Florists face unique risks. Issues like spoilage, cooler failure and delivery accidents can damage your bottom line. Business insurance offers needed financial protection.
At minimum, flower shops should have:
General liability insurance. This pays out if someone accuses you or your business of causing bodily injury or property damage. It also covers personal injury, such as libel or slander.
Commercial property insurance. This covers your business property, plus any inventory and equipment inside.
Here’s what coverage to look for and how to shop for florist insurance, starting with top providers.
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Best insurance companies for florists
Relative number of complaints to state regulators.
How financially strong companies are, meaning how well they can pay claims.
How easy it is to get a quote and buy a policy online.
We reviewed the top carriers and specialty insurers for companies that offer florist-specific policies. Here are some options to consider. NerdWallet recommends comparing multiple quotes to find the best coverage at the best price.
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Best for business owner’s policy
If you want a policy that fits your exact business needs, check out Chubb. It offers business owner’s policies and lists florists among the professions it tailors coverage for. A custom policy can be especially important for floral businesses, which deal with fragile, spoilable inventory and seasonal variations.
Best for working with an agent
The Hartford gets relatively few complaints to state regulators for its size and it’s financially strong. It offers online quotes, but you’ll need to talk with an agent to buy a policy. That can be a plus if you have complex needs and want to ensure a policy will cover them.
Ergo Next may be a good option if you need fast coverage to comply with a contract, like to vend at a farmers market. It lets you get a quote, buy a policy and download your certificate of insurance quickly online. However, complaints to state regulators for its commercial liability policies are higher than we’d expect.
Best for industry expertise
Hortica is a subsidiary brand of Sentry Insurance Group. Our editorial team has not rated Hortica or Sentry.
If you want to feel like your insurer understands your business completely, you may be interested in Hortica. It specializes in insuring florists, landscapers, greenhouses and other horticultural businesses. Its floral insurance comes with perks like an automatic increase in your coverage limits before and after nine major floral holidays.
Why do florists need business insurance?
Insurance can help protect against many common risks florists face. It covers costs related to scenarios like the following so your business doesn’t have to:
A customer slips on your store’s wet floor and sues you for their injuries.
Fire damages your shop’s building, equipment and supplies.
A power outage spoils an entire inventory of flowers overnight.
A delivery driver gets into an accident, damaging your van and another car.
You make an error and order the wrong flowers for a wedding.
Which types of insurance do florists need?
The insurance you need depends on your floral business’s size, whether it owns property or vehicles, and other factors. Here are some policies to consider.
General liability insurance
For example, say a customer trips in your shop and is injured, or an employee damages venue property during event setup. In both these cases, your general liability would pay.
Commercial property insurance
For example, say a tornado damages your shop and its flower coolers. Commercial property coverage would pay to rebuild the shop and repair or replace the coolers. Business interruption insurance would help cover your lost business income while that took place.
Commercial property add-ons for florists
A commercial property policy only covers certain events. If a policy doesn’t include the following, florists may want add-on endorsements to fill these gaps.
Spoilage or perishable goods coverage. If your flowers spoil due to a power outage or cooler failure, property coverage may not pay to replace them. This add-on can cover perishables damaged by such events. It may have different names and conditions from different insurers.
Equipment breakdown coverage. Business property policies cover damage due to things like natural disasters. They typically exclude equipment breaking on its own from mechanical or electrical failures. Say your largest flower cooler stops working right before a major holiday weekend. This coverage would pay to repair or replace it.
Off-premises utility coverage. Business interruption insurance only kicks in for covered events on your property. That means you’d be out of luck if a transformer blows and knocks out power to a city block, including your store. If that outage lasts days, off-premises utility coverage can cover lost income.
🤓 Nerdy Tip
Even if you operate out of your home, you still may need business property coverage. If you store flowers at your residence, home insurance likely won’t pay for any damage to them from your work. Your home insurer may offer a rider or endorsement to bridge this gap. But if not, your inventory won’t be covered.
Commercial auto insurance
For example, say your employee rear-ends another car while delivering wedding arrangements in your van. Commercial auto insurance would pay for the damage to both vehicles. It would also cover any medical bills the car’s driver incurred, assuming the accident was ruled to be your employee’s fault.
If you or your employees use personal vehicles to deliver flowers, consider hired and non-owned insurance. Unlike commercial auto coverage, it doesn’t pay for employee injuries or vehicle damage. But it can help with third-party injuries and property damage, which personal auto insurance won’t cover.
