cannabis-retail-stores-in-c-blog

[cannabis-retail-stores-in-c-blog]

Ice Cube to headline first licensed Cannabis Cup marijuana festival in Southern California

Ice Cube is set to headline High Times Cannabis Cup SoCal 2019, which the magazine is billing as a “triumphant return” of its iconic cannabis festival to Southern California.

Last year’s Cannabis Cup almost didn’t happen, after organizers failed to land permits that were newly required in 2018 for all California events with marijuana consumption and sales. The confusion led to a steep drop in attendance from previous years, as vendors bailed and critics took to social media to blast the chaos.

That also turned out to be the norm. Not a single sanctioned cannabis event was held in Southern California last year, as festival organizers struggled to navigate the newly legal cannabis scene.

But High Times has already secured a permit from the city for this year’s festival, which is coming to National Orange Show Events Center on Memorial Day weekend, according to San Bernardino officials. And a state permit is in the works, paving the way for adults to legally buy and smoke marijuana during the two-day show.

“I’m happy to say that the promoters of this event have gone above and beyond to ensure compliance,” Mayor John Valdivia said via email. “We look forward to a safe and successful event.”

High Times magazine launched its Cannabis Cup circuit 30 years ago in its counterculture heyday. The festivals thrived during the era of California’s gray medical marijuana, with thousands of people flooding NOS Events Center and other venues a few times a year to listen to music and smoke weed.

The events were always dubiously legal, though, with organizers finding protection in medical marijuana laws by forcing attendees to get doctor’s recommendations for cannabis as they entered the gates.

California law that took effect Jan. 1, 2018 legalized recreational cannabis and said cannabis festivals could let anyone 21 and older buy and smoke weed. But the law also required festival organizers to get permission from state and local agencies.

That turned out to be a problem for Cannabis Cup. Less than 48 hours before the 2018 event was scheduled to start, the San Bernardino City Council voted not to issue a permit for the event, setting off rumors that the event was canceled or would be weed-free.

The Los Angeles-based company adapted. It agreed to file detailed site plans, pay thousands of dollars in licensing fees and submit to strict state and local regulations – such as blocking alcohol sales and only allowing state-licensed vendors. All was done with an eye toward hosting future events in California.

The company’s leadership also made campaign contributions to local elected officials, including $10,000 in August from High Times CEO Adam Levin to Valdivia’s ultimately successful campaign for mayor.

High Times landed the first state permit for a festival in Southern California earlier this year. In March, it promoted the High Times Dope Cup High Desert in Adelanto. And the company recently landed a permit from San Bernardino for Cannabis Cup.

It’s not clear what the rules will be on buying cannabis. An event website doesn’t yet say whether marijuana will be sold during the festival, and under frequently asked questions the organizers tell prospective guests to bring their “personal stash” of up to an ounce of marijuana.

But High Times is also promising “more weed, more vendors” and more music acts to be announced soon.

Guests must be 21 years and older to attend the festival, slated for May 25 to 26.

Tickets start at $45 for one-day general admission and range up to “super VIP” packages that come out to $420 with fees. Visit CannabisCup.com for more information.

Originally posted on: https://www.sbsun.com/2019/05/03/ice-cube-to-headline-first-licensed-cannabis-cup-marijuana-festival-in-southern-california/

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POPCANN is the global leader in prefabricated seasonal cannabis retail stores and experiential environments.

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Ever After festival reveals cannabis rules, caps pot at roughly 20 joints per day.

It won’t be the first time someone’s smoked a joint at a music festival, but it is the first summer since doing so became legal.

As the first round of summer festivals approaches, Kitchener’s Ever After festival is one of the first local events to unveil its pot plan.

“We’re embracing the new laws, and we are allowing patrons to bring in cannabis both into the festival and to the camping ground,” said organizer Gabriel Mattachione, who is president of Beyond Oz productions.

Festival goers can bring in 10 grams of pot per day, but it has to be pre-rolled. Using standard issue joint sizing, with each joint being about half a gram, that works out to about 20 joints a pop, Mattachione said.

