We recently reviewed your Ambassador Agreement with Ann Summers and the exciting news that your new Independent Ambassador Agreement (New Agreement) will come into effect for existing Ambassadors (IBAs) from 18th November 2021.
The New Agreement sets out the terms and conditions and policies you must adhere to when partnering with Ann Summers to earn an income and build a business with our brand. The New Agreement is there to protect your business, Ann Summers, and our Customers.
As previously communicated, Our Direct Sales channel has been on a significant journey across the last 18 months. As part of this journey, we have taken the opportunity to update our Ambassador Agreement to ensure that it fully supports you as independent business people and is more in tune with today’s multi-channel world.
We understand that this might be a lot to take in, so we’ve answered some questions you may have below...
What has changed?
When will I have to agree to the new Agreement?
How do I agree to the new Agreement?
Will it be compulsory to sign up to the New Agreement?
What will happen to the current Ambassador Agreement?
What about references to Microsites?
Why doesn't the New Agreement specify IBAs have to be female or identify as female to join Sisterhood?
What does the new Data protection Policy referenced in the new agreement mean for me and my customers?
What does the indemnity clause in the New Agreement mean?
Who do I contact if I still have questions about the New Agreement?
What has changed?
We’ve updated the Ambassador Agreement to make sure that as IBAs of the Ann Summers Sisterhood, the New Agreement you sign up to is current, compliant, and protects you as self-employed business people. We’ve also made sure that all the relevant UK legislation is up to date, and made the terms and conditions and policies clearer and easier to understand, so that every IBA knows exactly what they’re signing up for when they join the Sisterhood.
Ahead of the IBA Microsites launching in early 2022, we’ve also ensured that your New Agreement continues to support you in building your business with new ways of working.
When will I have to agree to the new Agreement?
From 18th November 2021 all existing IBAs will need to accept the terms of the New Agreement via their Party Portal. All new recruits who register as an IBA from 18th October 2021 will have already entered into the terms of the New Agreement.
How do I agree to the new Agreement?
From the 18th November 2021, all existing IBAs that registered prior to 18th October 2021 will be prompted to accept the new Agreement terms upon first login to the Party Portal. The prompt message will appear as below:
Will it be compulsory to sign up to the New Agreement?
Yes. From 18th November 2021 all IBAs must accept the terms of the New Agreement to be able to continue operating as an IBA. Those who do not accept will be unable to access their Party Portal account or place any further orders.
Where can I find a copy of the Ambassador Agreement?
From the 18th November, the Ambassador Agreement will be replaced in full by the terms of the New Agreement. A copy of the Agreement can be found at the bottom of this FAQ.
From 18th November 2021 all IBAs must accept the terms of the New Agreement to be able to continue operating as an IBA, otherwise they will be unable to access their Party Portal or place any orders.
What about references to Microsites?
You will notice that the New Agreement contains references to “Microsites” and the “IBA URL”. This is in readiness for the launch of your new web shops where each IBA will be provided with their own unique “IBA URL”.
Further information will be provided on this ahead of the Microsite launch in March 2022. Until this time, you will need to continue placing orders for products via the Party Portal and all references to the Microsite in the New Agreement shall be deemed, where applicable, to apply to the current system until the Microsite is launched. We will let you know as soon as the Microsite is ready to launch and all of the provisions in the New Agreement which refer to “Microsite” and “IBA URL” will then apply in full.
You will also notice that the New Agreement references registration as an IBA through the “registration form” available on the Sister App. Until IBA Microsites are fully launched, recruits must continue to sign up through the Party Portal.
Why doesn't the New Agreement specify IBAs have to be female or identify as female to join Sisterhood?
We haven’t made any changes to our existing policy, which is that the Sisterhood is for women or people that identify as a woman only. However, we’re currently completing a major piece of work (which will include discussions with IBAs) to provide more clarity, guidance and support on this policy. We look forward to sharing this with you in the near future. As you can imagine, this is a complex matter, especially in today’s changing world, and we’re committed to getting our stance right.
What does the new Data Protection Policy referenced in the new agreement mean for me and my customers?
Because the way in which you’ll be running your business is changing with the launch of the new Microsite, and due to recent changes to data protection legislation, such as the GDPR and UK GDPR, both you as the IBA and Ann Summers will become joint controllers of customer data when your customer order products direct from the Microsite. When your customers purchase through the Microsite, they’ll be asked if they want to opt in to receiving updates and e-mail news from the Sisterhood. We’ll tell you more about this when the Microsite is launched, but if a customer has only asked to be contacted about the Ann Summers Sisterhood, they won’t be contacted about anything to do with stores or annsummers.com. When you order products through the Microsite on behalf of your customers then you will be the sole controller of the customer’s data in that instance.
What does the indemnity clause in the New Agreement mean?
As an IBA, you are responsible for complying with a number of legal obligations, including data protection laws and consumer protection laws. It's common in agreements of this type that an independent consultant is asked to provide an indemnity to the brand, which means that the brand can seek compensation from that independent consultant when the independent consultant has not met their contractual requirements to cover things such as brand damage suffered by the brand or payments that the brand has had to pay to affected third parties.
Who do I contact if I still have questions about the New Agreement?
We appreciate this is a lot of information to take on board, but we would strongly recommend that you read through the New Agreement thoroughly and direct any queries you might have to your upline leader for further support. We’ve deliberately left time between communicating the change and it coming into effect so we can support you through any changes.