# Insurance for boutiques, shoe shops and clothing retailers in Germany

> In a fashion shop the value hangs on the rails: new collections, paid for months in advance and often worth more than all the fittings put together. One leak in the stockroom or a fire next door, and the season's stock is unsaleable before it has been sold. This page explains how to protect stock, shop and takings, and what it costs.

Quelle/Source: https://www.nammert.com/en/business-insurance-fashion-shop.php  
Updated: 2026-09-18

## Is my stock insured if someone walks out of the shop with it?

Generally not. Contents insurance pays for burglary, meaning someone breaks into the shop, and for robbery involving force or threats. Ordinary shoplifting during opening hours is not covered and remains a business risk. Security tags, mirrors and fitting rooms you can see into are what help here.

## At a glance

- **Compulsory:** No statutory insurance requirement; landlords on high streets and in shopping centres usually ask for liability and glass cover
- **Biggest risk:** Seasonal stock ruined by water, smoke or the water used to put out a fire
- **Basic cover from:** around 80 euros a year for the public liability of a small shop
- **Berufsgenossenschaft:** BGHW, the statutory accident insurer for retail and logistics, compulsory for every shop with staff, including temporary help
- **Often forgotten:** The sum insured before the autumn and Christmas trade: that is when the shop is fullest and most often underinsured
- **WZ 2025 / NACE:** 47.51 Einzelhandel mit Textilien, 47.71 Einzelhandel mit Bekleidung, 47.72 Einzelhandel mit Schuhen und Lederwaren

## What goes wrong in this trade

- **Water in the stockroom:** A burst pipe in the flat upstairs, and the winter collection in the basement is soaked, discoloured and smells musty.
- **Fire and smoke:** Textiles take on the smell of smoke immediately. Even a fire in the neighbouring shop can make your entire stock unsaleable.
- **Break in after closing:** Designer labels, leather jackets and trainers are easy to sell on. Burglars often come through the back door or the shop window.
- **Smashed shop windows:** Vandalism, a runaway shopping trolley or a storm: large shop windows quickly cost several thousand euros to replace.
- **Trips and falling stock:** A customer trips over a shoebox, a shelf of boots comes loose: people get hurt in fashion retail too.
- **A season without a shop:** If the shop has to close after a loss in October, the Christmas trade is gone, and by January the stock only sells at a discount.

**Risk radar** (Compared with other trades, 1 low to 5 high.): Liability 2, Fire and water 4, Theft 4, Cyber 2, Downtime 3, Health 2

## The insurance you need

- **Business liability** (Essential): Pays when customers fall in the shop, are hurt in a fitting room or injured by a toppling clothes rail, and defends you against unfounded claims. https://www.nammert.com/en/insurance-broker-business-liability.php
- **Business contents** (Strongly advised): Replaces the collection, fittings and till after fire, burst pipes, storm, burglary and vandalism, and with glass cover the shop windows too. https://www.nammert.com/en/insurance-broker-business-contents.php
- **Business interruption** (Strongly advised): Carries rent, wages and lost profit if the shop stays closed in the main season after a loss. https://www.nammert.com/en/insurance-broker-business-interruption.php
- **Business legal expenses** (Depends on the business): For disputes with the landlord over rent reductions or service charges, with suppliers over faulty goods, or with staff. https://www.nammert.com/en/insurance-broker-business-legal-expenses.php
- **Cyber insurance** (Depends on the business): Matters if you run an online shop or a loyalty scheme with customer data alongside the shop. https://www.nammert.com/en/insurance-broker-cyber-insurance.php
- **Electronic equipment** (Depends on the business): For the till system, label printer and anti theft gates, against power surges and operating errors. https://www.nammert.com/en/insurance-broker-electronic-equipment.php

## What it costs: example prices

Contents insurance is usually the largest item, because stock values are high. Liability is cheap in fashion retail, since customers are rarely seriously hurt.

| Insurance | Example | Typical range |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Business liability | Boutique or shoe shop with up to three staff | around 80 to 250 euros a year |
| Business contents | Stock and fittings worth 150,000 euros, including burglary | around 400 to 1,000 euros a year |
| Business contents | Glass cover for two large shop windows and the entrance door | around 80 to 250 euros a year on top |
| Business interruption | Loss of income for up to twelve months, combined with contents insurance | around 100 to 350 euros a year |
| Business legal expenses | Boutique with legal expenses cover for employment and contract law | around 95 to 400 euros a year |

For comparison: For a small boutique, liability and contents insurance cost about as much a year as five good pairs of jeans from your own shelves.