Workers’ compensation insurance
Other types of insurance florists may need
These policies may make sense based on your specific business operations.
Insurance policy
Coverage details
This policy combines general liability and commercial property, and typically includes business income coverage.
We recommend BOPs for florists with a storefront, shop or warehouse property. It’s more affordable than buying separate policies. You can also often customize coverage as well.
This coverage pays for problems with flowers, displays and plants after you install or deliver them. This is more important for wedding and event florists.
Say a client’s dog eats your wedding arrangement, and one particular flower severely sickens the animal. This coverage would pay for vet bills and any lawsuit costs if you’re sued.
This pays out if your flowers or arrangements are damaged in transit or in a storage facility you don’t own.
Auto policies don’t often cover the contents of vehicles, such as the product you’re delivering. Likewise, property coverage only extends to items inside your business property.
Say your inventory was destroyed on its way to your shop, or a dozen centerpieces were smashed in an accident on their way to a venue. Inland marine coverage would pay for the damages.
This pays for lawsuits tied to claims you made a professional mistake in your work. General liability insurance includes some coverage in these instances. But you may want higher limits if you do design work or arrangements for large events.
For example, a client claims a major design mistake ruined the photo backdrop for her event. She can’t use the marketing photos and sues. Professional liability insurance would pay for your defense and any judgment owed.
This insurance pays out if a breach of your computer systems exposes customer or other sensitive data. If you take online orders, store customer information or rely heavily on e-commerce sales, cyber insurance is a good idea.
Say your online database was hacked, including personal details of your customers. Cyber, or data breach, coverage would pay costs related to the investigation and identity monitoring for your customers.
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What to watch out for with florist Insurance
A fragile inventory and seasonal business changes present unique challenges for florists. A customized insurance policy may address those. But you’ll still want to watch for the following:
Spoilage not covered. Many commercial property policies will cover your flower inventory, but not if they spoil. Check any policy you’re considering for this exclusion. If it’s there, you’ll likely want a spoilage endorsement to fill this gap.
Employees that use cars for deliveries. If you rely on your employees’ personal vehicles to complete deliveries, you likely need hired and non-owned auto coverage. If they cause an accident driving for work, their personal insurance likely won’t pay. In that case, you could be sued for the accident costs.
Wedding and event work. General liability policies often include some professional liability coverage. But if you work events, consider increasing those limits or getting a standalone policy. It can cover you in case a client says your arrangements didn’t appear as expected.
Seasonal inventory spikes. Holidays like Valentine’s Day and Mother’s Day can temporarily raise inventory and sales. That makes your potential losses higher too. You may want to ask a carrier about seasonal commercial property and liability limit increases.
How much does florist insurance cost?
Florist business insurance can be quite affordable. General liability insurance policies cost a median of $450 per year, according to data provided to NerdWallet by online brokerage Coverdash.
Industry
Median BOP premium
Florists and flower shops
$1,200 per year
Convenience stores
$3,500 per year
Department stores
$2,500 per year
Consumer electronics stores
$3,200 per year
Pet supply stores
$1,500 per year
What you’ll pay will depend on the size of your business, how many employees you have and more. For example, a sole proprietor operating out of their home will likely have lower insurance costs than a storefront florist with a few employees. Whether you do events or store and transport a lot of inventory also affects your costs.
How to shop for florist insurance
Before you start shopping, have key business details handy. This includes annual revenue, payroll, number of employees, years in business and vehicle information. You’ll also want a detailed inventory of your major equipment — coolers, delivery vans, tools — including their makes, models and values.
From there, you have three main ways to shop. Choose the one that best fits your business needs and comfort level comparing policies.
Work with an agent or broker. Choose this option if you want personalized guidance navigating coverage options and exclusions. This may be especially useful if you offer event services or tend to see big seasonal fluctuations in your business. Note that brokers may charge a fee, and you’ll be limited to the options in an agent or broker’s network.
Contact insurers directly. Do this if you have specific companies in mind, such as a trusted carrier or those that specialize in retail or floral businesses. It takes more time but gives you the most control over your quoting experience.
Be sure to review your coverage every year around renewal time. It’s also a good idea to review coverage any time your business changes. For example, if you add a delivery driver, expand your services or open a second location, do a coverage checkup. The last thing a growing floral business needs is to pay for a lawsuit out of pocket.