Campers have a bit more leeway, and can bring in as much as 28 grams of pot in either rolled or loose leaf form, he said.

“Because our camping’s not truly inside the festival grounds … we thought, ‘Okay what would you be allowed to bring to your hotel?’ and we used those guidelines as a parameter,” said Mattachione.

Smoking and non-smoking sections

Smokers won’t be able to light up willy-nilly, Mattachione said. They’ll have to stay in a smoking section, which has capacity for about 900 people.

Mattachione said the view from the smoking section is good but ‘not the best,’ and that it’s mainly designed for people to smoke quickly and leave.

There is also a second smoking section in the VIP area, which will have a better view, Mattachione said.

Riverfest Elora, Hillside developing pot plans

Not all music festivals are taking this approach; some — like Riverfest Elora — said they will meet with the OPP, the township and other authorities before making any decisions. Others, like Hillside Festival in Guelph, are planning to rely on the goodwill of attendees.

Due to Hillside’s small venue, there aren’t any designated smoking areas, but smoking is prohibited anywhere less than nine meters or “just shy of a school bus length” from eating or drinking areas, said Marie Zimmerman, the festival’s executive director.

Those areas will be well-marked with signs that say no smoking or vaping of any substance is allowed.

“Most people are aware there’s a spectrum of responses to smoking — especially in public places. So we’re relying on their common sense but also their kindness and their compassion for other people.”  said Zimmerman.

“Our festival-goers tend to be guided by intuitive benevolence, which we truly appreciate.”

Smoking corrals ‘extremely unattractive’

Gary Genosko, a professor at the University of Ontario Institute of Technology who’s studied cannabis, called Ever After’s plan as a “fairly sensible solution,” and that treating cannabis in roughly the same way as tobacco is a popular strategy.

Still, Genosko said he wonders how well the smoking corrals will work in practice.

Organizers say those who try to smoke outside designated smoking areas risk being ticketed.(EverAfterMusicFest/Facebook)

“Let’s face it, smoking pens and smoking corrals are extremely unattractive … it depends on the weather how safe it is to access those places,” Genosko said.

“It’s hit and miss proposal, but now that we have essentially no smoking of anything inside any venue anywhere in most of Canada it’s going to be difficult to find a compromise solution.”

Mattachione said poeple who do try to smoke within the crowd, risk being ticketed. There will be paid police duty on-site, as well as tobacco enforcement officers sent by the region.

“We advise everyone to abide by the rules, but there’s always some rule breakers in every crowd,” he said.

Address: 116 Geary Avenue, Suite #202A

M6H 4H1 Toronto Ontario Canada

Website: https://popcann.com

Email: info@popcann.com

Phone: 647-502-2862

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Toronto is getting the first legal cannabis consumption patio

While both federal and provincial governments haven’t quite worked out how to legalize brick-and-mortor weed consumption lounges yet, Ontario is certainly testing the market.

The Toronto Craft Beer Festival announced today (March 12) it plans to include a legal cannabis-friendly zone at its upcoming event at Ontario Place in June.

The annual expo highlights the best of Ontario’s craft brew offerings and sees over 10,000 attendees, all sipping on homegrown suds — no Big Beer allowed. This year, if guests find they’ve shotgunned a few too many salted caramel stouts or rhubarb saisons they can kick back with a come-down joint, or forgo the taps all together, on the aptly named “potio”.

Abi Roach@abiroach

The Hotbox POTio is coming to an event near you …

First stop The Toronto Craft Beer Fest

https://www.newswire.ca/news-releases/toronto-s-craft-beer-festival-hotbox-cafe-and-detonate-group-partner-on-first-legal-potio–882238884.html …

Toronto’s Craft Beer Festival, HotBox Cafe, and Detonate Group Partner on First Legal “POTio”

Cannabis Smoking Lounge Takeover Happens June 21st-23rd at Ontario…

newswire.ca

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12:07 AM — Mar 12, 2019

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The provincially-backed event will make history as the first legal age-gated consumption lounge open to the Canadian public. The sesh section will be designed by Detonate, a cannabis branding agency, and hosted by Abi Roach — founder of the Kensington Market weed hub, the HotBox Cafe.

