Sale of Age Restricted Goods Policy

As a retailer of kitchenware, we offer for sale a range of bladed items which are restricted for sale to persons over the age of 18. We take the responsibility of age verification very seriously and adhere to following policy.

Online Sales

As part of the transactional process, we will attempt to verify the age of the person purchasing any bladed product using Experian's Prove ID Service. This system will seek to verify the customer's details against several databases in order to clarify the customer's age.

Why do we use Yoti?

We have partnered with Yoti because they are a global leader in digital identity and age assurance. Unlike traditional checks that may rely solely on credit reference agency databases, Yoti offers a modern, privacy-first approach to age verification.

Yoti is designed to verify your age without storing your personal data. Once the check is performed, your image and data are deleted. They do not sell your data to third parties. Yoti uses independently tested technology to prevent fraud and ensure that age-restricted items do not fall into the hands of minors. The technology allows for rapid age estimation and verification, ensuring legitimate customers can complete a purchase without unnecessary delays.

How the verification works

When you purchase an age-restricted item, the Yoti system will attempt to verify your age in the background or ask you to prove your age using one of their secure methods (such as facial age estimation or uploading an ID document).

You can find more information about Yoti's age verification technology here.

"Please note under the Criminal Justice Act 1988 (as amended) we are only allowed to sell knives to persons aged 18 and over. Details of our age verification process can be found within our Sale of Age Restricted Goods Policy."

In Store Sales

In ProCook stores the following measures are taken on the display and sale of bladed items:

  1. Point of sale is displayed next to knife displays containing the text "1996 Offensive Weapons Act. It is an offence under the above Act to sell Knives or blades to anyone under the age of 18. Please do not be offended if we ask for ID."

  2. Our mission statement is displayed in store windows and at the cash desk and contains the following text: "It is illegal to sell knives to anyone who is under the age of 18. Proof of age must be provided when requested."

  3. All Sales advisors in our stores carry out Knife Sales training on commencement of employment and then again on a quarterly basis so that they understand the law and their obligations on behalf of ProCook. This is logged in their training record.

  4. Sales advisors check government issued photo ID for any customer who appears to be under 21 and refuses the sale if age cannot be verified.

  5. Our EPOS till system prompts the advisor to check and verify age for every restricted item sold. This check is logged on the customer receipt as "Alert Confirmed: 18+ Only"