Pet supply stores carry everything you could possibly need for your pets, including food and treats, food and water bowls, litter boxes, cat and dog beds, crates, collars, leashes, clothing, aquariums and fish accessories, bird cages, and much more. If you are operating a pet supply or pet shop store, you also need to be aware of your risks. This includes accidents in your store that could cause harm to your customers and employees, as well as increased risks if you offer services like obedience training for dogs. Protect your risks with business insurance policies specifically designed to cover those risks.
You have different risk exposures as the owner of a pet store, so you should have different insurance policies as well. The following policies cover the main types of insurance you can obtain:
Pet Supplies General Liability Insurance
If you choose just one type of business insurance policy, it should be general liability. General liability includes multiple coverage in one policy, including products liability, completed operations, and premises liability. If you provide pet training services and the customer’s dog bites another in-store customer after training, they could sue you for lack of proper training. On the other hand, a fish tank in the aisle way could cause a customer to trip and hurt themselves, which is mitigated under premises liability.
Pet Supplies Products Liability Insurance
Products liability is often part of a general liability insurance policy, though not always. However, it is very important insurance policy for any retail store, including pet supply stores. If the product you sold a customer caused harm to the customer, her home, or her pets, you won’t take the loss if you have products liability insurance. For instance, if you sold a birdcage to a customer that had a broken hinge and it opened, causing their bird to fly away, they could sue you for the loss. Products liability covers such incidents.
Pet Supplies Business Property Insurance
There are a variety of unexpected events that could cause damage to your brick and mortar pet supply shop and the merchandise inside. This includes fire, flood, natural disasters, and even extreme weather conditions. The cost of repairs and replacing damaged items could cost more than your business is able to cover. Fortunately, business property insurance can offer you protection if this was to occur.