From $151M in sales in its first quarter to $5B by end 2021 – where will all the people come from?

Canada gained an entirely new retail sub-sector last year – one that delivered $151M in sales in its first 2½ months of operation despite major supply issues, and in combination with the edibles to be legalized in 2019, is now predicted by the Brightfield Group to deliver $5B in annual sales by the end of 2021.

Canada is leading a global trend, and expanding cannabis retail in Canada will see hundreds of new stores opened, millions of consumers educated, and major new brands developed from scratch. This will require huge investment and incredible leadership from experienced cannabis industry and retail professionals. The competition for proven retail professionals is already fierce, yet some members of the Cannabis Council are projecting that positions in the cannabis industry could grow from current levels of 11,000+ to 150,000 or more in the next decade. A key question is, where will all the people come from?

We’ve been using our experience and connections to help solve this issue since 2017, when we were selected to recruit Store Managers for one of the first cannabis retail chains planned for Canada. We’ve since worked on field and head office searches for Licensed Producers, pure retailers and government agencies for roles from the Store Manager to the Director level. We’ve worked with large global leaders to individual owner-operators, on searches from BC to Ontario. We’ve sponsored cannabis events with the Retail Council of Canada, including moderating panels on the experiences of cannabis retailers just after legalization, and on recruiting for cannabis retail.

As one example, on November 7, 2018 (3 weeks after legalization) we asked a small group of key cannabis retailers how they were feeling. Click here for details.

Now we’re going to be there in person at O’Cannabiz, Canada’s premier cannabis business expo. We’d like to invite you to join us.

As a retail professional, on April 25-27 you will have an unparalleled opportunity to connect with cannabis and retail professionals and learn about :

• The state of the cannabis industry in Canada
• Strategies from the global level to in-store
• Brands and intellectual property
• Vertical integration, including mergers & acquisitions
• The latest regulatory outlook – including edibles
• Cannabis in health care
• Detailed options for the full spectrum of the cannabis industry, from growing to retail and lifestyle to legal

and more …

For more information you can visit the O’Cannabiz web page here.