“We want to offer people a place to come down from the beer. You don’t have to consume cannabis to experience our creative, chill, and vibrant potio,” says Roach in a release.

The long-time pot advocate and entrepreneur will hand-pick her customer service team, along with a few experienced sales representatives. “Potio” staff are tasked with “ensuring attendees are educated on the various ways to safely consume cannabis” and spotting signs of over-consumption. Roach has over two decades of experience hosting weed events across the Greater Toronto Area, including running one of the country’s most popular smoke spots.

“What makes this one really special — other than our partners — is that it’s now on a provincial level, meaning the government is finally ready to listen to what Canadians actually want,” she says.

Organizers bill the alcohol- and tobacco-free patio as “a comfortable break from the beer and noise during the festival”. To reduce the risk of cross-fading — a term used to describe nausea, dizziness, and disorientation that can come with mixing excessive amounts of alcohol and cannabis at the same time — Roach and her team will be on deck to answer questions and guide the experience.

While research is limited primarily to anecdotal evidence, animal studies show cannabis, specifically the compound cannabidiol (CBD), can help mitigate the risk of liver disease, lower blood pressure, and reduce the severity of neurodegeneration, behavioural, and cognitive impairments — all side effects associated with excessive drinking.

Studies from Free Radical Biology & Medicine also show CBD acts as an antioxidant, limiting ethanol-induced damage to organ tissue, even prompting cell regeneration in some cases. Even HelloMD cites CBD oil as a holistic “hangover elixir” for its nausea- and headache-busting properties.

Some experts do warn, however, that cannabis can inhibit nausea and vomiting, the body’s natural defence against alcohol poisoning.

While there are currently no legal public cannabis lounges in Ontario or B.C., this move shows a promising step in the right direction. The plant was federally legalized for recreational use in October of last year and most provinces are still strugging to set-up basic retail distribution systems.

“What better way to optimize on a sensory experience than by adding some cannabis to the mix, and who better to help us execute than Abi and the HotBox team?” adds Tony Millar, founder of Toronto’s Craft Beer Festival in the release.

“Cannabis is finally legal across Canada and we couldn’t be prouder to celebrate it together.”

Source: https://www.straight.com/cannabis/1212771/toronto-getting-first-legal-cannabis-consumption-patio

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Indigenous-led Investment Group Partners with Peguis First Nation to Bring Legal Cannabis to Indigenous Communities.

WINNIPEG, June 18, 2019 – Bridging Finance Inc., one of North America’s leading infrastructure firms for First Nations and Inuit, is working with Peguis First Nation to bring safe Cannabis retail options to First Nation communities. The two organizations have engaged POPCANN to ensure that the sale of Cannabis is done in a secure manner that protects First Nation youth and eliminates black market product.

“Cannabis was legalized across Canada close to a year ago, but access to safe, legal product through retail has until now been limited to major urban centres, leaving rural communities at a disadvantage,” said David Sharpe, CEO of Bridging Finance Inc. “We’ve worked closely with Chief Hudson to ensure we’re doing something for the good of First Nation communities, and POPCANN is a great partner to help facilitate this endeavor.” To date, Bridging has allocated over $300 million to finance renewable energy, housing, grocery stores and fisheries to Indigenous communities.

The partnership aims to provide safe, controlled Cannabis retail stores that are compliant with both community and regionally imposed regulations, while at the same time providing elected Chief and Bands control over the sale of Cannabis within their communities.

The collaboration will also enable the three entities to work with various levels of government to establish dialogue and collaboration with regulators concerning cannabis related activities and policies within indigenous communities.

“First Nation communities do not have the same commercial and retail infrastructure that are ubiquitous in larger cities, adding an additional challenge,” said Chief Hudson, elected Chief of Peguis First Nation. “POPCANN’s prefabricated Cannabis retail stores offer a turnkey solution that means fast and secure access to safe quality Cannabis in our communities and the eradication of black market product.”

