Retail insurance
Join over nearly a million customers – we offer public liability cover from £4.95
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10% of customers pay the equivalent of £4.95 a month*
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Rated 4.6/5
Based on 39.9K reviews
Claims paid in 24 hours
For 80% of settled claims
Why do you need retail insurance?
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
- UK-based claims team, award-winning and available 24/7
- trusted by over nearly a million customers small UK businesses for flexible, tailored cover
- online or shop floor, cover that protects your customers, team, and stock
What does retail business insurance cover?
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.
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Public liability insurance for retail
In case your retail business and products cause an injury or property damage.
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Employers’ liability insurance
In case anyone gets ill or injured while working for your retail business.
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Business contents insurance
In case something happens to your fixtures and fittings or operational equipment.
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Stock insurance
In case something happens to the items you keep in stock.
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Business buildings insurance
In case something happens to your retail premises.
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Business legal protection
In case you’re hit with legal expenses connected to your retail business.
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Personal accident insurance
In case anyone you’ve covered is accidentally injured, at work or off-duty.
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
How much does business retail insurance cost?
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.
Prices start from £4.95 per month
Get tailored quotes in 7 minutes – prices are guaranteed for 30 days.
Get tailored quotes in 7 minutes
The price is for up to £2 million of public liability insurance – 10% of customers paid £59.34 or less annually between 1st Feb – 30th April 2025. Equivalent to £4.95 a month (and excludes the extra costs for paying monthly). 82% of customers have a £1 million limit and 18% £2 million. If you complete a quote, more types of cover will be available. These all have additional costs.
Example retail insurance quotes, real prices
£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
- 2-3 years’ experience
- 1 employee
- Based in Coventry
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
- 5+ years’ experience
- Limited company
- 3 employees
- Based in CF10 1FJ
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.
What kind of excess should I expect?
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.
How it works
Pick what goes into your policy
Only pay for what you need
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Choose the best fit for you
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How do I choose insurance?
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.
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Is public liability enough for third party property damage?
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Which type of workers do I need insurance for?
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Does retail insurance cover my work correctly?
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Do I need cover for other types of work?
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Which public liability cover limit should I choose?
Talk to an expert
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
How do claims work?
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.
£68 million in claims paid out in 2024
76% of claims were settled in 2024.
The figure above is rounded across our range of products. “Settled” covers paid, declined or withdrawn. Our claims process may vary for different products and operates on a ‘claim by claim’ basis. Our specialist partner Sedgwick will pay the claims on behalf of the insurer. Reviewed on 26/02/2025.
Example claim
Having small retail business insurance through Simply Business has saved companies thousands of pounds when the unexpected happened.
Stuart saved more than £9,100
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.
Insurance payout
£9,177.00
Covering the cost of escape of water
Insurance payout
Covering the cost of escape of water
Covering the cost of escape of water
Chosen by nearly one million small business and landlord customers
We started out as a team of five back in 2005. We’ve grown since then, with nearly a million customers across 1,500 trades now trusting us to provide their business insurance.
Retail store insurance FAQs
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:
- one-off credit or debit card payment
- BACS payment
- Direct Debit
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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