Insurance for the retail sector

open sign on glass door of shop

Delivering the goods in retail insurance

When you work in a sector like retail, it’s so important to be able to keep trading. Particularly if you’re at the mercy of seasonality. When the unexpected happens, you need to feel confident that you’ll be back up and running quickly.

We can help with both. Our proactive risk management services and streamlined claims processes are designed to help minimise disruption and get you back to normal ASAP.

If we sound confident that we can help you, it’s because we are.

Our team of specialist brokers have been helping clients safeguard their businesses for more than two decades.

No matter how complex the challenge or unique the situation, we have the expertise and market access to get the right people in the room and find the solution that best serves your business.

2000+

UK retail clients

£11m

premium under management

Who do we work with?

  • Big-name chains
  • High-street stalwarts
  • Multi-site retailers
  • Multi-use premises
  • Trade merchants and suppliers
  • Franchises
  • Independents
  • Retail parks
  • Garden centres
  • Online-only businesses

Your one-stop-shop for retail risk management

Public liability insurance
If a customer or member of the public trips or falls on your premises, or feels they’ve suffered a loss or injury as a result of your products, you may be liable. Protect your business against possible claims.

Employers’ liability insurance
A legal requirement if you employ staff in the UK, Employers’ liability covers you if any of your employees claim to have become injured or ill as a result of the work they do for you.

Buildings and contents insurance
Cover any costs to your premises or stock caused by fire, theft or flood and get help with the finances needed to repair damage and replenish assets. Various cover options allow you to insure your equipment and stock at your premises, when it’s on the move, or both.

Product liability insurance
If a product you sell hurts someone or damages their property, it’s likely they’ll claim against you. Product liability insurance covers the costs of your legal defence as well as any damages.

Product recall insurance
Product recalls are worrying for any retailer and can incur all sorts of shipping, warehouse, disposal and restocking costs. Product recall insurance covers you for these unwanted expenses.

Employee crime/fidelity insurance
Protect your business against the financial impact of loss of money, stock, or other assets caused by employee acts of theft or fraud. 

Stock throughput and cargo insurance
Cover your stock or inventory against physical loss or damage - whether it’s stored on your premises, in transit to you, or out for delivery to your customers.

Directors’ and officers’ liability
D&O insurance protects management from claims relating to their business decisions and conduct in the workplace. D&O insurance is there to pay for costs relating to mounting a defence, investigations and any damages or settlements.

Motor fleet insurance
Have you got delivery vans or a company car scheme? Insuring multiple vehicles together under one policy is a cost-effective way to protect against accident compensation claims from third parties, fire and theft.

Business interruption insurance
Whether it’s a natural disaster, cyber-attack or equipment failure, you need to be able to resume trading quickly - even if that means relocating temporarily. Business interruption insurance covers for extra costs of keeping your business going during such times, and covers for lost profits, too

Cyber insurance
Cybercrime poses a serious threat to every retail business. In the event of an attack, you call our hotline and forensic cybersecurity experts will step in to fix the problem, re-establish defences and get you back in operation. This proactive response also includes support from lawyers and crisis communications specialists. After the incident, the insurance can cover a variety of financial losses incurred due to the attack.

Terrorism insurance
Did you know that terrorism is a standard exclusion from most UK insurance policies? Insure your stock and premises against physical damage and business interruption losses as a result of an act of terrorism, piracy, rioting or sabotage. 

Improve your risk management, create premium savings

When you come to us for retail insurance, we don’t just hand you an industry-standard policy, we take the time to get to know your business and its challenges.

It’s only by understanding the true picture that we can present your company to insurers in a way that gets you the most competitive terms. The strength of our negotiating power lies in the detail.

Some of the most influential details are around your approach to risk management.

Proactive risk management can improve your business resilience, reduce your claims, and contribute to lower premiums.

We offer tailored programmes based on your needs.

  1. Health and safety
    High footfall areas, trip hazards, overflowing stock rooms, potentially hazardous products; there’s plenty to think about when it comes to retail health and safety. We can help you identify key risks and show you how better to manage them.
     
  2. Business resilience
    Our business continuity and disaster recovery services help you test and improve your ability to withstand and bounce back from unexpected disruption – minimising your downtime during crucial trading periods.
     
  3. Information and cyber security
    Defending your business against a cyber-attack is important for all retailers, even more so if you’re an online business. Discover what steps to take to reduce the risk of cyber criminals accessing your account information, data, and technology.
     
  4. Asset protection
    Detailed surveys of your premises and storage facilities can highlight how to reduce your exposure to things like fire or weather damage. While accurate stock valuations are crucial to making certain you’re not underinsured.
     
  5. Occupational road risk
    Whether you have a couple of vans or a whole fleet of delivery trucks, we can help you audit and monitor your road risks and gain more control of running costs. We can also provide driver training courses and coaching.

If we don’t already have a risk-reduction solution that exactly meets the needs of your business, we’ll create one. 

Service that goes the extra mile

Howden is a multi-national, employee-owned business. Our people are committed to delivering for our clients and each other.

Our entrepreneurial culture attracts the best talent in the industry; natural-born problem-solvers, people who are instinctively inclined to go the extra mile for clients.

Which means that whatever insurance challenge you are facing, we have market-leading experts to help you solve it.

A slick and quick claims process

Our personalised 24/7 claims service aims to minimise the admin time spent on claims and reduce your claims costs, and our in-house claims team is involved from the very start of our relationship with you. 

Right from the policy creation stage, we’re looking ahead to how quickly and efficiently we can get your claims paid. Plus, anything we’ve learnt from other clients’ claims is fed back into your renewal strategy, whether that’s in the form of policy wording tweaks or risk-management advice.

Allowing some flexibility can make all the difference. That might mean empowering you to get minor or lower-cost problems fixed quickly without getting multiple quotes first, or not restricting you to an insurer-approved list of tradespeople when something needs fixing fast.

Minimal downtime equals minimal impact on your business, and that’s better for your bottom line.

Ready when you are

Do you have an existing policy with Howden?

Got a question or query? Give us a few details in the box below and we'll get back to you. 

Our Website Terms and Conditions and Privacy Notice includes information on the scope of our service and how we will handle your data.

CAPTCHA
5 + 10 =
Solve this simple math problem and enter the result. E.g. for 1+3, enter 4.
This question is for testing whether or not you are a human visitor and to prevent automated spam submissions.

 

What to do if you are experiencing financial difficulties

We recognise that the current economic conditions are putting pressure on many households and businesses. At Howden, we are committed to finding ways to assist our customers who may require additional support during these times.

If you’re currently facing financial difficulty, please speak to us about your insurance policies by:-

-contacting your Howden Service Team; 
-calling Howden on 0207 545 2800;
-using the Enquiry form.

Let's talk...

+44 (0)20 8256 4915

We'll put you in touch with the person best equipped to help.