Business contents
- At replacement value as new
- Fire, water and burglary
- Tenant's improvements separately
In a bicycle shop the goods item is almost always larger than the business contents, and the way you store and charge batteries determines whether you are accepted.
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The business contents of a bicycle shop consists of the workshop fit-out, assembly stands, wheel truing stand, tools, the shop fittings and the window display. The goods are the bicycles in stock, the loose batteries and the parts. With the rise of electric bicycles, the goods item has tipped the balance in most shops: the stock is worth more than everything fixed around it.
That brings out two risks that matter less elsewhere in retail. The first is theft: high value per item, small volume and a window onto the street make the shop attractive for a ram raid. The second is fire from lithium batteries during charging or after impact damage. Insurers therefore set requirements for where you charge, for the number of batteries and for the separation from the retail space.
Not covered are customers' bicycles in for repair or storage, theft without signs of forced entry such as shoplifting, batteries charged outside the prescribed space, and wear and tear. What you declare about battery storage falls under the duty of disclosure in Article 7:928 of the Dutch Civil Code.
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Get coveredThe structure of the cover in three parts, with an overview per situation below.
Machinery, equipment, furniture and fixed fittings.
Trading stock, raw materials and finished products.
What is excluded as standard.
What is covered
| Situation | Business contents | Goods |
|---|---|---|
| Fire and smoke damage | Yes | Yes |
| Burglary with signs of forced entry | Yes | Yes |
| Water damage from a burst pipe | Yes | Yes |
| Customers' property being worked on | No | No |
| Spoilage due to refrigeration failure | Sometimes | Sometimes |
| Wear and deferred maintenance | No | No |
This overview is general in nature and is not personal advice. What is actually covered, including exclusions, limits and the excess, is set out in the policy conditions and the insurance card (verzekeringskaart) of the insurer; you receive both before you take out cover. Taking out cover without advice? Then read what execution only means for you.
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Four points that make the difference between a policy that pays out and one that does not.
Lithium batteries are the reason insurers assess bicycle shops differently from other shops. Common requirements are: charging in a fire-resistant cabinet or in a separate space, a maximum number of batteries inside the shop, distance from escape routes, and keeping damaged or returned batteries apart. Those requirements appear as a clause on the policy. If charging takes place outside the prescribed space, cover for the resulting fire lapses.
An electric bicycle is expensive, light and immediately saleable. A successful ram raid fills a van within minutes. Insurers look at roller shutters, at bollards or posts in front of the frontage, at an alarm with a monitoring centre connection and sometimes at fog generators. Some of those requirements are a condition of acceptance, others earn a discount. Ask in advance which measure has which effect.
What is in the workshop for repair, what you have in storage or what you took in part exchange but have not yet paid for is not your own property. You have those bicycles in your care, and items in your care, custody and control are precisely what is excluded on your public and employers' liability insurance. Insure them under a third-party property section with a limit that fits a busy Saturday in spring, not an average Tuesday.
Shoplifting during opening hours is not paid for: there are no signs of forced entry. The same applies to embezzlement by an employee, to stock discrepancies that appear at the count and to a bicycle that does not come back from a test ride. Damage during transport to a trade fair or test day also falls outside the policy without transport cover. Report claims and go to the police within the period stated in the conditions (Article 7:941 of the Dutch Civil Code).
This is what people ask us most.
Not under the ordinary cover. Repair bicycles, stored bicycles and part-exchanged bicycles that are not yet yours are in your care, custody and control. Your liability insurance excludes items in your care and your goods item only covers your own stock. A third-party property section is needed for that, with a limit matching the number of bicycles inside on a peak day.
Almost always. Insurers prescribe where and how you charge: in a fire-resistant cabinet or separate space, with a maximum number of batteries, away from escape routes and with damaged units kept apart. Those requirements appear as a clause on the policy. If you consistently charge outside it, there is a real chance the insurer will rely on that clause in the event of a fire.
No. Theft is only covered if signs of forced entry to the premises have been left behind. A bicycle ridden out of the door during opening hours does not fall under that, any more than goods missing at the stocktake. There is no property cover for this risk. It is a matter of supervision, shop floor layout and securing the bicycles on the floor.
Only if you have included cover away from the insured address, and transport cover while in transit. Without those extensions the cover ends at the door of your premises. If you regularly take bicycles to trade fairs, test days or events, have that put expressly on the policy, including the question of how the bicycles are kept there overnight.
Every situation is different. For these situations we have a separate page.
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Finass Verzekert is a trading name of Finass Advies B.V. We advise on and arrange non-life insurance on the basis of an objective analysis of several insurers, and receive commission for this from the insurer, which is included in the premium. You pay no separate advice fee. Before you take out cover, we establish your wishes and needs.
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This page was compiled by Finass Verzekert (LinkedIn). Last updated on .
The information on this page is general in nature and is not personal advice.
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