# Insurance for sports shops, toy shops and music shops in Germany

> A sports shop does more than sell. It adjusts ski bindings, rents out stand up paddleboards and lets customers try climbing shoes on a test wall. Toy and music shops have risks of their own, from small parts in toys to an expensive guitar in the window. This page sets out what you should insure and what it costs.

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

## Am I liable if someone breaks a leg after I set their ski bindings?

If it can be shown that the binding was set wrongly, yes. Your public liability policy then pays for treatment, lost earnings and compensation for pain and suffering, as long as binding adjustment is insured as an activity. Record the customer's weight, height, ability and the release value you set, and have the customer sign it: in a dispute, that record is your most important evidence.

## At a glance

- **Compulsory:** No statutory insurance for the business itself; organisers of demo days and landlords often ask for proof of liability cover
- **Biggest risk:** Injuries after adjustment work and with rental equipment
- **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 employees
- **Often forgotten:** Rentals: skis, boards, bikes and instruments for hire are often not covered by a policy written for retail only
- **WZ 2025 / NACE:** 47.64 Einzelhandel mit Spielwaren, 47.69 Einzelhandel mit Kunst- und Kulturerzeugnissen a. n. g.

## What goes wrong in this trade

- **Adjustment work:** Ski bindings, bike saddles, shoes fitted with insoles: a wrong setting can lead to falls and injuries.
- **Rentals:** Skis, snowboards, stand up paddleboards or e-bikes for hire: if a customer is hurt because of a defect in the rental kit, you are liable.
- **Toys with small parts:** Imported toys without proper safety marking, parts that can be swallowed or toxic paint: a retailer can be liable as the importer.
- **Valuable instruments:** Guitars, saxophones and digital pianos worth several thousand euros attract burglars and suffer from water and heat.
- **Try out areas in the shop:** A climbing wall, treadmill, table tennis table or trampoline for testing brings accident risks onto the sales floor.
- **Seasonal stock:** Winter sports shops take a large share of their turnover in a few months, so a loss in December hurts twice as much.

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

## The insurance you need

- **Business liability** (Essential): Covers injuries after adjustment work, with rental equipment and in test areas, plus damage caused by products you sell, provided rentals and products liability are included. https://www.nammert.com/en/insurance-broker-business-liability.php
- **Business contents** (Strongly advised): Replaces stock, rental equipment, instruments and fittings after a break-in, fire, water damage or storm. https://www.nammert.com/en/insurance-broker-business-contents.php
- **Business interruption** (Strongly advised): Carries running costs if the shop has to stay shut in peak season after a loss. https://www.nammert.com/en/insurance-broker-business-interruption.php
- **Cargo insurance** (Depends on the business): For goods at trade fairs, demo days and club events, and for parcels sent to customers. https://www.nammert.com/en/insurance-broker-cargo-insurance.php
- **Cyber insurance** (Depends on the business): For your online shop, loyalty cards and a rental system that holds customer data. https://www.nammert.com/en/insurance-broker-cyber-insurance.php
- **Business legal expenses** (Depends on the business): For disputes with manufacturers, landlords or customers over damaged rental equipment. https://www.nammert.com/en/insurance-broker-business-legal-expenses.php

## What it costs: example prices

For pure retail, premiums are low. Rentals, a workshop and high value instruments push up the cost of liability and contents insurance.

| Insurance | Example | Typical range |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Business liability | Sports or toy shop without rentals | around 80 to 250 euros a year |
| Business liability | Sports shop with ski service, rentals and demo days | around 250 to 800 euros a year |
| Business contents | Stock, rental equipment and fittings worth 150,000 euros | around 400 to 1,000 euros a year |
| Business interruption | Loss of income for up to twelve months | around 100 to 350 euros a year |
| Cargo insurance | Goods at trade fairs and demo days | around 180 to 500 euros a year |

For comparison: For a small sports shop, a year of liability and contents insurance costs about the same as five pairs of good running shoes.

