Just as an example, let’s say I am the owner of a small shop. I sell small pastries and other baked goods. I sometimes wonder if I need more security for my shop during the overnight hours when nobody is around to watch. A few neighbouring businesses have been broken into in the past. At the end of the day, I don’t have anything in front of the shop that is particularly valuable. However, there is equipment in the back, plus ingredients. Plus, I suppose a robber wouldn’t know that I don’t keep any money there overnight. It all either goes to the bank or comes with me to go into the safe here at my house.

A retractable security grille is a big investment but it would protect my storefront from damage and theft. If someone were to break the big windows at the front, it would be expensive and time-consuming to replace them.

However, I’m not certain if the neighbourhood really requires such a thing. No one else has big metal grilles on their store; I’d be the only one. It might actually make me more of a target since people might think I have something worth stealing that I’m trying to protect. My insurance would pay for the damages and any stolen goods if there were to be a break-in. I’d have to pay the deductible, of course, and the job of cleaning up after the incident would fall to me, but the majority of the cost would be covered. The cost of a retractable security grille would be entirely on me.

So is it a worthwhile investment for small businesses?

Let’s say you have a break-in and make an insurance claim, your insurance premiums would go up. This could end up costing you a lot more over time than the initial investment in the security grille. So it’s certainly true that having some security grilles retractable would be a wise investment from an insurance perspective.

If you are considering this investment, then you should talk to other business owners in the neighbourhood and see what they think. If they report more break-ins, I probably will go ahead with the investment. If they assure you that the area is safe, you may want to skip it or conduct further research. It might also be worth discussing other options with the other shop owners, like putting up security cameras or hiring a security guard as a group, so that you know the street is being watched.

A retractable security grille would give you more peace of mind, but it will take some serious thought first. It’s a fairly big upfront investment for small businesses, so take your time and assess your valuables and vulnerabilities.