Site, date and time of those requests, your domain name, and your IP address.

We use NPI to improve your access to the Site and the Site’s functionality.  We use NPI for purposes such as optimizing the performance of the Site, gauging the Site’s popularity, or otherwise improving your access to the Site.  NPI may also be used to establish trends in activity on the Site, monitor the Site’s performance, improve the Site’s design, provide services, inform third parties about our services, and for other business purposes. You hereby disclaim any right to privacy or other interest in NPI that we may collect through the Site.

“Cookies” are a type of NPI.  They are pieces of code/text that some websites transfer to the computer that is browsing that website, and are used for record-keeping purposes. Use of cookies allows us to provide you with certain conveniences when using the Site, such as delivering content specific to your interests, providing you with marketing materials that may interest you, or pre-populating user information to save you from having to re-enter your data at each connection. We also may use cookies to track the path of users through the Site, and to keep track of how they arrived at the Site (for example, via a search engine).  Most web browsers allow you to configure your browser’s preferences to prevent your browser from accepting new cookies, notify you when you receive a new cookie, or disable cookies altogether. If you would prefer not to receive cookies, you may alter the configuration of your browser to refuse cookies. If you choose to have your browser refuse cookies, it is possible that some areas of the Site will not function properly when you view them.

We are committed to maintaining your trust, and we want you to understand when and with whom we may share the information that we collect.  We do not otherwise share, sell, or distribute your personal information collected through the Site to third parties.

• Service Providers: In addition to our sharing practices described above, we may share your personal information as may be necessary with third-party service providers that perform certain functions or services on our behalf (such as manage databases, perform research and analyses, develop marketing strategies and campaigns, manage our social media presence and connections, perform targeted advertising, or improve our Site or mobile apps).These third parties may use your personal information to conduct research and analyses for us, develop targeted advertising on our behalf, and/or contact you via social media/email to send you, on our behalf, special offers, products, promotional materials, or marketing communications.
• Business Transfer: If we sell all or part of our businesses, or make a sale or transfer of assets, or are otherwise involved in a merger or business transfer, or in the unlikely event of bankruptcy, a business reorganization, or similar event, we may transfer any part or all of your personal information as part of such transaction.
• Administrative or Legal Process: We may disclose any or all of your personal information to third parties when we have reasonable grounds to believe that use or disclosure is necessary to protect the legal rights, privacy, property, safety, and security of our organization, our corporate affiliates, subsidiaries, business partners, users of our services, or any other person or organization; to enforce our internal policies, to respond to and resolve claims or complaints; to prevent fraud or for risk management purposes; and to comply with or respond to law enforcement, legal/regulatory process, or a request for cooperation by a government or other entity (whether or not legally required).
• Public Information: We may share information that is public with third parties. Public information includes content you share with us online or via social media.
• Non-Personal Information: We may share NPI (including personal information that has been de-identified and/or aggregated), with advertisers, sponsors, or other third parties for any reason at our sole discretion.

This Privacy Notice applies only to the information we collect through the Site.  The Site may contain links to other websites, online services, file-sharing tools such as DropBox or certain FTP/file-transfer utilities, or social media platforms such as Twitter or Facebook, that are operated and maintained by third parties and that are not under the control of or maintained by us.  Such links do not constitute an endorsement by us of those other websites, online services, file-sharing tools, or social media platforms—including, the content displayed therein, the security or integrity of such sites, services, tools, or platforms, or the persons or entities associated with any of the preceding.

This Privacy Notice does not apply to this third-party content.  We are not responsible for the privacy practices, policies, or content of such other websites, services, tools or platforms.  We encourage you to review the privacy practices of these third-parties.

We have established and implemented appropriate physical, electronic, and managerial procedures to safeguard and secure the information that we collect through the Site.  Your privacy is important to us, and we use commercially reasonable efforts and reasonably available technologies to preserve the security of your information and protect it from unauthorized use or disclosure. You understand, however, that no system is perfect, and we cannot ensure or warrant the security of any or all of the personal information that you transmit through the Site.

We do not knowingly collect, use, or disclose personal information from children under the age of 13.  We also do not authorize individuals who are under the age of 13 to use the Site, nor do we direct our Site to those under 13 years of age.  If we are made aware we have collected personal information from a child under 13 years old in a manner that is inconsistent with the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act, we will delete this information as soon as possible.

California Civil Code Section 1798.83 permits California residents to request certain information regarding our disclosures of your personal information to third parties for their direct marketing purposes. To make such a request, please contact us.

Some web browsers may transmit “do-not-track” signals to the websites with which you are communicating.  Because of differences in how web browsers incorporate and activate this feature, it is not always clear whether you intend for these signals to be transmitted, or whether you even are aware of them.  Because there currently is no industry standard concerning what, if anything, websites should do when they receive such signals, we currently do not take action in response to these signals.

If you submit your personal information to us, we may send you promotional emails, newsletters, and similar communications from us.  You may opt out of receiving commercial emails from us by clicking on the opt-out or “unsubscribe” link included in the commercial emails you receive.  Please note that opt-out requests may take some time to be effective.  Your opt-out request will not apply to messages that you request or that are not commercial in nature.  For example, even if you opt out of receiving unsolicited commercial email messages, we may contact you concerning a request for service that you have submitted, or to otherwise respond to you regarding the reason you contacted us.

Consistent with our above-stated practices, we will retain your personal information for as long as needed to provide you with our services and otherwise in our discretion. We will retain and use your personal information as necessary to comply with our legal obligations, resolve disputes, and enforce our agreements.

Please note that the Site is directed towards users who reside in the United States. By using the Site, you affirm that you reside in the United States, and you consent to the collection, storage, processing, and transfer of your information in and to the United States, pursuant to the laws of the United States.  We do not knowingly collect, use, or disclose information of European Union residents.

This Privacy Notice is subject to periodic changes and updates.  These changes are effective upon posting to the Site.  Please check this Privacy Notice periodically for updates.  Your continued use of the Site  constitutes your acceptance of the terms of this Privacy Notice, as amended from time to time.  IF YOU DO NOT AGREE TO FUTURE CHANGES TO THIS PRIVACY NOTICE, YOU MUST STOP USING THE SITE AND SERVICES AFTER THE EFFECTIVE DATE OF SUCH CHANGES.

Requests from all government authorities and 3rd Parties must be issued according to applicable laws/rules and accompanied by a valid court order, such as a subpoena or search warrant.  Government and 3rd party requests can be submitted to compliance@thebernardgroup.com or via postal mail:

The Bernard Group

19011 Lake Drive E

Chanhassen, MN 55317

Attn: Information Security Department

If the request is legally valid and satisfies our other requirements, we will disclose user, account, and records associated with our products and services, if available, in accordance with and subject to applicable law.  In the circumstance where we believe that there is no valid legal basis, or that the request is vague or overbroad, The Bernard Group will challenge or reject the request.

As a processor/service provider, The Bernard Group is oftentimes contractually obligated to notify the owner of the data which we store, process or transmit.  Said owners may seek injunctive relief, protective order or other remedies to protect the confidentiality of data stored on systems owned or operated by The Bernard Group.

We are always happy to hear from you with your questions or comments.  For additional information, or if you have any questions about this Privacy Notice or our privacy practices in general, please contact us by email at compliance@thebernardgroup.com with a subject line of “Privacy Notice Inquiry” or by regular mail at:

The Bernard Group

19011 Lake Drive E

Chanhassen, MN 55317

Attn:  Retail Marketing Department_____________

Please provide details in your correspondence to enable us to respond and take appropriate action.  It may take up to thirty (30) days to see changes or results.