The first stores are expected to be operational by fall, 2019.

About Peguis:

Located approximately 190 KM North of Winnipeg, Peguis First Nation is home to Manitoba’s largest First Nation population. In total, there are approximately 11,000 Peguis Band Members, which includes membership both on and off-reserve and comprising mainly of Ojibway and Cree descent.

About Bridging Finance Inc.

Bridging Finance is a privately held Canadian company providing middle-market North American companies with alternatives to the financing options offered by traditional lenders. Lending proceeds, typically ranging from $3,000,000to $50,000,000 and higher, are used by companies to address short-term needs such as restructuring existing debt, providing working capital for growth, supporting inventory purchases and financing expenditures and acquisitions/buyouts. Bridging Finance is the manager of the Bridging Income Fund LP and the Bridging Mid-Market Debt Fund LP, Bridging Infrastructure Fund LP, and Bridging Real Estate Lending Fund LP. Bridging Finance also offers portfolio management services for institutional and family office clients. Bridging Finance’s total assets under management are over $1.4 Billion.

About POPCANN

POPCANNs are the only prefabricated Cannabis retail stores available in the North American marketplace for both pop-up and permanent installations. POPCANN’s mission is to provide turn-key Cannabis retail stores that rapidly bring legal Cannabis to traditional and alternative destinations.

POPCANNs are made to solve problems for diverse Cannabis stakeholders, including government regulators and the general public. Modular designs enable POPCANN to bring legal Cannabis to northern cities, Indigenous communities, music festivals, and seasonal towns.

The POPCANN Corporation, headquartered in Toronto, Canada, was co-founded in 2019 by veteran media and technology entrepreneurs Michael Girgis and Jake Neiman.

For further information: Media Contact: Kaitlyn Ward, PR Account Manager, kaitlyn@eightyeightagency.com, 416-944-2722

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Shipping container cannabis stores aim to cash in on neglected rural markets.

Cannabis retail is in its infancy, but that hasn’t stopped one startup from thumbing its nose at the status quo.

Toronto-based POPCANN is betting on pop-up cannabis stores, as the name implies. The company is looking to deploy mobile, shipping container-based retail hubs into rural communities and regions currently underserved by brick-and-mortar shops.

Co-founders Mike Girgis and Jake Neiman also are eyeing events like music festivals as venues for temporary locations if cannabis is allowed to be sold under Special Occasion Permits like alcohol.

The pair have developed a prototype POPCANN store they say is ready for market once a license can be secured. The retrofitted shipping container currently sits in a fenced-off parking lot near the company’s studio in Toronto’s west end.

The retrofitted shipping container currently sits in a fenced-off parking lot near the company’s studio in Toronto’s west end. (Yahoo Finance Canada)

‘Quick Service Cannabis’

Future customers will approach POPCANN stores on wooden ramps enabling full accessibility. The container’s large steel doors display age and identification instructions. The entrance leads into a small room where security personnel can check IDs.

The interior is modern and crisp. Today, projectors on the ceiling cast images of lakes and mountain ranges onto the walls, but the graphics can be customized to suit any occasion.

Deeper into the container, skylights and floor-to-ceiling windows let in plenty of natural light through one-way glass designed to keep transactions out of public view.

Customers have the option of browsing on tablets or approaching a clerk behind a counter underneath screens displaying product and price information. Behind the heavy steel countertop, a secure set of drawers is ready to be stocked with cannabis.

This particular model comes with an open exterior window that could serve as a drive-thru in jurisdictions where those type of sales are allowed.

Girgis and Neiman explain POPCANN stores can be securely sealed, like a shipping container. It can also be moved to anywhere in the world, like a shipping container.

“While the Fire & Flower’s and Tweeds of the world are spending big money to open up massive retail stores in major metropolitan areas, were focused on the smaller towns and communities. Five thousand, 8,000, 20,000 population markets,” Neiman told Yahoo Finance Canada on Tuesday.

