Wholesale insurance
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Why is wholesale business insurance important?
Wholesale insurance brokers cater for all sorts of risk types. From employers’ liability and potential injuries to third party property damage, product liability, and commercial legal expenses, wholesale business insurance claims often fall into a high-cost bracket. Specific, expert cover is a backstop for thousands of UK dealers and distributors, providing protection for the risks you face.
- wholesale dealer insurance, covering distributors, warehouses, and more
- personal accidents, cyber risks, and property damage – tell us what you need
- rated 4.7/5 based on 39K+ public liability customer reviews
What does wholesaler insurance cover?
We’ll start with property damage insurance, designed to cover you against incidents which could destroy your wholesale premises and contents, or cause serious damage. From there, a wholesale insurance broker will often provide optional cover for business interruption, cold stock deterioration, and loss of licence, which could stop the business running. And if you do employ anyone, employers’ liability cover is usually a must-have, as a legal requirement.
Property damage insurance
In case something happens to your wholesale premises.
Deterioration of refrigerated stock
In case a fault or failure causes frozen or refrigerated stock to deteriorate.
Money and assault insurance
In case of theft and/or assault to you or an employee.
Terrorism insurance
In case your wholesale premises are hit by an act of terrorism.
Employers’ liability insurance
In case anyone gets ill or injured while working for your business.
Public liability insurance
In case your business causes an injury, illness, or property damage.
Product liability insurance
In case your products cause an injury or damage.
Commercial legal expenses insurance
In case you’re faced with legal costs in connection with your business.
Personal accident insurance
In case you or anyone you’ve covered has an accident, at work or elsewhere.
Property damage insurance
In case something happens to your wholesale premises.
What’s typically covered by property damage insurance?
- the cost of repairing damage to the structure of your building (or rebuilding it from scratch)
- damage to insured contents, fixtures, and fittings
- damage to underground pipes and cables you’re responsible for
For example:
- your wholesale premises and a large portion of the contents are destroyed in a fire
- snowmelt causes flooding in an outdoor area attached to your wholesale premises, damaging your machinery
What isn’t covered?
- weather damage to moveable property in the open, fences, gates, vegetation, lawns, and shrubs
- theft, attempted theft, or malicious damage to property in a garden, yard, open space, or any open-fronted or open-sided building
Other exclusions apply – read the policy documents carefully to be clear on what is and isn’t covered.
Deterioration of refrigerated stock
In case a fault or failure causes frozen or refrigerated stock to deteriorate.
What’s typically covered by deterioration of refrigerated stock insurance?
- damage to frozen or refrigerated stock
- mechanical breakdown or accidental failure of electricity to freezers and refrigerators
- seasonal stock increase, during specific periods
For example:
- the thermostat on your appliance malfunctions, causing your stock to go bad
- an employee forgets to close the door on your fridge-freezer unit, and the contents defrost overnight
What isn’t covered?
- equipment and units which haven't been serviced or maintained in accordance with your policy wording
- damage caused by any wilful act or neglect by you or any employee
- damage caused by faulty packaging or stowage
- any form of normal trade loss, or damage caused by inherent defect
Money and assault insurance
In case of theft and/or assault to you or an employee.
What’s typically covered by money and assault insurance?
- cover while your property is in transit by road, rail, or freight
- anywhere in Great Britain, Northern Ireland, the Isle of Man, the Channel Islands, and the Republic of Ireland
- includes sea or air transit between these territories
For example:
- you’re transporting money to the bank and someone breaks into your vehicle, stealing the cash
- an employee is assaulted while cashing up on your business premises
What isn’t covered?
- clerical or accounting errors, or shortages due to error or omission
- loss from any unattended vehicle
- loss from coin-operated vending, gaming, or amusement machine, or payphone, unless specifically agreed in your policy
Other exclusions apply – read the policy documents carefully to be clear on what is and isn’t covered.
Terrorism insurance
In case your wholesale premises are hit by an act of terrorism.
What’s typically covered by terrorism insurance?
- acts of terrorism within England, Wales, Scotland, and the Channel Tunnel, up to the frontier with the Republic of France
- property damage, business interruption, specified all risks, money and goods in transit, where insured by your policy
Exclusions and limitations apply to this cover – read the policy documents carefully to be clear on what is and isn’t covered.
Employers’ liability insurance
In case anyone gets ill or injured while working for your business.
What’s typically covered by employers’ liability insurance?
Claims against your business for:
- an injury or illness that happens as a result of working for you (including temps and casual workers)
For example:
- an employee develops complete lack of hearing in one ear, and makes a claim against you
- your day manager falls from a height while training an employee, breaking both legs
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.
Public liability insurance
In case your business causes an injury, illness, or property damage.
What’s typically covered by public liability insurance?
Claims against your business for:
- damage to someone’s property, caused by your wholesale and dealership activities
- an injury or illness caused by your business activities or products
- accidental damage or injuries caused by your employees
For example:
- a client slips on a wet floor while visiting your premises, injuring their lower back
- one of your employees provides incorrect PPE to a client, and they’re injured by falling stock
If you do employ anyone, you’re usually required by law to have employers’ liability insurance too.
Product liability insurance
In case your products cause an injury or damage.
What’s typically covered by product liability insurance?
- your legal liability for injuries or damage caused by your products, up to the agreed limit
- associated costs and expenses
Exclusions and limitations apply to this cover – read the policy documents carefully to be clear on what is and isn’t covered.
Commercial legal expenses insurance
In case you’re faced with legal costs in connection with your business.
What’s typically covered by legal expenses insurance?
- legal costs that you’re responsible for, within your business
- property damage, nuisance, or trespass – specifically, the associated legal claims and compensation payouts
- tax and compliance disputes and investigations you need help with
- access to expert advice – including a tax advice phone line, confidential 24/7 legal phone line, and crisis support to help you protect your professional reputation
For example:
- an employee sues you for unfair dismissal, and you need to recover associated legal costs
- you fall behind on servicing your equipment, causing an employee injury and legal costs
Personal accident insurance
In case you or anyone you’ve covered has an accident, at work or elsewhere.
What’s typically covered by personal accident insurance?
- accidental injury or death of anyone you’ve chosen to cover in your policy – whether this happens at work or elsewhere
- lost income, hospital bills, or other medical costs associated with the accident
For example:
- you fall from a height while checking stock levels, breaking your leg and shoulder – you need time off work for an operation and recovery
- your office manager breaks their foot at the office Christmas party and needs time off work for hospital visits and recovery
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
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Wholesale insurance FAQ
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 wholesale business insurance. You can also check out our business insurance FAQs.
If you provide other services, make sure you’re covered:
Other types of insurance
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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