Get a tailored review for your liquor store or bottle shop from a Melbourne broker who understands high-value stock, theft, glass, deliveries and the liability that comes with selling alcohol. Clear advice in English, Mandarin or Cantonese.
No-obligation review · Melbourne-based broker · Australia-wide cover
A liquor store holds a lot of value in a small space: stock that is easy to carry and easy to sell, long trading hours, cash on site and a shopfront full of glass. A generic retail policy is rarely set up for that. We start with how you trade before comparing products.
Wine, spirits and beer are insured alongside your shelving, coolrooms, fridges, point of sale equipment and fit-out. The stock sum insured should reflect what you hold at your busiest time of year, including any premium or cellared lines that are worth far more than their shelf space suggests.
Liquor is a common target for burglary and shoplifting. Theft cover usually sits in its own section with its own limit and security conditions, and money cover is designed for cash on the premises, in a safe and on the way to the bank. We check that the limits and conditions suit how your store runs.
Public liability is for third-party injury and property damage on or arising from your premises, such as a customer slipping on a broken bottle. Product liability is designed for claims arising from the goods you sell. Many landlords and shopping centres require $20 million and a certificate of currency.
Some public liability policies exclude or limit claims connected to the sale or service of alcohol. For a licensed retailer, particularly one that runs tastings or supplies events, the liability wording needs to be reviewed so that it reflects the business you actually operate.
Shopfront windows, glass doors, fridge doors, display cabinets and illuminated signs are insured under the glass section. Standard sub-limits can fall short for a wide frontage or a wall of glass-door fridges, so we match the limit to the replacement cost.
If a fire, flood or other insured event forces the store to close, business interruption is designed to cover your loss of gross profit and ongoing fixed costs such as rent and wages while you rebuild. The indemnity period and the gross profit figure need to be set with care.
Mechanical and electrical breakdown of coolrooms and fridges is generally not part of standard property cover and needs to be added as its own section. It matters most for stores with a large chilled range or temperature-sensitive wine.
If you deliver to homes, venues or events, stock on the road and the vehicle carrying it both need to be considered. We can arrange goods in transit cover and commercial motor insurance alongside the store policy.
Patterns we see when reviewing existing liquor retail policies. Any of these familiar?
*Subject to policy terms and conditions.
A liquor store will commonly consider public and product liability, property and contents, stock, theft, money, glass and business interruption cover.
The policy also needs to reflect how you trade: alcohol sales, home delivery, online orders and any tastings held on the premises. Cover remains subject to underwriting and the policy terms selected.
Premiums depend on your turnover, the value of stock you hold, your location, the security at the premises, your claims history and the limits you select.
Stores with monitored alarms, CCTV, roller shutters and a clean claims record are generally viewed more favourably by underwriters. Pricing is set by the insurer and confirmed at quotation.
Theft cover is usually an optional section with its own limit, and it often carries security conditions such as a working alarm or locked premises after hours. Shoplifting and theft by staff may be treated differently from forced-entry burglary.
We check that the theft limit matches the stock you actually hold and that the security conditions are ones you can meet every night.
Selling packaged alcohol still carries liability exposures, including claims connected to the supply of alcohol, tastings in store and events you supply. Some public liability policies exclude or limit claims arising from the sale or service of alcohol.
We review the liability wording so that it reflects a licensed retail business and not a general shop.
Not automatically. Stock is usually insured at the premises named on the policy, so goods on the road need transit cover, and the delivery vehicle needs a motor policy that allows business use.
Tell us how deliveries are made, whether by your own staff, a courier or a delivery platform, so the cover can be arranged around it.
Many business policies allow a seasonal increase in the stock sum insured for peak trading periods, either automatically for set dates or by endorsement.
If you build up stock ahead of Christmas, Easter or major sporting events, we ask the insurer to note the higher figure so a loss in your busiest weeks is not capped at your quiet-season stock level.
Send us your current schedule of insurance and a real broker will benchmark it against a wider market, line by line, with no review fee and no obligation. If you are opening a second store or expanding beyond Victoria, we can arrange cover there too. If you choose to place cover through us, we may earn commission from the insurer as set out in our Financial Services Guide.
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