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Shop and retail insurance

Your one-stop shop for business insurance

From public liability to contents and stock, choose from a range of cover options to get a bespoke policy for your business.

Get a quote Retrieve a quote

or call us on 0345 605 9168

Call us on 0345 605 9168

Join over 500,000 businesses who trust us with their insurance.

  • Get 10% off business insurance if you’re already a Direct Line customer.

    Discount applies to your new business insurance policy. Subject to minimum premiums.

  • We'll cover you if you sell your products online, at home, in a shop, and on a market stall.
  • No admin fees if you need to make changes to your policy.
  • 0% APR on your monthly direct debit payments in the first year.

    New customers only, over 18s, subject to eligibility.

  • We won't be beaten on price. We'll beat your new business insurance quote or renewal premium from any other insurer.

    New customers only. Cover on an equivalent basis to ours. Qualifying criteria apply. Terms & Conditions.

Shop and retail business insurance made for you

Whether you own a flower shop, repair bikes in a shed, sell homemade jam at a farmer's market or sell your products and services via your website, we can help you create a tailored insurance policy for your business.

We know that every enterprise is unique, and someone who sells toys isn't going to want exactly the same insurance as someone who repairs shoes. That’s why we offer customised business insurance that can be tailored to your business's needs.

There is a lot to consider when choosing the best type of insurance for your business. If you store stock, you may want to cover your goods against theft or damage at your shop or home. You are also able to cover goods being sent by post or via a courier. If you operate an online shop then insuring yourself against cyber attacks will be a high priority. Meanwhile, if you own or rent shop space, you may want to insure your business against property damage to your buildings and contents caused by fire or flood.

Our easy-to-use online quote tool helps you pick the covers that make sense for your business and add them to a single policy. Then, if your business changes later, we'll let you amend that policy without charging you admin fees. See our list of covers below.

Get a quote
or call us on 0345 605 9168
Get a quote call us on 0345 605 9168

Why Direct Line for Business?

We have over 10 years of experience when it comes to insuring small businesses. That means we know exactly what you need.

  • Our quick and easy online process makes customising your Shop and Retail Insurance a breeze.
  • We can cover you whether you work from home, rent/own a shop, or sell your products online or at fairs, markets and pop-ups
  • Instant policy documents so you can download and show proof of cover to trade shows and venues.

What kind of professions do you cover?

We offer cover to thousands of UK businesses each year. Some of the industries we cover include:

  • Food retail
  • Arts and crafts
  • Clothing
  • Grocery
  • Gift and greeting card shops
  • Newsagents
  • Boutiques
  • Cake makers and decorators
Get a quote
or call us on 0345 605 9168
Get a quote call us on 0345 605 9168

Your cover options

Add any of the following cover options to your policy to create commercial shop insurance that fits your business needs. These covers are subject to policy conditions and limits.

  • Public and product liability

    Our Shop and Retail Insurance includes public and product liability cover, as standard, to insure the core risks associated with your business. It covers you if someone is injured on your premises, from your products, or if you damage their property. If you were to be sued on any of these grounds, public and products liability insurance would cover your costs. We can offer cover from £1 million to £10 million, subject to criteria.

    If you sell your goods at craft fairs or markets, you will often have to show proof of public liability insurance to the event organisers before you can even set up your stall.

  • Employers' liability

    Employers' liability insurance is legally required if you take on employees. You can read about the exceptions to this rule here. We offer £10 million cover as standard. This covers your legal costs if an employee gets injured or becomes ill during their time at work and takes action against your business.

  • Buildings cover

    If there is an insured event such as a flood or fire on your premises and the space becomes damaged, buildings insurance will pay for the costs of repair or rebuilding. This cover also pays for debris removal and architect fees.

    It also includes equipment breakdown (for items forming part of the building), such as a broken boiler or fire/burglar alarms, as standard. We'll cover the cost of repairing or replacing the equipment, as long as the damage is not due to wear and tear.

  • Contents and stock

    Your stock is often the core of your business, so if something happens to it, you’ll need to be able to replace it quickly. So you can insure your stock against theft and other specified damage under our policy, and, as standard, we’ll give you an extra 25% of stock cover for two months of your choosing - perfect for those busy periods.

    You can also insure your business contents like electrical items, furniture and important equipment.

    If your business requires you to travel for trade fairs and markets, you can also take out a cover which lets you insure important items on the go. For example, if your laptop was stolen while you’re working at a café, or your stock was damaged or stolen in transit, your cover would provide a replacement.

  • Business interruption

    It doesn't matter if you run your retail empire from the high street or your spare bedroom, if your working premises became unusable due to an insured event like a fire or flood, business interruption covers you for lost revenue and relocation costs.

    If your main suppler or customer has damage to their premises that means they can't trade, we'll cover you for the loss of business you'll suffer, up to a limit of £50,000.

    Our business interruption cover can insure you if you or one of your key employees becomes seriously disabled and is unable to continue work. We will cover the incurred costs, up to £25,000, to minimise any interruption to the business.

  • Theft of takings

    If you sell your products or services in person, you will likely handle a lot of cash during your working day. This policy covers you in case of theft from you, your premises or anyone working for you.

  • Cyber cover

    If you trade online and are the victim of a malicious hacking attempt, cyber cover will pay for the costs you are required to pay to resolve the situation. It covers the compensation and defence costs that result from data breaches or accidental virus transmission. We also cover loss of income in the aftermath of a cyber attack and the cost of investigating a ransom demand.

    In addition, following a cyber incident we will provide access to specialists in public relations and crisis management, identity theft assistance and advice to help you prevent future incidents.

  • Legal expenses

    This pays the legal costs of providing specialist lawyers and taking action against many common legal problems, for instance disputes with suppliers or clients.

Get a quote
or call us on 0345 605 9168
Get a quote call us on 0345 605 9168

Policy documents

If you have an existing quote or policy with us, you can view and download your policy documents from the My Account page.

We tailor all our policies, so your documents only show what you’ve chosen to cover.

Below is a summary of a generic policy, from 15 July 2018 until 31 March 2019, which shows the main covers and exclusions in our policies.

Below is a summary of a generic policy, from 1 April 2019 onwards, which shows the main covers and exclusions in our policies.

We're on it

Direct Line insurance policies are underwritten by U K Insurance Limited, Registered office: The Wharf, Neville Street, Leeds LS1 4AZ. Registered in England and Wales No 1179980. U K Insurance Limited is authorised by the Prudential Regulation Authority and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority and the Prudential Regulation Authority, registration number 202810. The Financial Services Register can be accessed through www.fca.org.uk. Calls may be recorded.