Verkkokauppa.com Oyj has been informed that the Office of the Data Protection Ombudsman?s Sanctions Board has by its decision imposed an administrative fine of EUR 856,000 on the Company. The administrative fine is based on the Data Protection Ombudsman?s interpretation, according to which the company would have failed to specify the retention period for the online store?s customer data in compliance with the EU?s General Data Protection Regulation. In its submission to the Office of the Data Protection Ombudsman in December 2023, Verkkokauppa.com has stated that it had determined that essential basic customer data would be kept for the duration of the customer relationship, based on the nature of the business, in which customers are among others sold products with a significant lifespan.

Moreover, the Company has already, prior to being informed of the Office of the Data Protection Ombudsman's decision, taken independent steps to delete inactive customer data (i.e. for customers, who have not made purchases in the company?s online store in the past six years) and purchase history data more than ten years old. Verkkokauppa.com considers the administrative fine to be unfounded and will appeal the decision to the Administrative Court. The decision is not legally binding.