3 minute readBusiness
Retail exposure centers on customer injury, inventory, and interruption. A BOP usually covers liability, property, and income, with attention to theft limits, seasonal inventory swings, tenant improvements, and product liability for anything you make or private-label.
What you need to know
Seasonal inventory peaks
A limit set for a slow month underinsures your holiday inventory. Peak-season endorsements solve this.
Tenant improvements
Build-out you paid for is your property, not the landlord's, for insurance purposes.
Product liability
Reselling generally passes exposure upstream; manufacturing or private-labeling does not.
Common mistakes
- Setting property and income limits from rounded-down guesses instead of real numbers.
- Skipping hired and non-owned auto because the business owns no vehicles.
- Signing contracts that require limits or wording the policy does not provide.
- Letting subcontractor certificates lapse, which shows up at audit.
- Treating insurance as a one-time purchase while the business keeps changing.
When to talk to an agent
Talk to an agent before signing a lease or a major contract, when you hire your first employee, when revenue or payroll changes materially, and any time you add a service, location or vehicle.
Frequently asked
This article is general information, not a policy or a promise of coverage. What your policy pays depends on its specific terms, limits and exclusions. Ask us to review your actual policy before making a decision.