While product shortage and freshness problems seem to be resolved, pricing still drives consumers to the black market – but both producers and the government are making moves to address the issue.

Store licensing continues to be a challenge – but Ontario, Canada’s largest market, has said it is opening up the process in 2020, hopefully to deliver on projections of 1000+ stores.

Cannabis 2.0 products have yet to hit the shelves of retailers – but will soon, with EY Canada estimating 3 million new consumers will come to cannabis retailers as a result, and Deloitte Canada estimating that edibles and alternative products represent a $2.7B market.

The foundations of Canada’s cannabis retail industry are in place. The key is now to build on them, to deliver operational efficiency and scale – essentially, to complete the shift from startup mode to solid retail operation, while still taking advantage of the tremendous growth opportunities now opening up.

For traditional retailers, the cannabis retail sector also offers the opportunity to learn from a brand new retail sector building in a hyper-growth market.

We’ve been working with the cannabis sector since 2017, building a proven track record with cannabis retail. We’ve worked with government agencies, licensed producers and cannabis retailers for executive suite, head office and field level searches from the Store Manager to CEO level. We’ve visited head offices, production facilities and retail stores to understand their needs and cultures. We’ve attended conferences and awards events, moderated panels and sponsored and presented at cannabis retail events in cooperation with the Retail Council of Canada, and background information on some of them is available at our blog.

On January 9-11, we’ll be at Lift to learn and contribute even more. If you would like to learn more about Canada’s cannabis industry, we’d encourage you to join us.

On January 9-11 you will have an unparalleled opportunity to hear from leading industry experts and visit with over 200 exhibitors to learn about :

• Medical and adult use markets
• Cannabis and accessories
• Regulations and projections
• The potential for leadership on the world stage
• Overall, the latest on cannabis and cannabis-related products and services

For more information you can visit the Lift web page: