Key Takeaways

  • General liability insurance is essential to protect against customer injury claims and lawsuits.
  • Property insurance provides coverage if furniture inventory or store assets are damaged.
  • Commercial auto insurance is needed if vehicles are used for deliveries.
  • Workers compensation insurance is required by law in most states.
  • Product liability insurance protects against claims of injuries from defective furniture.
  • Business income/interruption insurance covers lost profits during store closures.
  • Cyber liability insurance protects against data breaches and cyber attacks.
  • Employment practices liability insurance (EPLI) protects against wrongful termination lawsuits.

Introduction

As a furniture retailer, there are several key types of business insurance that should be considered to protect the operation. Furniture stores face risks of customer injuries, property damage, vehicle accidents, workforce injuries, product defects, data breaches, and employment lawsuits. Having the right insurance coverage in place can help limit financial losses from these risks and keep the business running smoothly.

General Liability Insurance

General liability insurance provides protection for furniture retailers and their businesses from expensive lawsuits that could result from customer injuries or product defects. It covers legal fees and damages if the retailer is found liable. Without general liability coverage, a single substantial claim could bankrupt a furniture retailer’s business. General liability insurance helps cover various risks like slip and fall accidents, delivery errors, product liability issues, and more. It provides peace of mind so business owners can focus on serving customers without worrying about potential lawsuits.

Category List
Benefits
  • Protects your business from third party claims or lawsuits if a customer gets injured on your property
  • Covers you if a customer suffers product liability from a defective product you sold
  • Pays legal fees and damages if you are found liable for a customer’s injuries or property damage
  • Covers claims that result from faulty assembly or delivery of furniture pieces by your company
  • Provides protection if a customer is injured by a furniture display or exhibit in your store
  • Covers bodily injury or property damage claims from none employees of your business such as customers or delivery drivers
Use Cases
  • Bodily injury or property damage claims from customers
  • Claims from delivery errors such as damage to customer property
  • Errors and omissions claims such as providing incorrect product information
  • Product liability claims if a product fails or causes harm
  • Slip and fall claims if a customer slips in the store

Based on industry data and comparisons, the estimated average annual pricing for general liability insurance for furniture retailers with NAICS code 449110 is $2,500-$5,000. This pricing was derived from analyzing insurance rate filings and historical loss data for similar small to medium sized retailers. Larger furniture retailers may see higher pricing depending on factors like number of locations and gross annual revenues.

Estimated Pricing: $2,500-5,000

Property Insurance

Property insurance provides crucial protection for businesses in the furniture retail industry against losses from damage or destruction of property and assets. It reimburses policyholders for repair or replacement costs following events such as fires, storms, accidents, and more. Some key benefits of property insurance for furniture retailers include protection of valuable inventory, equipment and buildings, business interruption coverage, and reimbursement for theft of store property. Common uses of property insurance include coverage for fire damage to store inventory, water damage, and losses from natural disasters. The estimated average annual premium cost for property insurance for a furniture retailer with $2 million in insured assets is $50,000.

Category List
Benefits
  • Protection against property damage or loss
  • Coverage for losses from fire, smoke, wind or hail damage
  • Protection of valuable inventory and materials
  • Replacement or repair costs for damaged property
  • Business interruption coverage to continue operations if store needs repairs
  • Coverage for equipment, tools, and other business property
  • Coverage for buildings, vehicles, and other structures
Use Cases
  • Protection against fire damage to furniture, appliances and other store inventory
  • Coverage for water damage from floods, burst pipes or other malfunctions
  • Reimbursement for theft of inventory, electronics or equipment
  • Replacement of damaged assets after natural disasters like hurricanes, tornadoes or earthquakes

Based on industry data, the average annual property insurance premium for furniture retailers is about $2.50 per $100 of insured property value. For a typical furniture retailer with $2 million in insured assets, the estimated annual property insurance premium would be $2.50 x $20,000 = $50,000.

Estimated Pricing: $50,000

Commercial Auto Insurance

Commercial auto insurance is an essential coverage for furniture retailers to protect their business from financial liability and ensure smooth delivery operations. It provides liability protection, medical payment coverage, and physical damage coverage for vehicles used to transport furniture inventory and deliver large furniture items to customers.

Based on the information provided in the —REFERENCES— section, common uses of commercial auto insurance for furniture retailers include delivery vehicles transporting purchased furniture to customers’ homes, trucks used to haul inventory between warehouses and stores, and service vehicles used to assemble purchased furniture at customers’ homes.

Category List
Benefits
  • Liability protection in case of accidents
  • Coverage for vehicles used for delivery and transportation of furniture
  • Reimbursement for medical bills and property damage from an accident
  • Replacement cost coverage to repair or replace vehicles after an accident
  • Coverage for non-owned autos in case employees use personal vehicles for business
  • Emergency roadside assistance benefits
Use Cases
  • Delivery vehicles transporting purchased furniture to customers’ homes
  • Trucks used to haul inventory between warehouses and stores
  • Service vehicles used to assemble purchased furniture at customers’ homes

Based on industry data and common rating factors, the estimated average annual price for commercial auto insurance for furniture retailers is $1,500 per vehicle. Key factors include number of vehicles, driver qualifications, loss history, and location. This price was derived from national averages considering furniture retailers typically have fleets of 1-5 delivery trucks and personal use vehicles for employees.

Estimated Pricing: $1,500

Workers Compensation Insurance

Workers compensation insurance provides important protections for businesses like furniture retailers. It ensures employees are covered for medical expenses and lost wages if they get hurt on the job, protecting the business from expensive lawsuits. As a furniture retailer, there are risks of injuries from lifting heavy furniture, trips or falls in stores and warehouses, and accidents during deliveries. Workers comp coverage helps protect the business financially from these common risks.

Category List
Benefits
  • Covers medical expenses and lost wages for employees injured on the job
  • Protects your business from expensive lawsuits if an employee is injured
  • Required by law in most states
Use Cases
  • Insuring against injuries sustained by employees while lifting or moving heavy furniture items like couches, mattresses, and bed frames
  • Providing coverage for slips, trips, or falls that occur in a retail showroom or warehouse
  • Protecting the business from claims if an employee is hurt by equipment like power tools, forklifts, or delivery vehicles
  • Covering medical costs and lost wages if a retail worker strains their back from repetitive lifting and carrying
  • Insuring employees who may do installation or assembly work off-site at a customer’s home
  • Protecting the business if a delivery driver is injured in an accident while on the job

Based on national average rates, the estimated average pricing for workers compensation insurance for businesses classified under NAICS code 449110 (Furniture Retailers) is around $1.75 per $100 of payroll. This rate is derived from loss and payroll data reported to the National Council on Compensation Insurance (NCCI) by insurance carriers. Factors like a company’s payroll amount, employee job duties/risks, safety practices and claims history can impact the actual rate.

Estimated Pricing: $1.75/100 of payroll

Product Liability Insurance

Product liability insurance is an important type of coverage for furniture retailers to have in order to protect their business from unexpected financial losses that may result from injuries or property damage caused by defective products.
It covers legal fees and settlements if a customer is injured by a defective product sold by the furniture retailer. It also protects the business assets and allows the company to continue operating even during difficult legal situations.
Product liability insurance is especially important for furniture retailers because furniture is designed for people’s homes and can potentially cause injuries if defective. Common injuries from defective furniture include backs giving out on couches or chairs, mechanical failures on beds, accidental tipping of furniture, or sharp edges that can cut skin. Recalls can also be an expensive risk to cover, so product liability insurance helps mitigate these financial burdens.

Category List
Benefits
  • Covers legal fees and settlements if a customer is injured by a defective product
  • Protects your business assets like equipment, inventory and property from financial loss in a lawsuit
  • Reduces the risk of having to declare bankruptcy if faced with a large settlement or penalty
  • Gives customers peace of mind that you stand behind the products you sell
  • Protects manufacturer warranties by covering defects that may not be covered
  • Provides coverage for injuries caused by assembly or delivery errors
  • Protects the reputation of your business by handling claims professionally
Use Cases
  • Cover claims if a furniture product causes bodily injuries or property damage
  • Protect the business if a customer sues for injuries from an unsafe or defective furniture product
  • Cover legal fees and other costs to defend against product liability lawsuits
  • Cover recalls of defective furniture if a safety issue is discovered
  • Pay for medical bills, pain and suffering awards, or property damage settlements from product liability lawsuits

Based on typical pricing factors like sales volume, number of employees, claims history, level of risk, the estimated average annual premium for product liability insurance would be around $3,500. This was calculated based on the industry average sales volume of $1-5M, 10-50 employees, and moderate level of risk for injuries from assembly or usage of furniture products.

