What Is Shop Front Insurance?

When you are busy running your shop, it is normal to want to protect it as best as you can with the right shop insurance. However, while your shop insurance usually contains elements such as public liability, employers’ liability and stock insurance, many shop owners need to consider protecting their shop front with specific insurance.

Business owners often assume that shop front glass insurance will be covered under buildings insurance. Whether you own the property you operate your shop from or rent your shop premises from a commercial landlord, it is worth checking the building’s insurance policy to see if your shop front is covered for repairs or replacement.

Suppose you rent your shop premises from a commercial landlord. In that case, you will be expected to provide your own shop window insurance, especially if your landlord allows you to remodel or replace your shop window or shop front to create a better display for your goods.

Does shop insurance cover your shop front?

Your shop insurance policy may not specifically cover the costs of repairs or replacement of your shop window or front door. Because you can build your shop insurance policy to meet your needs, you may have yet to consider including an element to cover the costs of shop front repairs and replacements.

As you are not required by law to take out any shop insurance, other than employers liability if you employ staff, you may initially put off taking out shop front window insurance when you first open your shop until a later date when your business is better established.

However, your shop front is vulnerable to accidental damage, as well as being a weak spot for targeted smash-and-grab operations by local criminals. Some retail insurance policies won’t cover the cost of repairing the damage to your shop front, but including shop front insurance quotes in your search results will help protect your fixed and etched glass and shop front.

It can also help to have a plan in place if your shop is subject to a burglary or smash-and-grab event. Like with any other emergency, your shop staff and management should know what to do if they turn up for work to discover that a smash-and-grab or burglary has occurred.

Having a plan in place that lists who, in addition to the police, should be notified. If they don’t feel safe staying on the scene, your plan should also include a safe place where your staff member can wait until the police turn up. This could be a neighbouring cafe or a supportive shopkeeper you approach as part of your plan. It can help to offer your neighbouring shopkeepers mutual support should their businesses ever be broken into.

Does shop insurance cover if your windows get smashed?

Protecting your shop windows with insurance makes a lot of sense. Your shop window is a crucial advertising point for your business. It is where you show off your goods, grab people’s attention, and entice potential customers into your shop to buy.

If your shop window gets accidentally or intentionally smashed, it can be very off-putting for customers, who may not feel safe entering your shop. Time is of the essence here. You want to know that you have the right insurance to quickly repair the damage so you can get your shop open ASAP and encourage people over your threshold with attractive shop window displays.

New shop owners contact our Brisco Business Insurance team asking what shop front insurance is and do they need it. We always advise you to consider shop front insurance as an essential cover for all brick-and-mortar shops. Often, this cover is missed off a policy in error; especially if you want to keep your insurance premiums low and only take out basic cover, such as public and product liability, employer’s liability and stock insurance.

Many insurance providers include shop front insurance as a simple add-on to your main cover, so it is worth checking the small print of your shop insurance quotes to see if your shop front is covered or if you need to add it to your policy.

Smash and grab crime on the rise

There has been a spike in retail smash-and-grab crime over recent years. Sometimes this crime can be a sporadic spur-of-the-moment act conducted by drunken behaviour at the end of a night out. Other times it can be an organised hit from a group of coordinated criminals that will force entry and grab as much merchandise as possible before escaping in waiting vehicles.

In most cases, smash-and-grab attacks are over in minutes, and the criminals are long gone before the police can react. These types of organised theft are usually targeted at high-value shops selling easy-to-grab valuable items, such as jewellery, designer clothes and accessories, smartphones and electronic gadgets.

Smash-and-grab crimes are popular with criminals who don’t want confrontation from staff, customers or passers-by. They are usually carried out at night or in the early morning hours, and the shopkeeper’s first line of defence is their shop security systems.

Installing high-quality security measures is essential as they can act as a significant deterrent against crime. If you make it difficult for criminals to enter your shop or make it evident that their activities will be caught on camera, they will more than likely move on to a less well-protected shop.

However, many thieves may still attempt a smash-and-grab of your shop window to make off with any valuable items easily lifted from your window display. This is why it makes sense to have shop window insurance even if you have top-quality security measures installed. It is also helpful to know that you can get lower shop insurance quotes if your shop is well protected with a top-quality security system that includes alarms, deadlocks and CCTV coverage.

Where can you compare shop front insurance?

Brisco Business Insurance is the go-to company for shop insurance in the UK. You can use our free ‘Compare Quotes’ tool on our website to quickly compare shop insurance quotes that include shop front insurance coverage.

If you are unsure what insurance coverage you need to include on your shop insurance policy, or if you should include shop front insurance as an add-on. We have many years of experience helping thousands of UK shop owners with their insurance needs.

As we work with the UK’s leading insurance providers, we can find you a better deal for your shop insurance needs. We can help build a perfectly tailored policy to your individual needs, which can look very different to that of a neighbouring shop selling a different range of products from yourself.

Conclusion

While no shop owner wants to think of the consequences of a break-in or smash-and-grab, protecting your shop front and window with proper coverage is essential for your peace of mind. Even if your shop window gets accidentally damaged from a falling window display or another event, you can feel reassured that your shop front insurance will cover the costs of repairs or replacements.

With the right coverage in place, you can quickly get your shop front repaired and looking good. As your shop window display is a crucial advertising feature of your business, you don’t want it out of action for too long. Your shop front business insurance will ensure you can get your shop open ASAP.

Maria Hickey

For more than 20 years, Maria has worked in the insurance sector and has extensive underwriting and customer service expertise. Maria is an experienced Senior Underwriter with a particular specialism for shop, office and surgery related insurance.

All articles by Maria Hickey