2019 sees UK-based ICMIF member The Retail Mutual mark its twentieth year of providing an alternative to traditional insurance for independent retailers.

The Retail Mutual began life in 1999 as a small, specialist provider of business cover specifically to retail newsagents. As the sector evolved, so too did the Mutual, expanding first to meet the needs of the wider convenience retail sector before opening its doors in 2017 to the whole spectrum of independent retail shops and service providers on UK high streets.

The Retail Mutual has now become the cover provider of choice for thousands of independent retailers. Indeed, many now look to the Mutual not only to protect their businesses but also to protect their homes, their rental properties and even their health, thanks to the addition of a wide range of additional products and services that have been carefully selected to meet the needs of the busy independent retailer. Regis Mutual Management has been managing the Mutual since 2007.

Mutual Manager, Kirsty Hampton, says, “As specialists in our sector, we now cover thousands of retailers spanning well in excess of 100 different types of retail trade – from farm shops to florists, from hairdressers to hardware stores and from bakers to bridal shops. We are delighted to support such a diverse range of entrepreneurial independent retailers not just on our high streets but also across our rural communities.

Chairman, Peter Wagg, says, “As a membership organisation, community and a shared sense of ownership are fundamental to The Retail Mutual’s unique approach. As we celebrate our 20th anniversary, The Retail Mutual would like to thank all of our Members, without whom we would not have a Mutual. We look forward to working together to support the UK’s independent retailers for many more decades to come.”

The Retail Mutual provides business, home and landlord cover specifically to independent retailers, together with their families, staff, wholesalers and suppliers. As part of its extended portfolio of products and services, it also provides access to life insurance, critical illness insurance and a dedicated mortgage service powered by L&C, plus a health cash plan and private health cover in partnership with Westfield Health.