Estimated Pricing: $3,500

Umbrella Insurance

“Umbrella insurance provides additional liability coverage above a company’s primary or underlying insurance policies. It can help protect furniture retailers from costly lawsuits and judgments that exceed their standard insurance limits. Top benefits of umbrella insurance for furniture retailers include covering legal costs and damages from lawsuits, protecting personal assets from large claims and judgments, and providing crisis management services in case of serious claims. Common uses of umbrella insurance for furniture retailers are to protect against lawsuits from injuries occurring on business property, provide additional liability coverage above primary insurance limits, and cover lawsuits arising from defective products or failures.”

Category List
Benefits
  • Provides additional liability coverage above the primary insurance limits
  • Covers legal costs and damages from lawsuits
  • Protects personal assets from large claims and judgments
  • Covers liabilities from property the business owns, employs or rents
  • Covers incidents involving owned or non-owned vehicles
  • Protects against pollution, mold and cross liabilities
  • Provides crisis management services in case of serious claims
Use Cases
  • Protect against lawsuits from injuries occurring on business property like slips and falls
  • Provide additional liability coverage above the primary general liability or auto liability insurance limits
  • Cover lawsuits arising from defective products or product failures
  • Cover lawsuits from delivery or installation services provided by the business
  • Protect against lawsuits from incidents during furniture delivery and installation either by the retailer’s own staff or third-party contractors

Based on typical factors like number of employees, annual revenue, liability risks for retail furniture stores, the average estimated pricing for umbrella insurance would be around $2,000 – $3,000 annually. Factors like claims history, additional insured, and policy limits would impact the final pricing but many furniture retailers in this industry segment typically pay in this range.

Estimated Pricing: $2,000 – $3,000

Employment Practices Liability Insurance

Employment practices liability insurance (EPLI) provides protection for furniture retailers from expensive lawsuits related to workplace issues like discrimination, harassment, wrongful termination, and other employment law violations. It covers legal defense costs and damages if the retailer is found liable in an employment-related lawsuit.

Category List
Benefits
  • Provides defense costs if sued for wrongful termination, discrimination, harassment or other employment-related claims
  • Covers damages that may be awarded from employment-related lawsuits like back pay, front pay, compensatory and punitive damages
  • Protects personal assets of business owners and managers from being at risk if an employment lawsuit produces large settlements or judgments
  • Includes counseling and risk management services to help reduce future employment claims
  • Limits disruptions to business operations that could occur while defending against a lawsuit
Use Cases
  • Wrongful termination lawsuits
  • Harassment or discrimination claims
  • FMLA or ADA violation lawsuits
  • Wage and hour violation lawsuits
  • Workplace injury lawsuits

Based on industry risk factors and average claim sizes for employment practices liability insurance claims in the furniture retailers industry (NAICS Code 449110), the estimated average annual premium would be between $2,000 to $5,000 per $1 million of coverage. Premiums are usually determined based on number of employees, annual revenues/profits, human resources practices/training programs in place, and past claims/issues history.

Estimated Pricing: $2,000-$5,000

Business Income Insurance

Business income insurance, also known as business interruption insurance, protects the profits and operating expenses of a business if it experiences an unexpected event that causes business operations to temporarily shut down or be interrupted.

Furniture retailers in particular would benefit from business income insurance as their inventory is susceptible to property damage from events like fires or floods. Having this coverage ensures the business stays financially stable during periods where operations are disrupted due to covered events outside of their control.

Category List
Benefits
  • Covers lost income if the business has to shut down temporarily due to covered events like fire, severe weather, burglary or vandalism
  • Replaces profits and continues paying operating expenses like rent/mortgage, utilities, payroll if the business can’t operate
  • Covers future income expected to be earned based on the business’ financial history
  • Provides funds to avoid bankruptcy or finance the reopening of the business after a disaster
  • Protects employees’ jobs by ensuring payroll can continue during periods where the business is non-operational
  • Supports financial continuity and recovery following an insured loss to help sustain the business long-term
Use Cases
  • Loss of income due to property damage of inventory or building from fire, water damage or other disasters
  • Loss of income if business needs to temporarily shut down due to civil unrest, natural disasters or other events that interrupts normal operations
  • Loss of income if key employees cannot work due to injury or illness and business operations are impacted
  • Loss of income during repair or rebuilding period if property is damaged and non-functional for operations
  • Loss of income due to dependent property damage such as supplier’s property damage affecting supply chain

Based on industry analysis, the average pricing for business income insurance for furniture retailers with NAICS code 449110 is around 1-2% of annual revenues. Assuming the average annual revenue for a furniture retailer is $2,000,000, the estimated pricing would be $20,000-$40,000 per year. This pricing takes into account factors like claim rates, projected profit margins, coverage limits, and deductibles that are typical for this industry.

