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Most small business owners only read the security section of their insurance policy twice: once when they buy it, and once after a break-in. The second reading is usually the more careful one, and it’s the wrong time to discover that the cover depended on something that wasn’t in place.
Windows and glazed doors are where that problem shows up most often. Glass is the reason a shop looks inviting, and it’s also the quickest way in for anyone who wants to get inside after hours. Security grilles are one of the simplest and most established ways to protect it, but they only do their job, for the business and for the insurer, if the right type is fitted in the right place.
Why glass is the weak point
Crime against businesses is still common. The Home Office’s 2023 Commercial Victimisation Survey estimated that 41% of wholesale and retail premises in England and Wales had experienced some form of crime in the previous year, and that 8% of all business premises had suffered a burglary or attempted burglary. The British Retail Consortium says retailers have spent more than £5 billion on crime prevention over the past five years.
Much of that spending goes on cameras, guards and alarms, all of which are valuable. But a camera records a broken window rather than preventing one, and an alarm only starts working once someone is already inside. Physical barriers are the part of a security plan that actually slows an intruder down, and for glazing, that usually means a grille or a shutter.
What insurers tend to look for
Every policy is different, and nothing here replaces reading your own. But commercial insurers commonly ask about physical security when a policy is arranged, particularly for businesses holding stock that’s easy to sell on, such as phones, electronics, tobacco, alcohol, jewellery or tools. Questions often cover how windows and doors are protected, what locks are fitted and whether there’s a monitored alarm.
Some policies go further and include specific security conditions, sometimes called warranties or endorsements. These can require, for example, that grilles or shutters are fitted to certain openings and are locked whenever the premises are unattended. If a condition like that isn’t met at the time of a loss, it can affect how a claim is handled. That’s why it’s worth knowing exactly what your policy says before you need it.
Some insurers, especially for higher-risk premises, will also ask for products that have been independently tested. In the UK, the main benchmark is LPS 1175, a standard from the Loss Prevention Certification Board (LPCB) that rates doors, windows, grilles and shutters on how long they resist attack and with what tools. It was developed with input from insurers, government and police. If your insurer specifies a rated product, ask for the rating in writing and make sure what you buy is certified to it.
Retractable or fixed: matching the grille to the opening
There are two broad types of grille, and they suit different jobs.
Retractable concertina grilles fold back to the side of a window or door during the day and are pulled across and locked at night. Fitted internally, behind the glass, they leave the shopfront looking almost unchanged while the business is open, which is why they’re popular with shops that rely on window displays. They also work well on doorways, where a grille can sit behind the main door as a second layer of protection.
Fixed bar grilles are bolted permanently over an opening. They’re best suited to rear windows, stock room windows, toilets and other openings that don’t need to be opened for access. They’re simple, relatively inexpensive and very hard to remove from the outside once properly fixed.
A few practical points help decide between them:
- Visibility. If you want customers to see displays after closing, an internal retractable grille behind the glass keeps the window visible while still protecting it.
- Access. Anything that needs to open every day, such as a front door or serving hatch, needs a retractable grille. Fixed grilles are for openings that stay shut.
- Inside or outside. Internal grilles protect the stock but not the glass itself. External grilles protect the glass too, but are more visible and may need planning permission, particularly in conservation areas or on listed buildings. It’s worth checking with the council before fitting anything to the outside of a building.
- Escape routes. Any grille on a door or window that forms part of a fire escape route must be openable quickly from the inside. Security should never come at the cost of getting people out safely.
Getting the details right
A grille is only as good as its installation. Three things make the biggest difference.
First, measure accurately. Shopfronts and older windows are rarely standard sizes, and a grille that leaves gaps at the sides or top is an invitation to lever it. Made-to-measure grilles are usually worth the small extra cost.
Second, fix into something solid. Fixings need to go into sound masonry or a strong frame. A heavy steel grille anchored into crumbling brickwork or a rotten timber surround can be pulled away far more easily than it looks.
Third, think about locks. A good grille with a cheap padlock has an obvious weak point. Integral locks, or high-security padlocks that sit close to the grille, are harder to attack.
For businesses weighing up their options, it’s worth comparing the main types of security grilles side by side, retractable concertina grilles for shopfronts and doorways and fixed bar grilles for rear and side windows, and then checking the chosen product against what your insurer and the building itself require.
A simple routine that protects the claim as well as the shop
The best grille in the world doesn’t help if it’s left open. A short closing routine, followed every day, does as much for a business’s security as the hardware itself:
- Close and lock every grille and shutter, including the ones on windows that "nobody uses".
- Check rear and side windows as well as the shopfront.
- Set the alarm and make sure it’s monitored if your policy requires it.
- Keep receipts, installation records and photos of your security measures somewhere you can find them, so you can show an insurer what was in place if you ever need to.
It also pays to tell your broker or insurer when you upgrade your security. Some will reflect better physical protection in the premium, and at the very least it means the information they hold about your premises is accurate.
Read the small print now, not later
None of this is complicated, but it is easy to put off. A twenty-minute read of the security section of your policy, a walk around the outside of the building after dark, and an honest look at which windows and doors would tempt an intruder will tell most shop owners what they need to know.
The time to find out whether your windows meet your insurer’s expectations is before anyone tests them, not after.
