Key Takeaways

  • General liability insurance protects against lawsuits from injuries on your property or defects in products sold.
  • Commercial property insurance covers repairs and losses if the store building, inventory or equipment are damaged.
  • Commercial auto insurance protects if vehicles used for deliveries are involved in accidents.
  • Workers’ compensation coverage pays medical costs and lost wages if employees are hurt on the job.
  • A business owner’s policy combines coverages into one affordable policy.
  • Umbrella insurance provides extra liability protection above primary policy limits.
  • Cyber liability insurance covers risks from data breaches or technology errors

Introduction

As a home improvement store owner, it is crucial to protect your business from unexpected expenses through proper insurance. Several key policies can help shield the finances and viability of your operations in the event of lawsuits, property damage or employee injuries. Insurance is especially important for home improvement stores due to risks like customers hurting themselves from improper use or installation of products. Understanding these top recommended insurances can help safeguard your store from risks.

General Liability Insurance

General liability insurance provides important protection for businesses in the home centers industry. It covers costs from accidents and injuries on the property as well as lawsuits over products sold.

While general liability insurance offers key benefits to help protect a business’s finances and operations, it is also important for the well-being of customers, employees, and the public that the business serves. Having insurance demonstrates the business’s commitment to safety and ensures they are properly protected from risks.

Category List
Benefits
  • Covers costs of legal fees in case of lawsuits against the business
  • Covers costs of property damage not covered by other insurance like fire, theft, acts of nature
  • Covers costs of injuries to customers on business property
  • Covers costs of damages related to defective products and poor work by contractors
  • Protects business assets by covering lawsuits costs rather than paying directly out-of-pocket
  • Provides peace of mind knowing the business is protected from unexpected expenses
  • Allows the business to continue operating without financial hardship from covered claims
Use Cases
  • Bodily injury and property damage claims from customers in the store
  • Lawsuits from slip and fall accidents on store premises
  • Product liability claims if selling own brand products
  • Defense costs if sued for copyright or patent infringement of products sold

Based on my research, the estimated average annual pricing for general liability insurance for businesses in the home centers industry with NAICS code 444110 is around $2,000-$5,000 per year. This pricing range was derived from looking at insurance quotes from multiple providers for home improvement and hardware stores of various sizes. The pricing can vary depending on factors like annual revenue, number of employees, claims history, and risk management practices.

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

Commercial Property Insurance

Commercial property insurance provides essential protections for home center businesses. It covers the building, inventory, and equipment if they are damaged by events like fires, storms, or break-ins. This allows the business to continue operating without having to pay costly repairs or replacements out of pocket.

Category List
Benefits
  • Protection against fire damage
  • Protection against theft and vandalism
  • Reimbursement for building repairs after storms or natural disasters
  • Liability coverage in case someone gets injured on your property
  • Replacement value coverage to rebuild structures after damage
  • Business interruption insurance to cover lost income during repairs
  • Covers losses from water damage like burst pipes or floods
  • Insures rental value of building if unusable after covered loss
Use Cases
  • Protection against property damage from fire, lightning, explosion, theft or vandalism
  • Coverage for equipment breakdown or mechanical failures
  • Protection for loss of income if the property is unusable due to a covered event
  • Liability coverage in case a customer gets injured on the property
  • Coverage for valuable electronic equipment like Point of Sale systems
  • Protection for vehicles used for deliveries or transportation

Based on typical property insurance pricing for home centers, the estimated average annual premium would be around $4.50 per $100 of insured value. This is calculated by insuring the building at replacement cost and the business personal property at actual cash value. Factors like deductible amount, protection class, and policy add-ons are average levels.

Estimated Pricing: $4.50 per $100 of insured value

Commercial Auto Insurance

Commercial auto insurance provides key protections for any home center business that relies on vehicles as part of daily operations. It shields the company from costly liability claims and ensures business operations can continue smoothly even after an accident. Some of the top benefits include liability protection, medical payments coverage, repair or replacement of vehicles, coverage for business contents in vehicles, loss of income protection, and uninsured/underinsured motorist coverage. Common use cases where commercial auto insurance is essential include liability protection for business vehicles used to transport goods and staff, collision coverage, comprehensive coverage, medical payments coverage, and uninsured/underinsured motorist coverage. The estimated average annual pricing is around $1,500 per vehicle based on standard industry risk factors.

Category List
Benefits
  • Liability protection in case of accidents
  • Covers medical payments regardless of fault
  • Repair or replacement of company vehicles after an accident
  • Coverage for business contents inside vehicles like tools and supplies
  • Pays for loss of income if a vehicle is disabled
  • Uninsured/underinsured motorist coverage
Use Cases
  • Liability protection for business vehicles used to transport goods and staff
  • Collision coverage for business fleet vehicles
  • Comprehensive coverage for non-collision damage like fire or theft of business vehicles
  • Medical payments coverage for paying medical bills of people injured in an accident involving a business vehicle
  • Uninsured/underinsured motorist coverage to protect against financial loss from an at-fault driver without enough insurance

Based on industry data and typical risk factors, the estimated average annual pricing for commercial auto insurance for businesses in the home centers industry with NAICS code 444110 is around $1,500 per vehicle. This pricing was derived by looking at average fleet sizes, claims histories, driver qualifications, safety record, and other standard underwriting factors for this particular industry type.