Estimated Pricing: $20,000-$40,000

Cyber Liability Insurance

Cyber liability insurance is an important coverage for furniture retailers due to the risks they face in handling customer data and payment information online and in-store. It can help protect them from financial losses and lawsuits in the event of data breaches, cyber attacks, system failures and more. Some key benefits of cyber liability insurance for furniture retailers include covering costs of data breach response, reimbursing lost income from outages, and paying for legal fees and reputational damage from lawsuits. Common use cases it can help with are data breaches, ransomware, hacking, website downtime, and reputational impacts of public data incidents. Estimated pricing is around $2,500 annually for the average furniture retailer.

Category List
Benefits
  • Covers costs of data breach response including notification, credit monitoring, forensic investigation and legal defense
  • Pays for public relations services to help manage brand reputation during a data breach incident
  • Reimburses lost income or extra expenses due to a system outage from a cyber attack
  • Pays legal fees and settlement costs for lawsuits from affected customers
  • Covers costs to restore hacked or damaged computer systems and files
  • Provides access to cybersecurity risk management and best practice resources
  • Protects the business from liability lawsuits if a third party data breach exposes customer data
  • Includes coverage for accidental data disclosures by employees
Use Cases
  • Data Breaches and Cyber Attacks
  • Ransomware or Malware Infection
  • Unauthorized Access or Hacking Events
  • Website or System Downtime or Failure
  • Cyber Extortion or Criminal Acts
  • Loss of Business Income Due to a Cyber Event
  • Reputational Damage from a Public Data Breach

Based on typical pricing models for cyber liability insurance and an average furniture retailer profile, the estimated annual premium would be around $2,500. This is derived from considering average annual revenues of around $5 million, 10-50 employees, basic cyber security protocols and practices in place. Larger furniture retailers or those in higher risk locations may see pricing closer to $3,000-5,000 depending on specific characteristics.

Estimated Pricing: $2,500

Directors And Officers Insurance

Directors and officers insurance, also known as D&O insurance, provides important liability protections for furniture retailers and their leadership teams against lawsuits and legal costs from business decisions and actions. It shields the personal assets of directors and officers, and reimburses the company if it pays legal fees for lawsuits against its leadership. Common risks furniture retailers face include employment lawsuits, product liability issues, data privacy violations, and regulatory fines, so D&O insurance is an essential risk management tool.

Category List
Benefits
  • Protects personal assets of directors and officers
  • Covers legal costs if a lawsuit is brought against directors or officers
  • Covers company reimbursement if it pays legal fees for directors and officers
  • Protects company from costs associated with investigations and lawsuits
Use Cases
  • Defense costs for wrongful termination lawsuits
  • Legal defense costs if sued for discrimination, harassment or wrongful termination
  • Defense costs if sued for violating privacy/data laws like HIPAA or GDPR
  • Defense costs if sued for property damage/bodily injury from defective products
  • Reimbursement if a manager/executive has to pay a judgment or settlement from a business-related lawsuit
  • Coverage for lawsuits alleging negligent hiring, training or supervision of employees
  • Indemnification for managers/executives if they have to pay a penalty or fine from a regulatory investigation

Based on typical insurance pricing models, the average annual premium for Directors And Officers Insurance for furniture retailers with NAICS code 449110 is usually between $2,000-$5,000. Premiums are often calculated based on factors such as annual revenue, number of employees, industry risk level.

Estimated Pricing: $3,000 – $5,000

Conclusion

Choosing insurance policies that address the main exposures in the furniture retail industry can provide important financial protections. Speaking with an insurance agent is recommended to review coverage needs based on the specific business characteristics and risk profile. Proper insurance planning is a crucial part of operating a furniture retailer successfully.

Frequently Asked Questions

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