Retail, wholesale, and service covers a broad range of small businesses – from appliance sales to cleaning services, ski and snowboard equipment to gift shops, costume rentals to pet stores. But all of them have similar needs when it comes to being protected from liability and loss. Having the right coverage in place means you can get back to work quickly after an unexpected loss. 

Retail, Wholesale, and Service Insurance Coverage Options

If your business is in the general retail, wholesale, or service industries, take a look at the tips below for choosing the right coverage for your business:

• Business Personal Property. This covers the things your business owns aside from any real estate or vehicles. Make sure you consider all types of business personal property when picking a limit. This includes office furniture, equipment, fixtures, almost anything that's not part of the building itself. If you're in the retail or wholesale trade, be sure to include your peak level inventory held for sale.
• Important Business Documentation. This includes coverage for accounts receivable, electronic data, and valuable papers to help repair, replace, or restore your electronic and printed business records
• Crime and Fidelity Coverages. This covers your business from loss of money, securities, or inventory from things like employee dishonesty, embezzlement, forgery, robbery, and burglary.
• General Liability Coverage. This covers losses arising from the general operation of a business but not claims due to failure to adequately perform a service. If you're in a service business, consider purchasing a separate professional liability policy add-on coverage specific to your business such as Residential Cleaning Services coverage or Optical and Hearing Aid Establishment liability coverage.
• Product Liability Coverage. If you sell a product at the wholesale or retail level, be sure to carry some form of product liability coverage to protect you from claims of injury or damage stemming from the products you sell. Some policies include this as part of the general liability coverage while others exclude property liability coverage.
• Photography Coverages – If you're a photographer, these extend and provide additional coverage for your specialized equipment, in your studio and on the road.