Public liability insurance

In case your business and products cause an injury or property damage.

What’s typically covered by bookshop public liability insurance?

Claims against your business for:

• damage to someone’s property, because of your business
• injuries or illness caused by your business activities
• an employee (if you have any) accidentally damages property or causes injury

For example:

• a client is injured by a forklift operator while visiting your business, and makes a claim against you
• a maintenance professional slips on your shop floor following a spillage, fracturing their knee
• your employee uses a new product with a client, and they have an allergic reaction to it

**If you do employ anyone, you’re usually required by law to have employers’ liability insurance too.**

Read more about public liability insurance

Employers’ liability insurance

In case anyone gets ill or injured while working for your bookstore

What’s typically covered by employers’ liability insurance?

Claims against your business for:

• an injury that happens as a result of working for you (including temps and casual workers)
• an employee, including a contractor or casual labourer, suing you after falling ill because of working for you

**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:

• your employee injures their lower back while moving furniture at your premises and holds you responsible
• an employee cuts their hand on a damaged countertop and sues you for operating an unsafe workspace
• a member of staff trips over while unloading business equipment, injuring their knee

Contents insurance

In case something happens to your fixtures, fittings, or operational equipment.

What’s typically covered by business contents insurance?

Claims against your business for:

For example:

• a vintage glass cabinet is badly damaged following a break-in at your premises
• a leaking radiator damages some office furniture, which needs replacing or restoring
• the camera you use to take photographs of stock is stolen from your office

Read more about business contents insurance

Business legal insurance

In case you’re hit with legal expenses connected to your bookshop.

What’s typically covered by business legal insurance?

Claims against your business for:

• VAT disputes
• theft of your company’s identity illegally
• compensation under data protection legislation

For example:

• HMRC is investigating your VAT affairs, triggered by seemingly incorrect figures on your return
• a fraudster steals your company’s bank details and buys goods to set up a new line of credit with banks or retailers
• a client is claiming you didn’t process their data in accordance with GDPR, and is seeking compensation

Read more about business legal insurance

Personal accident insurance

In case anyone you’ve covered is accidentally injured, at work or off-duty.

What’s typically covered by personal accident insurance?

Claims against your business for:

• if someone named on the policy is accidentally injured or dies while at work or elsewhere
• any hospitalisation benefit or medical costs, plus lost income

For example:

• you fall off a ladder while decorating your home, breaking your elbow
• a member of staff, who’s named on the policy, dislocates their shoulder while playing tennis and can’t work to full capacity
• an insect bite you got on holiday becomes infected and you need to take time off work for hospital treatment

Read more about personal accident insurance

Stock insurance

In case something happens to your products and consumables.

What’s typically covered by stock insurance?

Claims against your business for:

• the cost of replacing the stock you use to run your business
• stock that’s been destroyed, lost, stolen, or damaged
• stock includes food and drink products as well as branded materials and sellable items

For example :

• your stockroom gets vandalised – products you need to operate are stolen and damaged
• a fire caused by faulty electrics spreads to your stockroom and destroys sellable items
• a leaking pipe floods your business premises, destroying stock that you intend to sell

Read more about stock insurance

Buildings insurance

In case something happens to your business premises.

What’s typically covered by business building insurance?

Claims against your business for:

• the cost of structural repair (or rebuilding from scratch) following damage to your building
• damage to fixtures and fittings
• underground pipes and cables that you’re responsible for

For example:

• someone tries to force entry into your shop, damaging the door, which needs replacing
• a burst pipe causes water damage to floorboards and walls – they need to be replaced
• equipment catches fire and damages your building, which will need to be completely rebuilt

Read more about business buildings insurance

Excess insurance

In case you need to make a claim on your insurance policy.

What’s typically covered by excess insurance?

Claims made by you for:

• when you make a claim on a cover included in your business insurance policy, you won’t need to pay excess

For example :

• strong winds cause severe damage to the roof of your property – you don’t have to pay the £250 excess thanks to your excess insurance
• a guest accidentally breaks a television during their stay at your property and thanks to your excess insurance, you don’t need to pay excess on the claim
• a guest’s child trips on a loose carpet and breaks their arm – they claim compensation and you don’t pay excess due to your excess insurance