Insurance for grocery shops, village stores and supermarkets in Germany
In a grocery shop, the refrigeration decides how the day goes. If a compressor fails overnight, a chest freezer full of stock is worthless by morning, and every day hundreds of people walk down aisles where a pot of yoghurt has just burst. This page explains which policy pays for which of these losses and what that costs for a shop of your size.
Will insurance pay if the refrigeration fails overnight and the stock goes off?
Only if you have specifically added that cover. Standard contents insurance pays for fire, burst pipes, storm and burglary, but not for food that spoils because a compressor has broken or the power has gone. For that there is a separate add on for chilled goods or spoilage, often combined with machinery insurance for the refrigeration plant. Ask for the sum insured on chilled stock and how many hours the failure must last before the policy pays.
What goes wrong in this trade
01
The cooling stops
One faulty compressor or a power cut over the weekend, and frozen food, dairy and meat worth several thousand euros go straight into the skip.
02
A fall in the aisle
Spilt milk, a broken jar, a wet floor by the entrance: customers slipping over are the most common liability claim in food retail.
03
Spoiled or wrongly labelled food
Anyone who sells food is liable for harm to health, for instance from out of date goods, missing allergen labels on the fresh counter or splinters of glass.
04
Burglary and robbery
Tobacco, spirits and the day's takings draw burglars. Smashed doors and tills often cost more than what is actually stolen.
05
Fire in the plant room
Refrigeration units, bake off ovens and chargers for pallet trucks run day and night. A fire destroys stock, and the smoke makes the rest of the range unsaleable too.
06
Weeks with no takings
After a major loss the shop stays shut, yet wages, rent and lease payments on the refrigeration keep running, and your customers get used to the discounter next door.
Replaces shelving, chiller cabinets, tills and all your stock after fire, burst pipes, storm and burglary, and with the chilled goods add on also spoiled food.
Covers refrigeration units, freezer rooms and bake off stations against operating errors, short circuits and the consequences of wear, which no property policy pays for.
A company pension, which enjoys tax relief in Germany, helps you keep sales assistants and store managers.
What it costs: example prices
Premiums depend mainly on sales area, turnover, the value of your stock and how much chilled food is in the shop. A small village store pays considerably less than a full range supermarket with fresh counters.
Insurance
Example
Typical range
Business liability
Small grocery shop, turnover under 100,000 euros, 3 million euros cover
around 200 to 350 euros a year
Business liability
Supermarket with a fresh counter and ten to twenty staff
around 600 to 1,800 euros a year
Business contents
Fittings and stock worth 150,000 euros, including burglary
around 400 to 1,000 euros a year
Business contents
Chilled goods add on for 30,000 euros of refrigerated stock
around 100 to 300 euros a year on top
Business interruption
Loss of income for up to twelve months, combined with contents insurance
around 150 to 500 euros a year
Cyber insurance
Shop with stock control software and card payments, 100,000 euros cover
around 400 to 900 euros a year
For comparison: For a small shop, basic cover of liability and contents insurance costs about as much a year as six full trolleys of a family's weekly shop.
Guide figures excluding insurance tax, as of September 2026.
Liability and contents are based on published examples for retailers; chilled goods,
business interruption and larger shops are guide figures from our own quoting practice.
Six losses that food shops genuinely suffer, all packed into one Monday after a long weekend. Tap through and see which policy pays.
Damage so far€81,000
The early shift finds the freezer room at plus eight degrees. The compressor failed on Saturday and the stock has to be destroyed.
€14,000 · Paid by: Business contents
The engineer's verdict: the compressor has burnt out and the whole unit must be replaced.
€9,500 · Paid by: Machinery breakdown
A pensioner slips on spilt cooking oil and breaks her hip. Hospital, rehabilitation and compensation for pain and suffering.
€28,000 · Paid by: Business liability
A customer falls ill with salmonella after mince from the butchery counter and claims his lost earnings.
€6,500 · Paid by: Business liability
The till system has been encrypted; cash only, and stock control is down. IT forensics and data recovery.
€12,000 · Paid by: Cyber insurance
Burglars lever open the delivery door and clear the tobacco shelf. Door and shelving are wrecked.
€11,000 · Paid by: Business contents
Which package would you have had?
Paid by insurance: €0
Out of your own pocket: €81,000
Illustrative amounts before any excess.
What is paid depends on the policy terms.
Practical tips from your broker
Add chilled goods or spoilage cover explicitly, and find out after how many hours of failure the insurer starts to pay.
Include products liability for the fresh counter, your own salads and own label goods; otherwise only plain resale is covered.
Raise the sum insured on stock at purchase price before Christmas and Easter, or agree automatic extra cover for seasonal peaks.
Glass cover for shop windows, chiller doors and the entrance is often a separate add on, and in a supermarket you will soon need it.
Check whether a power cut on the supplier's grid is covered, not just a fault inside your own building.
Choose at least 5 million euros of cover for injury and property damage; with a lot of footfall, going from 3 to 5 million usually costs little.
Why NAMMERT for your business
We read the small print on chilled goods
Whether spoiled stock is paid for comes down to a few lines in the policy wording. As a broker we compare several insurers on exactly that point.
We know how claims are settled
In boat insurance we handle claims ourselves. When a refrigeration claim turns into an argument about hours, temperature logs and stock values, we know which records count.
Shop, vans and private cover from one source
We look after the shop, your vehicles, staff pensions and your own cover together, with one contact on +49 3375 29 12 77.
A family business since 1989
We know what it means to unlock the doors yourself every morning. Our advice costs you nothing; the insurer pays our commission.
Frequently asked questions
Questions and answers
Does my grocery shop need public liability insurance?
German law does not require it.
But with many customers every day and food that can make people ill,
it is your most important policy,
and landlords will ask to see it.
Is shoplifting covered?
As a rule, no.
Contents insurance pays for burglary and robbery, meaning forced entry or threats of violence.
Goods quietly taken during opening hours remain a normal business risk.
What does insurance cost for a small supermarket?
For a small shop, liability and contents together usually come to 350 to 800 euros a year.
With fresh counters, refrigeration and business interruption,
expect something more like 1,000 to 2,200 euros.
Who pays for a product recall?
Recall costs are a separate add on and not part of standard liability cover.
Pure resellers can often claim back from the manufacturer; if you make or pack food yourself,
it is worth looking at.
Is a power cut covered?
Only if chilled goods and power failure are expressly included.
Many policies only pay for a fault within your own building, not for an outage on the public grid.
Do I have to insure my staff against accidents?
The BGHW, the statutory accident insurer for retail, covers them at work,
and registering with it is compulsory.
For accidents in their free time you can offer group accident insurance.
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