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From a brand new product line to excellent service, your customers stay loyal for a reason. But slips, spills, and theft happen to the very best, and claims can run into thousands, all while damaging your reputation. Public liability insurance is built to cover you for accidents and damage, plus employers’ liability insurance, if you’ve hired a team
We’ll start with retail liability insurance, including public and product liability, covering you against accidents in your retail space or claims against your product – for example, if someone accidentally cuts themselves on something you’ve sold. From there, you can add insurance for employees, stock, and contents, plus personal accident cover for you or anyone else you’ve covered.
Public liability insurance for retail
In case your retail business and products cause an injury or property damage.
Employers’ liability insurance
In case anyone gets ill or injured while working for your retail business.
Business contents insurance
In case something happens to your fixtures and fittings or operational equipment.
Stock insurance
In case something happens to the items you keep in stock.
Business buildings insurance
In case something happens to your retail premises.
Business legal protection
In case you’re hit with legal expenses connected to your retail business.
Personal accident insurance
In case anyone you’ve covered is accidentally injured, at work or off-duty.
In case your retail business and products cause an injury or property damage.
Claims against your business for:
For example:
What you’ll need additional cover for
Read more about public liability insurance
In case anyone gets ill or injured while working for your retail business.
Claims against your business for:
**Employers’ liability insurance is required by law if you have people working for you. Without it, you could be fined up to £2,500 a day for each employee.**
For example:
In case something happens to your fixtures and fittings or operational equipment.
For example:
Read more about business contents insurance
In case something happens to the items you keep in stock.
For example:
Read more about stock insurance
In case something happens to your retail premises.
For example:
What you’ll need additional cover for
Read more about business building insurance
In case you’re hit with legal expenses connected to your retail business.
For example:
Read more about business legal protection
In case anyone you’ve covered is accidentally injured, at work or off-duty.
For example:
Read more about personal accident insurance
This content has been created for general information purposes. Make sure you have the right level of business insurance by checking your policy documentation for details. Read our full Terms and Conditions
Find out how much you’ll pay by comparing prices from a range of trusted insurers. You choose what goes into your policy, so you only pay for what you need.
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*How we work out example prices 10% of our customers paid up to £38.32 a year for a public liability insurance policy between 1st April 2023 - 30th June 2023. Equivalent to £3.19 per month based on a monthly cost when paying for the policy in one annual payment. Paying monthly is usually more expensive as you'll pay interest. Most customers pay more than this but some pay less.
£48.37 /month
£429.95 /year
A small off licence situtated at the end of a row of houses, with no ATM on the premises
Public liability
£2,000,000
Employers’ liability
£10,000,000
Stock
£5,000
£57.08 /month
£507.39 /year
A medium sized newsagents that has an ATM machine and a post office
Public liability
£5,000,000
Employers’ liability
£10,000,000
Contents & business equipment
£10,000
Stock
£15,000
How we work out example quotes These examples are real quotes from our online system (created 16/04/2021). They’re based on a range of factors, like employees and location. Your own quote will be based on what you tell us about your business. Prices may go up or down from day to day, so the prices you’re quoted may differ to the ones you see here.
An excess is an amount you pay towards any claim you make on your insurance. For example, if your excess is £250 and you make a claim worth £1000, your payout will be a maximum of £750.
Insurance cover | Lowest excess | Highest excess |
---|---|---|
Public liability | £100 | £2500 |
Employers' liability | No excess | No excess |
Main building | £200 | £4000 |
Stock | £100 | £500 |
Contents | £50 | £750 |
The figures above are for guidance only and any excess applying to your quote may differ. You’ll get a breakdown of the excesses for each quote when you compare with us.
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Making sure you have the right type and level of business insurance can be the difference between getting a claim paid and having to cover the cost of an expensive accident yourself. Read our tips for guidance on what to consider when buying a policy.
Is public liability enough for third party property damage?
Which type of workers do I need insurance for?
Does retail insurance cover my work correctly?
Do I need cover for other types of work?
Which public liability cover limit should I choose?
