Introduction
The Village Mall ("we", "us", "our") operates the website thevillage.ae and provides retail, dining, entertainment and leasing services at our premises in Sharjah, United Arab Emirates.
This Privacy Policy describes how we collect, use, disclose and safeguard your information when you visit our website, scan our QR codes, submit an enquiry, or otherwise interact with us. It is issued in accordance with the UAE Federal Decree-Law No. 45 of 2021 on the Protection of Personal Data (PDPL) and other applicable laws of the United Arab Emirates.
Information We Collect
Information you provide directly
We collect information that you voluntarily submit through forms on our website (for example, our leasing enquiry form), by email, or in person:
| Category | Examples | Purpose |
|---|---|---|
| Identity | Full name | To address you and process your enquiry |
| Contact | Mobile number, email address | To respond to your enquiry |
| Business | Company / brand name, category, preferred unit size | To match you with the right leasing opportunity |
| Enquiry details | Number of units, message content | To understand and respond to your request |
Information collected automatically
When you visit our website or scan a QR code we host, certain information is collected automatically by our servers and analytics tools:
- Device & browser data — device type (mobile, tablet, desktop), operating system, browser name and version.
- Usage data — pages viewed, links clicked, buttons tapped, time and date of visit.
- Approximate location — country and city derived from your IP address (never precise GPS location).
- Referrer — the website or QR source that led you to us.
- Anonymous identifiers — a randomly generated visitor ID stored on your device so we can recognise repeat visits. This is not linked to your identity.
Information we do NOT collect
- We do not collect payment card or banking details through this website.
- We do not collect precise GPS location.
- We do not collect biometric data.
- We do not knowingly collect information from children under 18 (see Section 10).
How We Use Your Information
We use the information we collect for the following purposes:
- Responding to enquiries — contacting you about leasing opportunities, event invitations, or information you have requested.
- Providing services — processing registrations, managing event attendance, and delivering mall services.
- Improving our website and events — analysing anonymous usage patterns to make our digital experiences faster, clearer and more useful.
- Marketing communications — sending you news, offers or event invitations only where you have opted in or where we have a legitimate interest.
- Legal compliance — meeting our legal, regulatory and tax obligations in the UAE.
- Security — protecting our website, systems and visitors from fraud, abuse and unauthorised access.
We will never sell, rent or trade your personal information to third parties for their own marketing purposes.
Legal Basis
Under the UAE PDPL, we rely on the following legal bases to process your personal information:
| Purpose | Legal Basis |
|---|---|
| Responding to your enquiry | Your consent and our legitimate interest in providing requested services |
| Marketing communications | Your consent (which you can withdraw at any time) |
| Anonymous analytics | Our legitimate interest in improving our services |
| Legal & tax records | Legal obligation |
Sharing & Disclosure
We do not sell your personal information. We may share it only in the limited circumstances below:
Service providers
Trusted third-party companies that help us operate our website and services — for example, web hosting providers, email delivery services, analytics tools, and IT support. These providers are contractually required to protect your data and to use it only for the purposes we specify.
Business transfers
If The Village Mall is involved in a merger, acquisition or sale of assets, your information may be transferred as part of that transaction. We will notify you before your data becomes subject to a different privacy policy.
Legal requirements
We may disclose information when required by law, court order, or a competent authority in the United Arab Emirates, or when we believe disclosure is necessary to protect our rights, safety or property, or those of our visitors.
With your consent
For any other purpose, we will ask for your explicit consent before sharing your information.
Cookies & Analytics
What are cookies?
Cookies are small text files stored on your device by your browser. They help websites remember your preferences and understand how visitors use the site.
Cookies and similar technologies we use
- Strictly necessary — required for the website to function (for example, remembering a form session). These cannot be disabled.
- Analytics — anonymous measurement of how visitors use our pages, so we can improve them. We use our own first-party analytics system that stores anonymous device identifiers in your browser's local storage.
- Preference — remembering settings such as language or display preferences.
