Commercial insurance · Based in Macclesfield, serving the North West and beyond
Commercial insurance for businesses across the North West and beyond
Whether you run a shop, an office or a workshop, or work as a mobile tradesperson, we'll find commercial cover that fits the way your business actually works.
- Shops, offices and hospitality units
- Contractors, sole traders and service industries
- One local contact for all your cover
Speak to Steve and the team
01625 682 765Get a quick quote
Four quick details and we'll call you back promptly during office hours, or on the next working day.
What is commercial insurance?
Commercial insurance is the umbrella term for the cover that keeps a working business going: the vehicles you drive, the premises you trade from, the stock and tools you rely on, and the income you would lose if something stopped you working. Most North West businesses need a mix of these, and very few need exactly the same mix as anyone else.
That is where a broker helps. We start with what you actually do day to day, rather than a drop-down list of trade codes, then approach insurers on our panel to build cover around it. If you run vans, we look at commercial vehicle cover and what you carry in them. If you have a shop, café or office, we look at buildings, contents, stock and the cost of being closed for a few weeks.
We also look at what you already have. Plenty of local businesses are carrying two or three policies bought at different times, with gaps in the middle and overlaps at the edges. Bringing them together usually makes cover clearer and renewals a lot less painful.
Reviewed by Steve Milner, Cert CII · October 2026
A starting point for your cover
Which commercial insurance cover do I need?
Question 1 of 2
This is a quick guide, not advice. We'll confirm the right cover when we speak to you.
Who we insure
The businesses we work with
Trades and contractors
Vans, tools and liability cover for builders, electricians, plumbers and other trades.
Shops and retailers
Cover for your premises, stock and takings, plus liability for the customers who come through the door.
Cafés, pubs and restaurants
Buildings, contents, stock and business interruption cover, including spoiled stock if a fridge or freezer fails.
Offices and professional firms
Cover for your office, equipment and the people who work in and visit it.
Couriers and delivery
Vehicle and goods in transit cover for single drivers and growing delivery firms.
Workshops and small manufacturers
Cover for premises, machinery, stock and the products you make, plus employers' liability for your team.
- Builders
- Electricians
- Plumbers
- Landscapers
- Retailers
- Cafés and restaurants
- Offices
- Salons
- Couriers
- Small manufacturers
Your cover
What can commercial insurance cover?
Every policy is built around your business, so yours may include some of these and not others.
Core cover
Commercial vehicle and van insurance
Cover for vans, pickups and other vehicles used for business, from a single van to a handful of vehicles, with options such as windscreen cover, replacement vehicles and protection for what you carry. Social, domestic and pleasure use can usually be added alongside business use.
Business combined packages
One policy combining buildings, contents, stock, liability and more for shops, offices and trade premises, so you have a single renewal date to remember.
Tools and equipment
Cover for tools in transit, in the van overnight or on site, including hired-in plant where you need it.
Engineering and plant breakdown
Specialist cover for workshop machinery and lifting equipment against sudden electrical or mechanical breakdown, with access to the statutory safety inspections the law requires.
Goods in transit
Protection for customers' goods and your own stock while they are being carried, whether that is one delivery a week or a full courier round.
Business interruption
Helps replace lost income and cover ongoing costs if a fire, flood or similar insured event stops you trading for a while.
Optional extras
- Breakdown and recovery
- Windscreen cover
- Replacement vehicle
- Legal expenses
- Money cover
- Glass
- Deterioration of stock
- Cyber cover
- Terrorism
Not usually covered
- Wear and tear or mechanical breakdown
- Tools left in a vehicle overnight unless the policy's security conditions are met
- Carrying other people's goods for payment without hire and reward cover
- Deliberate damage
Cover is subject to the insurer's acceptance and policy terms.
How cover can help
Illustrative examples. Whether a claim is covered depends on your policy terms and the insurer's assessment.
Illustrative example
Tools stolen overnight
A plumber's van is broken into overnight and tools are taken.
With tools cover, and the security conditions met, the tools can be replaced.
Illustrative example
A café has to close
A burst pipe floods a café and it has to close for three weeks.
Business interruption cover helps replace lost profit and pay ongoing costs.
Illustrative example
Deliveries interrupted
A courier's van is off the road after an accident.
A replacement vehicle option keeps deliveries going.
How much does commercial insurance cost?
Every quote is individual, so we don't publish prices. These are the main things insurers look at.
What affects the price
- Your trade and what you do day to day
- Vehicle types, values and use
- Drivers' ages and records
- Where vehicles are kept overnight
- Sums insured for buildings, stock and tools
- Claims history
- Security
- Your chosen excess
Ways to keep your premium down
- Secure overnight parking
- Trackers and dashcams
- A higher voluntary excess
- Accurate sums insured
- Bringing policies onto one renewal date
- Keeping a claims-free record
What you'll need for a commercial quote
- Business name, trade and years trading
- Premises postcode
- Vehicle registrations and driver details
- Rough values for stock, contents and tools
- Claims in the last five years
- Your current schedule or renewal date
Don't have everything? We can help fill in the gaps.
Call us now, or request a callback and we'll call you back promptly.
01625 682 765How it works
Getting insured with M&B is SO simple
- 1
Tell us about your business
Fill in a short form or give us a call. We only ask for what we actually need to get started.
- 2
We do the legwork
We approach insurers on our panel and compare cover, not just price. We'll call you back promptly, or on the next working day.
- 3
You choose, we sort the rest
We explain your options in plain English, arrange your policy and stay with you for renewals and claims.
Why M&B
Why choose M&B for commercial insurance
We know local trading conditions
Town-centre units, converted mill workspace and rural yards all carry different risks, and we know the difference because we work here.
One contact, not a queue
You deal with your account manager, who already knows your business, rather than repeating yourself to whoever picks up.
Cover explained before you buy
We talk through excesses, limits and exclusions in plain English, so there are no surprises at claim time.
Your broker
Steve Milner
Co-Founder & Director · Cert CII
Steve has over 20 years' experience in insurance, leading teams and departments at regional, national and global brokers. He's Cert CII qualified, started his career in Bollington and lives in Macclesfield with his family.
Steve leads a small team based together in our Macclesfield office, each with over 10 years' insurance experience.
“I want to build a broker that puts the customer at the heart of everything we do, with the personal touch and genuine service I feel is missing in the industry today.”
- Macclesfield local
- Over 20 years in insurance
- Cert CII qualified
FAQs
Commercial insurance questions
Get your commercial quote
Request a quote
Tell us a little about your business and we'll get to work.
Prefer to talk?
Call 01625 682 765, Monday to Friday, 9:00am – 5:00pm.
Ready to make your insurance SO simple?
Speak to Steve and the team on 01625 682 765, or request a callback and we'll contact you promptly.