Trade insurance in Switzerland

Water damage, fire, theft or a breakdown can shut down your business in just a few hours. Finwise helps you build clear coverage to protect your store, merchandise, revenue and liability.

What is it?

Insurance for property and operations

It protects your premises, installations, stock, goods, revenue and liability depending on the selected modules.

Mandatory?

Not always, but often required

It may be requested by a landlord, bank or supplier, or become essential as soon as your activity depends on premises or stock.

Key point

Business interruption must be prepared

Replacing stock is not enough if your business remains closed for several weeks after a claim.

Commercial insurance diagram

Premises, stock and equipment first; interruption protects cash after a claim.

  1. By trade Extensions Theft, glass, cold storage, transit…
  2. Often critical Business interruption Costs that continue without turnover
  3. Core Premises, stock, equipment What keeps the shop running

An up-to-date inventory avoids underinsurance.

Why insure a business other than an office?

A business often depends on premises accessible to the public, stock, a window, technical installations, a cash register, suppliers and a reputation. The risk is not limited to replacing equipment: if the point of sale closes for several weeks, rents, salaries, fixed charges and loss of turnover continue.

Swiss solutions are generally modular: property insurance, business interruption, liability, glass breakage, theft, transport, technical insurance, cyber and social covers. The challenge is to choose useful modules without paying for irrelevant benefits.

Module
What it protects
Point to check
Property / inventoryMaterial property
Furniture, cash register, IT, machines, tools, shelving, goods, entrusted property and cash values.
Insured sums, maximum stock, seasonality, goods in windows or outdoors.
Business interruptionRevenue
Loss of revenue and additional costs after fire, water damage, theft, natural event or another insured claim.
Indemnity period, waiting period, gross profit, fixed costs and supplier dependence.
Liability, cyber, technicalAdditional risks
Injured customer, defective product, ransomware, blocked cash register, essential machine breakdown or transported goods.
Cyber exclusions in liability, technical guarantees, transport and legal protection.

A business is protected in four layers

1Property

Inventory, stock, installations, shop windows, valuables and entrusted third-party property.

2Revenue

Business interruption, fixed costs, additional costs and restart duration.

3Third parties

Liability for customers, suppliers, products and premises.

4Digital

Cyber, cash register, customer data, online shop and payment fraud.

Common pitfalls

A business changes quickly: seasonal stock, new payment methods, e-commerce, machines or shop windows can make an old policy insufficient.

Underinsured stockMaximum stock, not just average stock, must be consistent with the insured sum.
Business interruption too short12 months may be insufficient for a business dependent on works, authorizations or suppliers.
Cyber excludedClassic business interruption generally does not cover ransomware or a pure IT outage.
Commercial leaseThe lease may impose covers, deductibles or obligations in case of claim.

I already have this policy, how can I cancel or switch insurer?

Before switching, check the insured inventory, values, indemnity period, commercial lease requirements, ongoing claims and coordination with liability, cyber, LAA and legal protection. Avoid any interruption of cover.

The often decisive guarantee: operating loss

After a material claim, replacing stock is not always enough. If your store, salon, workshop or restaurant has to close, the operating loss can cover the drop in turnover, fixed costs and additional costs necessary to restart. The duration of compensation, the excess in days and the method of calculating turnover or gross profit must be defined carefully.

Important: classic business interruption often depends on an insured material claim. Cyberattacks, epidemics, administrative decisions without material damage or purely IT outages generally require specific guarantees.

Responsabilité civile, clients et produits

Business civil liability covers third party claims when your activity causes bodily injury or property damage. Example: a customer falls in your store, a product sold causes damage, an installation injures someone or an employee damages property belonging to a third party. It also allows the company to be defended against unjustified claims.

With Finwise

We build cover around your real activity

We analyze your stock, premises, turnover, suppliers, payment tools, digitalization and commercial lease. Then we compare useful modules with our partners to avoid overlaps and gaps.

Finwise Assurances partner logos

Complete your business protection

A business combines material goods, liability, cyber, employees and disputes. These pages help you coordinate everything.

Cyber insurance LAA accident insurance Professional liability Business legal protection

Insure my business See cyber insurance See the LAA

Let’s talk about your needs

Tell us about your situation in a few lines. A Finwise adviser will contact you to clarify your options and compare suitable solutions.