What insurance do I need for my florist business? 

By Bethan Harper on Small Business UK - Advice and Ideas for UK Small Businesses and SMEs

You might be thinking, “Do florists need insurance?” The simple answer is yes!

It doesn’t matter what type of business you run, starting a company always comes with risks. And whether it’s financial losses or potential injuries, without the right insurance, an unprecedented and unfortunate event could leave you in an almost impossible situation.

But, with so many types of insurance out there, it can be tricky to decide which to purchase. Luckily, a commercial combined insurance policy can make this process a little simpler.

Read on for a rundown of the cover you need by law, what is recommended and which restrictions you need to be wary of. Or, you can jump to your preferred section:

• What florist insurance is legally required?
• What other insurance would be useful for my beauty business?
• What restrictions might I come across?
• How do I find a policy that’s right for me?
• Where do florists get business insurance?
• Case study

What florist insurance is legally required?

The type of insurance you’re legally required to have will largely depend on the way your florist business runs.

If you have any employees other than yourself, even if they’re unpaid volunteers or student interns, you’ll need employers’ liability insurance.

Employers’ liability insurance covers you for compensation costs if one of your employees becomes ill or is injured through work. For example, if one of your employees has an allergic reaction to the flowers or falls on your business premises due to a slippery floor, you’ll be covered financially.

What other insurance would be beneficial for my florist business?

Not all business insurance policies are legally required, but that doesn’t mean they aren’t necessary.

Avoiding paying out for additional florist insurance policies in an attempt to save money might seem like a good idea at the time, but if an unexpected event such as a fire or flood destroys your stock or equipment, you’ll wish you’d covered your assets.

 Here are some insurance policies that will provide you peace of mind if the worst happens:

Public liability insurance 

Public liability insurance offers you cover if a customer or member of the public is injured or experiences property damage either on your business premises or at the hands of your products (such as an allergic reaction to the flowers).  

Product liability insurance 

Product liability insurance provides coverage relating to the products produced by your business (in this case, flowers and bouquets) and insures them against faults or causing harm to your customers. 

Property damage insurance 

A property damage policy will make sure your equipment, furnishings, machinery and property are protected if they are damaged, lost or in need of replacement. With property damage insurance, the stress of forking out for new expensive equipment due to an unexpected fault should be drastically reduced.  

Warehouse insurance 

Depending on whether you hold any stock in a warehouse separate from your business premises, you might want to consider a warehouse insurance policy. This will cover you for theft or damage to stock held in your warehouse. 

Stock cover 

Stock cover is particularly useful if your florist business has a shop front as it offers cover for theft or damage to your inventory.  

Business Interruption insurance 

No one wants to think that the worst could happen, but unfortunately, sometimes unexpected events such as fires, floods or storms result in the temporary inability to operate your business.  

Business interruption insurance aims to put your business back in the position it was in before the catastrophic event. 

What restrictions might I come across? 

Unfortunately, there are a few things these policies don’t cover. For example, public liability insurance will only cover injuries and legal fees if a member of the public has an accident. You will not be covered if you yourself are injured.  

Additionally, if you purchase a business interruption insurance policy, you will not be covered for any undocumented income or if you close your business voluntarily (rather than being forced to). 

When taking out any insurance policy, there will be rules and restrictions about what is and isn’t covered, so it’s important to check your terms and conditions and policy documents.  

How do I find a policy that’s right for me? 

You’ll be happy to hear that there are options out there that enable you to tailor your business insurance to you. That way, you don’t end up paying for anything unnecessarily 

For starters, you might want to consider commercial combined insurance. Commercial combined insurance could take the weight off your shoulders as it allows you to purchase several coverage types under one policy and choose the ones that suit you best.   

Commercial combined insurance typically offers the option to be covered by: 

• Public liability insurance 
• Product liability insurance 
• Employer’s liability insurance 
• Property damage insurance 
• Business interruption insurance 
• Personal accident insurance 
• Goods in transit insurance 
• Warehouse insurance 

However, it’s always worth scouring the small print to make sure that you’re certain what is and what isn’t covered in your policy. If anything is unclear, don’t be afraid to ring up your insurer.

Where do florists get business insurance? 

You can get florist business insurance from a range of insurance providers on the market, and the types of insurance you need will largely dictate which provider suits you best.

If you’re interested in combined commercial insurance, Smallbusiness.co.uk can help you find the best provider for your needs using our quote tool. Simply fill in our form by answering a few questions about your business (it should take you less than a minute).

Annabelle Heatle runs Fleur & Rebelle, a female-owned and environmentally-conscious florist based in the West Midlands. Fleur & Rebelle creates modern, playful and vibrant floral designs for weddings, corporate events, bespoke services and offers workshops each month

Annabelle talks about finding the right policy and the changing nature of insurance.

How was your experience of finding insurance that was suitable for your floristry business?

Initially, it was a pain as floristry is different from many standard businesses in terms of what is offered, so we had to do a lot of due diligence to ensure we got all the boxes ticked.  

What restrictions did you come across when you were doing your research?

A lot of insurers wanted to offer us shop insurance (we’re not a shop, we are studio-based) – but we also do markets, weddings and events, workshops, and retail installations, so our insurance needs to cover all of those. It is not a one-size-fits-all system.

What extras did you need for the business?

We needed to ensure that we were covered for a lot of public liability for any potential damage or issues that may arise at venues – we work in a lot of high-end spaces, as well as listed buildings and venues.

Ensuring we were covered for those venues was essential.

We also got some surprised reactions when asking about cover for working at heights as well as injury cover for issues that could occur on sites during event setup and de-rigs.

We also need to ensure any of our freelancers are covered when we are working in the studio or on-site.

What advice do you have for other florists looking for an insurance policy?

Make sure you’re not going with a quote just because it’s the cheapest – ensure it’s ticking all of the boxes.

And if you offer multiple services, you’ll likely need multiple extras to your cover.

Find insurance for your beautician business now

If you’re looking for business insurance for your florist, but you’re not sure where to start, consider using our free quote tool to find a tailored commercial combined policy that will cover all your needs.

Simply fill in our free quote-finding form and answer a few questions about your business (it takes less than a minute).

Read more

What insurance do I need for my beautician business? – Here, we’ll run you through the different types of business insurance you might want to consider if you own a beautician business.

Event planner business insurance – Requirements, extras and exclusions – Here, we’ll run you through everything you need to know about business insurance for event planners.

Business insurance: Everything you need to know – Here, we’ll help you to better understand business insurance and what types of cover you need.

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