Guy Warner Budgens, Moreton-in-Marsh Says: Four of my five Budgens stores were affected by varying degrees of flood damage. My forecourt store in Tewkesbury was under four-and-a-half foot of water - and is still closed as a result - and Broadway and Bideford stores were hit by two inches of flooding. It's difficult to protect a store from flooding, but you need to be quick to react when it happens. Our approach was to tackle the stores that we could reopen quickly so that the company wouldn't be too badly hit. We got Broadway and Bideford re-opened within 48 hours by pumping the water out, and I then focused my attention on our new store in Moreton-in-Marsh, which was due to open six days after the floods hit. Water came within four inches of the store and the site had been turned into a makeshift refuge because it hadn't flooded. I'd committed a lot of money to marketing and everything was geared to the opening date, so we worked flat-out to get it open on time. My advice would be to use all the resources around you to help. I was able to call on the aid of lots of people in the community: we got an army of contractors in and opened on schedule. Nigel Mills Managing director, Mills Group Says: We operate five stores in the area worst affected by the recent flooding but were lucky that they all escaped the flood waters. Our deliveries come from the north of England and were still able to get through. However, our store in Filey, North Yorkshire, was left ankle-deep in water after a flash flood hit the town. The area was closed off for 12 to 15 hours so we lost a day's trade, but we were able to open again the next day after a quick clean-up operation. The best way for retailers to protect their businesses against flooding is to be properly insured. Make sure your stocks and assets are insured at the right level and insure against loss of profits. Most policies insure against 12 months of trading, but retailers should really look for 24 to 36 months of cover. This is because it is not just their business that would have been affected by flooding. Even though a retailer may be able to get its business up and running again in a few months, other businesses around it may take longer to recover, which could impact on trade. Kelly Ostler Association of British Insurers Says: When a business is flooded, the cost of interruption to trade is often much higher than the value of the damaged property. Insurance can reduce the financial impact of events such as floods by covering loss of profits and paying salaries, but it does not compensate for longer-term loss of customers and contracts, or for damage to reputation. This summer's floods have had repercussions for those in surrounding areas. Many firms were unable to make deliveries, causing disruption. Every business needs to ask the question: 'If the worst happens, how long will it take to get back to trading normally?' A business continuity plan should focus on the impacts of an event, addressing issues such as loss of access to a site, the availability of alternative temporary premises, the loss of key staff and how to fulfil existing contracts and commitments. What is the minimum your business would need to keep operating? Insurers can also offer advice on risk management and flood resilience. More information on repairing your business after a flood can be found at www.abi.org.uk

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