Compare market trader insurance

Insurance for market traders covers claims from shoppers hurt at your pitch, such as a gazebo blowing over, and damage to their property. Most traders add product liability for the goods they sell, plus cover for stock, the stall itself and any staff.

Quotezone has its own form for market traders, so you can compare quotes for a weekly pitch, a run of craft fairs or a farmers’ market stall.

What a market stall policy covers

Market trader insurance is built from parts, so you can match the cover to how you trade. The main ones are:

• Public liability: injury to shoppers, or harm to their belongings, caused by your trading (business.gov.uk). A table edge or tent peg that trips someone is the classic case.
• Product liability: claims that goods you sold made someone ill or hurt them (business.gov.uk). It matters for food, cosmetics, toys and anything electrical.
• Stock: goods at the pitch, in your van and in storage, against theft, fire and storm damage.
• Equipment: gazebos, tables, rails, generators and card readers (business.gov.uk).
• Staff cover: employers’ liability, a legal duty in Great Britain once you employ people, unless they are all close family (GOV.UK). Traders in Northern Ireland fall under a separate 1972 Order (legislation.gov.uk).

Expect limits on stock kept in a parked vehicle at night and on cash takings. Weather cover may only pay for sudden damage, such as a storm, rather than a day lost to rain.

Licences and consents for trading in the street

The rules depend on where you trade. In England and Wales, GOV.UK tells traders to ask the council whether a street trading licence is needed (GOV.UK).

GOV.UK adds that you can be fined for trading without a licence (GOV.UK). Under the 1982 Act, a council can make a street a licence street or a consent street, each needing its own permission (legislation.gov.uk).

Established markets often sit outside these rules. The same schedule says trading in a market or fair held under a grant is not street trading, so the pitch is usually arranged with the market operator (legislation.gov.uk).

Scotland requires a street trader’s licence under section 39 of the Civic Government (Scotland) Act 1982 (legislation.gov.uk). Northern Ireland licenses street traders under the Street Trading Act (Northern Ireland) 2001 (legislation.gov.uk).

Selling food from a stall

Selling or handing out food can make you a food business, even from a temporary stall or a mobile unit (GOV.UK).

Councils in England, Wales and Northern Ireland expect you to register no later than 28 days before your first day of trading. For Scotland, GOV.UK points traders to the Food Standards Scotland website (GOV.UK).

For a burger van or coffee trailer, the vehicle needs its own cover, such as catering van insurance.

Do market traders need insurance to get a pitch?

The law does not require public liability, but market operators and fair organisers often ask for it before they confirm a pitch. The business.gov.uk guide lists venues requiring it in a contract as one reason to hold market trader insurance (business.gov.uk).

Ask the organiser what limit they need, as some set a minimum for every stall. Have a copy of the certificate to hand on the day, as some markets check.

Weights, measures and selling loose goods

Traders weighing fruit, sweets or spices face trading standards rules. GOV.UK says you must use metric units when selling packaged or loose goods in England, Scotland or Wales (GOV.UK).

You can show an imperial figure alongside, but it cannot stand out more than the metric one. There are different rules in Northern Ireland (GOV.UK).

Will my stock be covered overnight in the van?

Stock in a parked van is covered only when the policy includes goods in vehicles and you meet its security terms. Many insurers ask for a locked van, an alarm or indoor storage, and some exclude overnight theft altogether.

Gazebos, weather and setting up

Wind is a real hazard for stalls. Weight every leg of a gazebo and take it down if the forecast turns, as a loose canopy can hurt shoppers and dent cars.

If you run a generator or a gas cooker, tell insurers, as fuel and cylinders change the fire risk. Card readers, cash tins and phones are easy targets in a crowd, so money cover can be worth adding.

What goes into the price for stallholders

Premiums for market traders insurance turn on what you sell and how often you trade. Expect questions about:

• the goods on your stall, as food, cosmetics and electricals carry more product risk
• how many days a year you trade, and whether it is one market or many
• the value of your stock and kit, and where they are kept overnight
• staff, from family helpers to paid assistants
• your claims record, the liability limit you need and the excess

Consider a trader selling handmade candles at weekend fairs, with a gazebo and a helper. They would want public and product liability, stock and kit cover, and employers’ liability if the helper is an employee.

You might also need

Trading at a single show or festival? One day event insurance can cover one date. Market traders who also sell from premises can compare shop insurance.

Compare market stall insurance quotes with details of what you sell and where you trade.