Privacy Policy

1. Scope

This Policy applies to personal information collected through the Artees website and related communications concerning Artees, Artees Sweets and potential franchise or owner-operator opportunities. The current Artees franchise opportunity and owner-operator application are directed to prospective owner-operators seeking to establish and operate a location in the United States. It does not apply to information handled by an independently owned franchisee under its own privacy practices.

Submitting an enquiry or application does not create a franchise relationship, an employment relationship, or any obligation by either party to proceed. Franchises are offered and sold only through the applicable Franchise Disclosure Document and in compliance with applicable law.

2. Information We Collect

Information you provide

Depending on how you interact with us, we may collect:

• Identity and contact information, such as your name, email address, telephone number, country, city, state, province or region, preferred contact method and an optional LinkedIn profile.
• Proposed-market information, including the city or market you are considering, intended timing and the reasons for your interest in that market.
• Business and operating experience, including your management, food-service, franchise or business-ownership experience; employee-management experience; expected weekly involvement; proposed ownership arrangement; and authorization to own and operate a business in the proposed market.
• Preliminary financial qualifications, including ranges for available liquid capital and estimated net worth, expected financing sources and related comments.
• Interest and communications, including why you are interested in Artees, how you heard about us, correspondence and other information you choose to provide.
• Consent and submission records, such as your agreement to be contacted, the policy version presented to you, submission time and information used to prevent automated or fraudulent submissions.

Please do not submit Social Security numbers, bank-account or payment-card numbers, tax records, passwords, medical information, or confidential financial documents through an Artees website form.

Information collected automatically

When you use the website, our hosting and security systems may automatically receive limited technical information such as your IP address, browser and device type, operating system, referring page, pages requested, dates and times, and diagnostic or security-event data. Artees does not currently set cookies for analytics or advertising. Our hosting or security providers may use cookies or similar technologies that are strictly necessary to operate and protect the website.

If we later introduce non-essential analytics or advertising technologies, we will update this Policy and provide any notice or choice required by applicable law.

3. How We Use Information

We may use personal information to:

• receive, review and respond to enquiries and owner-operator applications;
• evaluate whether a prospective market, applicant and opportunity may be a suitable fit;
• communicate about the application process, meetings, requested materials and potential next steps;
• maintain business records and document consent, correspondence and decisions;
• operate, secure, troubleshoot and improve the website and forms;
• detect and prevent spam, fraud, misuse and security incidents;
• comply with legal obligations and establish, exercise or defend legal claims; and
• carry out other purposes disclosed when information is collected or with your permission.

Artees does not make a final franchise decision solely through automated processing of a website application.

4. How We Disclose Information

We may disclose personal information only as reasonably necessary to:

• Artees personnel and advisers who need it to evaluate or administer an enquiry or potential franchise relationship;
• Service providers that process information on our behalf to support website hosting, email, form processing, data storage, security, communications or professional services;
• Authorities or other parties when disclosure is required by law or reasonably necessary to protect rights, safety, property, systems or users; and
• A successor organization in connection with a merger, financing, reorganization, sale of assets or similar corporate transaction, subject to appropriate protections.

We do not sell personal information or share it for cross-context behavioral advertising, as those terms are defined under applicable U.S. state privacy laws.

5. Your Choices and Privacy Rights

You may ask us to provide access to, correct or delete personal information associated with you. You may also ask us to stop non-essential communications. Depending on where you live, applicable law may provide additional rights, including rights to obtain a copy of information, restrict or object to certain processing, withdraw consent, appeal a decision, or lodge a complaint with a regulator.

To protect personal information, we may need to verify your identity and authority before acting on a request. Some information may be retained where reasonably necessary or legally permitted, including to maintain transaction records, comply with legal obligations, prevent fraud or resolve disputes.

6. Retention

We retain personal information only for as long as reasonably necessary for the purposes described in this Policy, including evaluating and administering potential opportunities, maintaining appropriate business and legal records, resolving disputes, enforcing agreements and meeting legal requirements. The retention period depends on the nature and sensitivity of the information, the status of the enquiry, our relationship with you and applicable legal obligations. When information is no longer reasonably required, we may delete it or de-identify it.

7. Security

We use reasonable administrative, technical and organizational measures designed to protect personal information against unauthorized access, loss, misuse, alteration or disclosure. We restrict access to personal information to personnel, advisers and service providers who require it for legitimate business purposes and who are expected to protect it appropriately. No internet transmission or storage system can be guaranteed completely secure, however, and you should not send sensitive documents or account credentials through ordinary email or website forms.

8. International Visitors

Artees Corporation is based in the United States, and the current franchise opportunity is directed to proposed locations in the United States. If you reside in another country and submit information concerning a proposed U.S. location, your information may be processed and stored in the United States or other locations where we or our service providers operate. Privacy and data-protection laws in those locations may differ from the laws where you live. Where required, we will use appropriate safeguards for international transfers.

9. Children

The website and franchise-enquiry process are intended for adults aged 18 or older. We do not knowingly collect personal information through these forms from anyone under 18. If you believe a person under 18 has submitted personal information to us, please contact us so that we can review and, where appropriate, delete it.

10. Changes to This Policy and Contact

We may update this Policy to reflect changes in our practices, services or legal obligations. The revised version will be posted on this page with a new “Last updated” date. If a change materially affects information already collected, we will provide additional notice where required.