_Guide figures excluding insurance tax, as of September 2026, based on published tariff examples for sporting goods and general retail and on our own quoting practice. Insurers rate rentals and workshops individually._

- [betriebshaftpflicht24.de: Betriebshaftpflicht Sportartikelhandel](https://www.betriebshaftpflicht24.de/betriebshaftpflicht-sportartikelhandel.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** (toy shop, music shop or sports shop without rentals): Business liability, Business contents. Together: around 450 to 1,100 euros a year
- **Service** (sports shop with a workshop, ski service or instrument repairs): Business liability, Business contents, Business interruption. Together: around 800 to 2,000 euros a year
- **All round** (specialist shop with rentals, demo days and an online shop): Business liability, Business contents, Business interruption, Cargo insurance, Cyber insurance. Together: around 1,600 to 3,500 euros a year

## The worst day in the sports shop

Six losses of the kind that happen in sports, toy and music retail, all on one Saturday in December. Tap through and see who pays.

- 09:30: A customer calls from hospital: the binding did not release when he fell, and he has torn a cruciate ligament. He says you set the wrong value. (€22,000, Paid by: Business liability)
- 11:15: A teenager slips on the test wall in the shop and breaks an ankle. (€7,000, Paid by: Business liability)
- 13:00: At your branch in the ski resort, a rental snowboard is stolen from the rack along with six others. (€3,600, Paid by: Business contents)
- 15:40: Goods for the demo day at the ski resort are damaged while being unloaded from the trailer. (€2,800, Paid by: Cargo insurance)
- 18:30: A heating pipe bursts above the music department. Guitars and digital pianos are soaked. (€19,000, Paid by: Business contents)
- 19:00: The music department stays closed until mid January, and the Christmas trade in instruments is lost. (€9,500, Paid by: Business interruption)

**Damage so far:** €63,900

## Practical tips from your broker

- Have adjustment work such as ski bindings and your workshop services named explicitly as insured activities.
- Include the rental of sports equipment, and check whether motorised items such as e-bikes are part of it.
- If you import toys yourself, you need extended products liability for imported goods.
- Insure rental equipment and stock at branches and demo days, not only at your main shop.
- Agree extra headroom for seasonal peaks in winter sports or Christmas stock.
- Record every binding adjustment in writing; without a record, defending a claim becomes difficult.

## Why NAMMERT for your business

- **We know leisure risks:** Boats, water sports and rentals are our everyday work. As a broker we compare how several insurers cover rentals and adjustment work.
- **We know how claims are handled:** In boat insurance we settle claims ourselves. After a skiing accident we know which documents the insurer wants to see and how to push back against excessive demands.
- **Shop, branch and private cover together:** Your main shop, seasonal branch, vehicles and personal cover are looked after by one contact, on +49 3375 29 12 77.
- **A family business since 1989:** We support businesses over decades. Our advice is free for you, because the insurer pays our commission.

## FAQ

### Does a sports shop need public liability insurance?

Not by law, but in practice yes. A single accident after a binding adjustment or with rental equipment can lead to claims in the tens of thousands.

### How much does insurance cost for a sports shop?

Liability starts at around 80 euros a year. With contents insurance, small shops usually pay between 450 and 1,100 euros, and more with rentals and a workshop.

### Is ski rental included?

Not automatically. Rentals must be named in your liability policy, and the rental equipment should be covered by contents insurance away from the shop as well.

### Am I liable as a retailer for dangerous toys?

If you import them yourself from outside the EU, you are liable in the same way as the manufacturer. If you buy from a German wholesaler, the wholesaler is usually liable.

### Are instruments left for repair insured?

Only if third party property is included. For damage caused while working on an instrument, your liability policy needs cover for items being worked on.

### Are demo days and trade fairs covered?

Liability usually applies there too, but the goods are covered only with transit or exhibition insurance. Ask before your first event.

## 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-sports-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.