In some situations you may need more than public liability to cover certain kinds of property damage.
Employers’ liability insurance is a legal requirement if you employ people.
If you have people working for you, including bona fide subcontractors (BFSC), labour-only subcontractors (LOSC), part-timers, or full-time staff, employers’ liability insurance is required by law.
Read on for our simplified guide to the difference between labour-only subcontractors and bona fide subcontractors.
Make sure you're picking the right cover to protect you properly. It's important to know that if you have another trade or job, you'll need additional cover. For example, do you need to consider online retailer insurance or coffee shop insurance?
If you provide other services, make sure you’re covered:
Other types of insurance
Think about the maximum possible loss your business could face in the event of a claim, and make sure you take legal fees and damages into consideration. You can choose from three levels of coverage – £1 million, £2 million, or up to £5 million.
Our team of UK-based insurance experts are here to help, Mon 09.00am - 05.30pm, Tues 09.00am - 05.30pm, Weds 09.00am - 05.30pm, Thurs 09.30am - 05.30pm, Fri 09.00am - 05.30pm, Sat 09.00am - 02.00pm
Call our team
Unlike price comparison websites, we take the hassle out of claims for you. We know how important it is to get your business back on track quickly – and with a minimum of fuss. That’s why you get access to your dedicated claims any time, day or night. Call them on 0333 207 0560 or claim online. They’ll do their best to be fair and supportive.
The figure above is rounded across our range of products. Our claims process may vary for different products and operates on a ‘claim by claim’ basis.
Paying 80% of settled claims within 24 hours in 2022
Having small retail business insurance through Simply Business has saved companies thousands of pounds when the unexpected happened.
A flood at Stuart’s (not his real name) footwear retail business caused significant water damage overnight, particularly to his stock which included a new season designer footwear order. The stock cover in his retail insurance policy covered Stuart’s replacement costs and lost income.
£9,177.00
Covering the cost of escape of water
£100
The excess amount stated in Stuart’s policy terms
We started out as a team of five back in 2005. We’ve grown since then with 900,000 customers across 1,500 trades now trusting us to provide their business insurance.
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Whether you’re new to buying business insurance or you’ve been trading for a while, here are the answers to some commonly asked questions about retail public liability insurance, plus other popular covers. You can also check out our business insurance FAQs.
Yes. It’s important to make sure you have the right type and level of insurance for the different types of work you do. For example, if you’re a food and drink retailer, you may also do the odd cooking demonstration or wine tasting event – you’ll need additional cover for this, but you can have it all on the one policy. If you need to add a second trade, give us a call on 0333 0146 683 and one of our insurance experts will help you set up your policy in minutes.
Each insurer looks at CCJs and IVAs differently – some apply stricter rules than others, but having a CCJ or IVA doesn’t necessarily mean you won’t be able to buy insurance.
You can choose the payment type that suits your business and cash flow best. Some customers prefer to pay in one go, while others prefer to pay a regular monthly amount, like you do with lots of other bills. Simply Business offer three ways to pay for your policy:
If you choose to pay by Direct Debit, our credit provider, Premium Credit, pays Simply Business the full amount for your policy up front. You then repay Premium Credit in 10 monthly instalments.
This will depend on whether you have employers’ liability insurance in place. Public liability insurance is designed to protect your business against the consequences of legal action brought by members of the public for injuries or damage to their belongings. But when it comes to your employees causing injury or damage, this protection only activates if you also have employers’ liability insurance.
If you employ people, you’re required by law to have employers’ liability insurance.
There’s one exception here. Family businesses that aren’t incorporated as a limited company are not legally required to have employers’ liability insurance. The government defines a “family business” as one where all your employees are closely related to you (as a spouse, civil partner, sibling, child, parent, grandparent, grandchild, step-parent, stepchild or half-sibling). So if you run an unincorporated family business and you choose not to get employers’ liability insurance, it’s important to know that your public liability insurance wouldn’t cover you against damage or injury caused by your team.
We create this content for general information purposes and it should not be taken as advice. Always check policy documentation for details and seek professional advice. Read our full Terms and Conditions
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