Managing cookies
You can control and delete cookies through your browser settings. Disabling cookies may affect how the website functions. To clear the anonymous identifier we store for analytics, simply clear your browser's local storage.
QR code analytics
When you scan a QR code we publish, we log anonymous events (scan, link click, phone-number tap, form open, form submit) using a randomly generated identifier stored on your device. This data:
- Is not linked to your name, phone number or email unless you submit a form;
- Is stored on our own servers, not shared with advertising networks;
- Helps us understand how our events and campaigns perform;
- Can be cleared by clearing your browser data.
Data Retention
We retain your personal information only for as long as necessary to fulfil the purposes described in this policy, or as required by UAE law.
| Data Type | Retention Period |
|---|---|
| Leasing enquiries | Up to 24 months from last contact, unless a lease is signed |
| Marketing subscriptions | Until you unsubscribe or request deletion |
| Anonymous analytics | Up to 24 months in aggregate form |
| Legal & financial records | As required by UAE law (typically 5 years) |
When retention periods end, we securely delete or irreversibly anonymise your data.
Data Security
We take the security of your information seriously and implement appropriate technical and organisational measures to protect it against unauthorised access, alteration, disclosure or destruction. These measures include:
- Encrypted connections (HTTPS) across our website;
- Access controls limiting staff access to personal data on a need-to-know basis;
- Regular backups and secure server infrastructure;
- Staff training on data protection and confidentiality;
- Monitoring and logging of unusual access patterns.
While we work hard to protect your data, no method of transmission over the internet or electronic storage is 100% secure. We cannot guarantee absolute security, but we continually review and improve our safeguards.
Your Rights
Under the UAE PDPL, you have the following rights regarding your personal information:
- Right to be informed — to know how we collect and use your data (this policy);
- Right of access — to request a copy of the personal data we hold about you;
- Right to correction — to have inaccurate or incomplete data corrected;
- Right to erasure — to request deletion of your data, subject to legal retention requirements;
- Right to restrict processing — to ask us to limit how we use your data;
- Right to data portability — to receive your data in a structured, machine-readable format;
- Right to object — to object to processing based on legitimate interest, including direct marketing;
- Right to withdraw consent — where we rely on consent, you may withdraw it at any time.
To exercise any of these rights, please contact us using the details in Section 14. We will respond within 30 days, in line with UAE PDPL requirements. We may ask you to verify your identity before processing your request.
If you are not satisfied with our response, you may lodge a complaint with the UAE Data Office.
Children's Privacy
Our website and services are not directed to children under the age of 18. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children. If you are a parent or guardian and believe your child has provided us with personal information, please contact us and we will delete it promptly.
Some mall facilities (such as children's play areas) may be used by families, but any personal information collection in those contexts is handled separately in person or through a supervised registration process.
Third-Party Links
Our website may contain links to external websites — for example, our social media profiles, tenant websites, or event partners. We are not responsible for the privacy practices of those websites. We encourage you to review the privacy policies of any external site you visit.
This policy applies only to information collected by The Village Mall through our own website, QR codes and direct interactions.
International Transfers
Your information is primarily stored and processed within the United Arab Emirates. Some of our service providers (such as cloud hosting, email delivery or analytics tools) may process data outside the UAE.
Where we transfer personal data outside the UAE, we take appropriate safeguards in accordance with the UAE PDPL — including contractual protections with our providers and ensuring they maintain adequate data protection standards.
Updates to This Policy
We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our practices, technology, legal requirements or for other operational reasons.
- The "Effective" date at the top of this page will always show the most recent revision.
- Material changes will be announced on our website homepage.
- Continued use of our website after an update means you accept the revised policy.
We encourage you to review this page periodically to stay informed about how we protect your information.
Contact Us
If you have any questions about this Privacy Policy, or wish to exercise any of your data protection rights, please contact us using the details below. We aim to respond within 30 days.
Sharjah, United Arab Emirates
