Cover the counter, the stock, and the lease you signed.
Commercial insurance for storefront retail, boutiques and tobacco and vape shops. Matched to what your lease and your suppliers require.
Tell us the situation.
A licensed human replies the same business day — not an auto-responder, and not five producers calling at once. We shop it across our carriers and tell you if the policy you already have is the right one.
We use this to quote and service your insurance, and we do not sell it or pass it to lead networks. Privacy policy.
What retail businesses actually need.
General liability
Third-party bodily injury and property damage — the line nearly every contract names by default.
Without it — A customer injured in the store has a direct claim, and your lease almost certainly requires the coverage anyway.
Commercial property
Buildings and contents, valued at what it costs to rebuild today rather than what you paid.
Without it — Stock, fixtures and tenant improvements have to be replaced out of cash after a fire or a burst pipe.
Business owners policy
General liability and property packaged together. Cheaper than buying them separately when you qualify, and most small businesses do.
Without it — Buying property and liability separately usually costs a small retailer more.
Crime & employee dishonesty
Theft by your own staff, funds transfer fraud, and the dishonesty bond a home care contract will ask you for by name.
Without it — Till shortages and employee theft are a persistent retail loss that no other line touches.
Workers compensation
Required in almost every state the moment you have employees. Priced on payroll and class code, which is why the class code is worth arguing about.
Without it — Staff injuries on the floor or in the stockroom become uncapped claims.
Employment practices liability
Wrongful termination, discrimination and harassment claims brought by your own employees. General liability specifically excludes these.
Without it — Wrongful termination and harassment claims from retail staff are excluded from general liability.
Justine Elgner
Commercial Lines Account Manager
Leads the client services team. Managed retail stores before insurance, so she has stood behind the counter the policy is protecting.
What retail operators ask us.
What does my lease usually require?
Most commercial leases require general liability at one million per occurrence, name the landlord as an additional insured, and require a waiver of subrogation. Many also require you to insure tenant improvements — the build-out you paid for — which landlords do not cover. Send us the lease and we will match the certificate to the exact wording rather than to a template.
Do you cover tobacco and vape shops?
Yes. It is a class many carriers decline outright, which is the main reason shops end up either uninsured or badly overpaying. It takes going to markets that will look at it, which is what an independent agency is for.
Is my stock covered at cost or retail?
Almost always at your cost to replace it, not what you would have sold it for. That surprises people after a loss. Worth setting your limit against actual replacement cost including current supplier pricing, and reviewing it whenever inventory levels change materially.