_Guide figures excluding insurance tax, as of September 2026, based on published tariff examples for clothing and shoe retailers and our own quoting practice. Location, security and stock value set the premium; we obtain the exact quote for you._

- [betriebshaftpflicht24.de: Betriebshaftpflicht Textilhandel](https://www.betriebshaftpflicht24.de/betriebshaftpflicht-textilhandel.html)
- [Finanzchef24: Versicherungen für den Einzelhandel](https://www.finanzchef24.de/versicherung/einzelhandel)
- [Versicherungsengel: Kosten der Inhaltsversicherung](https://www.versicherungsengel.de/versicherungen/inhaltsversicherung/kosten)

## Our suggestions: three packages

- **Start** (small boutique, second hand shop or pop up store): Business liability, Business contents. Together: around 350 to 800 euros a year
- **Shop** (fashion or shoe shop with display windows and up to five staff): Business liability, Business contents, Business interruption. Together: around 600 to 1,500 euros a year
- **Full cover** (shop with an online store, a second branch or a large stockroom): Business liability, Business contents, Business interruption, Cyber insurance, Business legal expenses. Together: around 1,300 to 2,800 euros a year

## The worst day in the fashion shop

Six losses that clothing retailers actually suffer, all on one Saturday in November. Tap through and see who pays.

- 08:30: Water has been dripping from the flat above into the stockroom since the night. Two racks of winter coats are soaked through. (€18,000, Paid by: Business contents)
- 10:15: A customer bumps into a badly fixed clothes rail, and the metal arm hits a child on the head. (€4,000, Paid by: Business liability)
- 13:40: The till system crashes after lightning strikes nearby, and the power supply is scorched. (€1,800, Paid by: Electronic equipment)
- 15:00: The landlord refuses a rent reduction for the water damage, and your lawyer writes to him. (€1,500, Paid by: Business legal expenses)
- 19:20: Drying out keeps the stockroom closed for three weeks and new deliveries arrive too late. Christmas takings are lost. (€12,000, Paid by: Business interruption)
- 23:30: Burglars smash the shop window and take leather jackets and trainers. (€14,500, Paid by: Business contents)

**Damage so far:** €51,800

## Practical tips from your broker

- Agree automatic seasonal cover or a declaration based policy for your peaks, so the full stockroom in autumn is not underinsured.
- Add glass breakage for shop windows, display cases and mirrors, as many basic policies leave it out.
- Ask about compensation for stock that is only unsaleable because of smoke or smell, not just for goods that actually burned.
- Check the security conditions for burglary cover: locks, roller shutters and the maximum cash you may leave in the shop overnight.
- Expressly include stock at fashion shows, markets and in an external store, or the cover applies only inside the shop.
- Choose 3 to 5 million euros of liability cover; in fashion retail the extra cost between the two is usually small.

## Why NAMMERT for your business

- **We work out the sum insured with you:** Underinsurance is the most common mistake in fashion retail. We go through your stock values across the year with you and compare several insurers.
- **We know how claims are settled:** In boat insurance we settle claims ourselves. After water damage, we know that purchase invoices and stock lists make the difference, and we help you prepare them.
- **Shop and private life together:** We look after the shop, online store, car and your personal cover from one place, so there is only one number to call: +49 3375 29 12 77.
- **A family business since 1989:** We are a family firm ourselves and know how much goes into a shop of your own. For you, our advice is free of charge.

## FAQ

### Which insurance does a small fashion shop need?

Public liability and contents insurance for stock and fittings, usually with glass cover for the shop windows. Business interruption cover makes sense as soon as a month's closure would put you in difficulty.

### What does insurance cost for a boutique?

Liability starts at around 80 euros a year. With contents insurance, small shops usually pay 350 to 800 euros, depending on stock value and location.

### Is stock held on commission covered?

Only if third party property is included in the contents policy. Many policies cover only your own stock, so name consignment goods explicitly.

### What happens if the shop is underinsured?

The insurer then reduces every claim in proportion. If your stock is worth 150,000 euros but insured for only 100,000, a loss of 30,000 euros pays out only about 20,000.

### Will insurance pay for stock that smells of smoke?

Yes, if the smoke comes from an insured fire, even in the building next door. What matters is that the policy includes loss of value and cleaning.

### Are my temporary staff insured?

At work they are covered by the BGHW, the statutory accident insurer for retail, and that includes minijobbers. You must register the shop there as soon as you employ anyone.

## Request quotes

We obtain quotes and come back with a comparison. Free of charge and without obligation: the insurer pays our commission. You can write in English. https://www.nammert.com/en/business-insurance-fashion-shop.php#anfrage

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NAMMERT Assekuradeur GmbH, insurance broker licensed under section 34d(1) of the German Trade Regulation Act, broker register no. D-C08Q-TOSD4-37. For boat and yacht insurance we act as underwriting agency, not as broker.

NAMMERT Assekuradeur GmbH, Karl-Marx-Straße 4, 15711 Königs Wusterhausen, +49 3375 29 12 77, info@nammert.com. Wikidata: Q141141479.