UK companies and businesses breach the Companies Act and risk a fine if they do not display contact information on their website and email footers. This is in place to protect consumers and it applies to ALL commercial websites not just ecommerce sites.
In an update to the Companies Act 1985 the following information must be displayed on websites:
- company registration number
- place of registration
- registered office address
You may be pleased to know the information does not have to appear on every single page of your website. You can list the information on a ‘Contact Us’ page or even a ‘Legal Info’ page.
A phone number or email address must be provided so that a consumer can contact your company, and receive a direct reply.
Information that must be included somewhere your website
The following is the minimum information that must be on a company website:
- The name, geographic address and email address of the company.
- The name of the organisation with which the customer is contracting must be also given, which may be different from the actual trading name. Any differences must be clearly displayed – e.g. “Potters Wands is the trading name of Potter Company Ltd.”
Clearly display a registered office address
A PO Box is not a geographic address. A registered office address is. If the business is a company, the registered office address must be included.
- If you are a “company”, the company’s registration number should be given and, under the Companies Act, the place of registration should be stated (e.g. “Potter Company Ltd is a company registered in England and Wales with company number 4567890”)
- If the business is a member of a trade or professional association, membership details and registration numbers should be displayed.
- If the business has a VAT number, it should be stated – even if the website is not being used for e-commerce transactions.
- Prices for products/services on the website must be clear. State whether prices include tax and/or delivery costs.
What is the difference between a company and a business?