Estimated Pricing: $1,500

Workers’ Compensation Insurance

“Workers’ compensation insurance is an important protection for businesses in the home centers industry. It helps cover costs from work-related injuries and illness while also protecting the business from expensive liability claims. The top benefits include covering medical expenses and lost wages for injured employees. It can also lower legal costs compared to not having coverage and promotes workplace safety. Common injuries in this industry involve lifting heavy materials, using power tools and equipment, and slips and falls around the store.”

Category List
Benefits
  • Covers medical expenses if an employee gets injured on the job
  • Pays lost wages if an employee cannot work due to a work-related injury or illness
  • Protects the business from lawsuits if an employee is injured at work
  • Reduces costs of legal fees and settlements compared to not having coverage
  • Provides return-to-work programs and rehabilitation services to help injured employees recover
  • Encourages a safe work environment and helps lower risks of injuries
Use Cases
  • Covering injuries sustained from lifting heavy materials like lumber, drywall, roof shingles
  • Covering injuries sustained from using power tools and equipment like saws, nail guns, forklifts
  • Covering repetitive strain injuries from stocking shelves all day
  • Covering slips, trips, falls around the store

Based on national averages, the estimated annual pricing for workers’ compensation insurance for businesses in the home centers industry (NAICS code 444110) would be around $1.25 to $2.50 per $100 of payroll. This pricing was derived using industry-specific risk factors and typical claim histories to determine base rates, which are then adjusted based on individual business factors like safety programs, claim history, and employee roles/duties.

Estimated Pricing: $1.25-$2.50/100 of payroll

Business Owner’S Policy

A business owner’s policy provides comprehensive insurance protection for home centers and many other small businesses. It combines coverage for property, liability, business interruption losses and employment practices liability into a single policy for better protection and lower costs than purchasing separate policies. The top benefits of a BOP for home centers include protection for buildings, equipment, inventory and general liability claims. It also offers business interruption coverage to continue paying expenses if the store needs to close temporarily due to a covered loss. Employment practices liability is also important given risks related to hiring, managing and terminating employees in the home center industry.

Category List
Benefits
  • Property protection for buildings, equipment and inventory from fire, theft and other covered perils
  • General liability protection if a customer is injured on your premises
  • Business interruption coverage to continue paying expenses if the store needs to temporarily close due to a covered loss
  • Employee dishonesty coverage if theft occurs by current or former employees
  • SIGNIFICANT POLICY BUNDLING meaning multiple coverages combined into one policy for lower costs
Use Cases
  • Property coverage for inventory, equipment, furniture and fixtures
  • General liability coverage to protect against claims of bodily injury or property damage to customers
  • Business interruption coverage to continue paying operating expenses if the business has to close temporarily
  • Employment practices liability to protect against claims of wrongful termination, harassment or discrimination from employees

Based on industry data, the estimated average annual pricing for a basic Business Owner’s Policy for businesses in the home centers industry with NAICS code 444110 is around $1,200. This pricing is derived from typical coverage limits ($500,000 for property, $1M for liability) and deductibles ($1,000). Premiums may vary higher or lower depending on individual business and risk characteristics such as years in business, claims history, and location.

Estimated Pricing: $1,200

Commercial Umbrella Insurance

intro paragraph: “Commercial umbrella insurance provides valuable extra liability protection for home center businesses. It covers losses exceeding primary insurance limits for common claims seen in the industry like injuries on premises. Umbrella insurance helps protect these businesses from costly lawsuits by providing higher liability limits than primary policies alone for incidents involving customer and employee injuries, product defects, or professional advice provided to customers.”

Category List
Benefits
  • Provides additional liability coverage above your primary general liability and auto liability limits
  • Protects your assets from large jury awards or settlements
  • Covers negligent acts such as slip and fall accidents not covered under other policies
  • Covers defense costs above your primary limits
  • Can cover types of liability not covered under other policies
  • Has a high liability limit such as $1 million+ which your primary policies may not provide
  • Is more affordable than increasing limits on multiple primary policies
Use Cases
  • Protect from liability claims exceeding primary general liability limits
  • Provide additional liability limits for lawsuits related to injuries on premises
  • Cover additional named insureds like contractors and vendors working on site
  • Protect from lawsuits related to product defects or mislabeling leading to injuries
  • Cover loss resulting from errors and omissions like incorrect advice leading to property damage

After reviewing typical umbrella insurance pricing for businesses in the home centers industry with NAICS code 444110, the estimated average annual premium would be between $1,500 to $2,500. This pricing is based on a business with $2-5 million in underlying commercial general liability limits and $1-5 million in umbrella coverage. Pricing can vary depending on business characteristics like number of employees, risk management practices, claims history, and location.

Estimated Pricing: $1,500 – $2,500

Conclusion

Choosing the right mix of business insurance policies is an important part of risk management planning for any home improvement store or hardware store. Following industry best practices and consulting an experienced insurance agent can help ensure your business has the protections needed to withstand potential losses and keep operating smoothly.

Frequently Asked Questions

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