Shop Insurance is a specialised type of small business insurance which has been developed to provide insurance cover for small retail establishments such as newsagents, cafes or grocers. Shop Insurance provides a wide range of cover and depending upon the insurance provider chosen and the policy being offered, this can include:

• The contents of the shop, including all fixtures and fittings such as display casing, cash register and service counter. Additionally, a level of cover for loss and damage to the stock of the business will be agreed.
• A limited level of public liability cover, which fulfils the businesses legal requirement to have some form of public liability insurance in place.
• A limited level of employers liability cover, which fulfils the businesses legal requirement to have some form of employers liability insurance in place.
• Loss of earnings due to an accident which is insured (covered by an insurance policy).
• Loss and damage of goods in transit.
• Loss or theft of cash on hand.

These are the main areas covered by Shop Insurance, although these can and do change depending upon the insurance provider and the policy they propose.

Who needs Shop Insurance?
Although there is no legal requirement for a retail establishment to take out a Shop Insurance policy, it does make very good sense to do so. Every retail business is legally required to have public liability insurance. If the shop employs staff then they are also legally required to have employers liability insurance. It is also sensible to make sure that the shop itself and the stock held in it are also insured. Shop Insurance combines all of these requirements into a single, less expensive policy. Therefore, Shop Insurance is an extremely attractive all-in-one insurance solution for smaller retail outlets.

Things to look out for when procuring Shop Insurance
There are a few things that a shop owner needs to be aware of when arranging for Shop Insurance. The major issue faced is in the form of the level of both public liability insurance and employers liability insurance which the policy provides. For some shops, the low level of cover provided by a Shop Insurance policy may not be enough.
The second major factor is to consider just how valuable the shops stock is. Again, the level of stock cover provided by Shop Insurance may not be enough for some retailers.
However, most respectable insurance providers are willing to negotiate the addition of increased level of insurance cover for all three of these considerations.