Delivering GDPR Counsel On-Demand for Weba

Changing the game in furniture shopping in Belgium since 1985

Weba has been an established name within the Belgian home furniture market for over 30 years. The company has branches in Ghent, Deinze and Mons. The online shop welcomes about 10.000 visitors per day. In 2021, the chain achieved a turnover of 110 million euros. The store chain is also known for its advertisements in which the cartoon character Arsène Weba (drawn by Marec) experiences funny adventures.

Deliver on-demand GDPR support

As part of its customer service, Weba wants to ensure that customer data is processed securely in line with GDPR. The company had already implemented the GDPR requirements thoroughly but wanted to make sure everything was still up to date and wanted to verify whether certain processes could be fine-tuned. That was where Ask Q came in…

Weba considered various approaches to tackle this challenge:

1. Doing it by themselves

2. Hiring a GDPR consultant

3. Asking a law firm 

4. Not having a GDPR legal support function

Each of these options has its drawbacks and was therefore not ideal. The main problem when deciding was the specific nature of GDPR expertise required and the need for flexibility in terms of both the time spent on the project and finding practical solutions.

Read further to understand why.

1. Doing it by themselves

Weba’s team is capable of finding legal solutions themselves and customizing general templates. However, other priorities might lead the legal team away from investing too much time in GDPR related matters. Like any other business, Weba has other projects and challenges whilst good practices in GDPR have evolved a lot in the past few years.

2. Hiring a GDPR consultant

It’s neither cheap nor flexible to hire a full-time GDPR consultant. This would not work, as Weba doesn’t have a continuous need for GDPR support. Also, putting in place an interim GDPR counsel didn’t seem the ideal solution. That would most likely have meant that Weba needed to commit to a fixed-term or a set number of days per week, while this was precisely what Weba wanted to avoid. Also, a consultant specializing in GDPR knows a lot about GDPR but isn’t always able to provide adequate support for related legal issues, such as contracting and insurance coverage.

3. Asking a law firm

Law firms are known for their strong legal expertise, but also for their hourly fee model that usually makes the total cost unpredictable. They aren’t always used to working from an in-house perspective either, while attention to in-house practicalities was exactly what Weba was looking for. 

4. Not having a GDPR legal support function

Doing nothing was not an option either. It would have jeopardized Weba’s good reputation and have increased the risk of GDPR fines. After all, our country’s data protection authority has proven to be very active lately.

That was when Weba approached Ask Q and asked it to provide a lean, cost-effective yet high-performance GDPR support function. Weba described the ideal solution as one that combined the GDPR expertise of a law firm with clear deliverables and the practical approach of an in-house legal counsel.

The GDPR Lab of Ask Q was able to create a fully customized offering for Weba, built around three pillars:

• An on-demand GDPR specialist with clear deliverables
• Speaking the company’s language
• GDPR expertise and beyond

Read more about our pillars below! 

1. An on-demand GDPR specialist with clear deliverables

Ask Q recognized the need to offer a flexible solution, while simultaneously giving Weba a clear view of what to expect in terms of deliverables and costs. Thanks to our GDPR specialist’s extensive experience with GDPR implementation, we were able to quickly detect areas for improvement and shape them into clear deliverables. Whenever new issues popped up, we were able to clearly define additional deliverables. Likewise, whenever certain deliverables had already been covered sufficiently by Weba, we were happy to remove these from the work schedule. After all, our aim is to help the customer, not just ourselves.

2. Speaking the company’s language

Ask Q’s GDPR counsel also needed to be able to interact with the business directly, exactly like an in-house legal counsel would. That is how Ask Q works, and that is why Ask Q’s GDPR experts are meticulously trained and mentored to interact and blend in with the business. Using this approach enables Ask Q to focus on the company’s priorities and identify practical solutions. 

3. GDPR expertise and beyond 

At the same time, Weba had the assurance that Ask Q’s GDPR specialist could provide them with legally sound solutions that comply with the latest guidance and case law. Our flexible approach is also reflected here. We don’t just stick to GDPR. Ask Q is home to a wide range of legal expertise. When Weba asked us to review data processing agreements, we checked the liability clause and other general provisions while we were at it.

The result of Ask Q's offering? 

Weba has now received a high-end update of its GDPR compliance without having to commit to a fixed number of deliverables or days per week. During the project, we were happy to share a lot of practical know-how on GDPR as well, so that Weba can follow up on its data protection autonomously.

Our biggest achievement was definitely that we were able to fine-tune Weba’s internal policies and procedures, so that GDPR compliance became a lot easier from an operational point of view. Our compliments also go to Weba’s management, which was very receptive to our suggestions and is clearly dedicated to bringing the company into line with GDPR requirements.

To make the project work, the team from Ask Q actively gathered many insights into how Weba operates. That way, if Weba should ever need us again, the interest we’ve shown in their practical needs will serve us well, as it will allow us to be even more efficient next time. That is where the strength of our in-house look and feel lies.