“Our focus is to enable people to access cannabis very quickly. It’s more reflective of a Beers Store scenario where you go in, order the beer you want, pick it up and go.”

The concept takes aim at the notion of cannabis consumers wanting luxurious, in-depth retail experiences where they smell terpenes through jars and spend time learning about the product from experts.

In Toronto, that assumption has seen Edmonton-based retail chain Fire & Flower Holdings Corp. (FAF.V) place a big bet on leasing a ritzy, yet-to-be-opened Yorkville location. Tokyo Smoke, a retail arm of cannabis giant Canopy Growth Corp. (WEED.TO) has opened up shop inside the former HMV flagship store on Yonge Street in what is expected to become Canada’s largest brick-and-mortar cannabis store once it‘s fully built out.

POPCANN’s stores require a far smaller investment by comparison. They can also be easily redeployed if a location is not suitable, and a license for another address can be secured through provincial regulators.

“There is nothing better in terms of logistics,” Neiman said. “Eighteen-wheelers are designed to transport shipping containers. Cranes and forklifts are designed to move them around and position them in place.”

POPCANN has an agreement with the self-storage company StorageVault Canada Inc. (SVI.V) to operate on 170 of its properties across Canada upon securing licenses.

The company expects to make its first sale this year, and announce additional partnerships in the coming weeks. Girgis and Neiman said they are also in private talks with major U.S. cannabis retailers to use their concept as satellite extensions of existing stores.

POPCANN has patents pending related to the prefabricated design and layout of its stores, as well as a trademark filed for “Quick Service Cannabis.”

The stores are designed to expand using additional shipping containers. Girgis and Neiman said they’re built to be stacked, and have multi-story designs on display in their studio next to others that use solar panels to charge an internal power supply. There’s even a design for a cannabis vending machine that uses biometric technology to match a human face to a piece of government identification.

Rural revenue opportunity

The idea is rapidly to bring physical cannabis retail into the scores of communities where the nearest conventional store is hours away. In five years' time, Girgis and Neiman expect to have a network of a few hundred POPCANN stores in rural and remote markets.

They also plan to introduce a franchise model where operators pay them royalties.

Plans to roll out true pop-up cannabis stores at music festivals and outdoor events are held back by regulations that don’t yet exist.

Brian Gray, a spokesperson for the Ministry of the Attorney General, told Yahoo Canada Finance in an email that there are currently no plans in place to allow Special Occasion Permits for recreational cannabis in Ontario.

Nick Pateras, vice-president of strategy for Lift & Co. (LIFT.V), said he doesn’t see temporary sales licenses being issued any time in the near future.

“It’s an interesting idea, and perhaps they know something I don’t, but I’d not expect to see this in market in 2019,” he said.

Girgis suggests the versatility of his go-anywhere stores could help provinces move things along.

“If they (provinces) want to experiment with Special Occasion Permits and pick events or festivals we can enable them to do tests,” he said. “We are working very closely with them to make sure that we comply, and that we bring solutions forward that they are looking for. They are certainly impressed our innovation.”

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Lender to Fund Container Pot Shops on Canadian Indigenous Lands

A Canadian lender to indigenous people is planning to fund cannabis stores on First Nations lands where it says communities haven’t reaped the economic benefit from the drug’s legalization.

 Bridging Finance Inc. is starting with a store on the Peguis First Nation in Manitoba, according to chief executive officer David Sharpe. His firm is working with Popcann, which fashions pot stores from old shipping containers, and the pair are in talks to replicate the model in indigenous communities in North America.

 “For me it’s a fairness issue. We’re lobbying the Ontario government to come up with more licenses,” said Sharpe, a member of the Mohawks of the Bay of Quinte. “We often say the cannabis economy is the new buffalo, so we don’t want to miss the boat.

 Canada became the second country to legalize recreational marijuana in October, igniting a race for licenses, financing and expanded production. In Ontario, where Sharpe is based, some indigenous people have expressed frustration at the provincial government’s plan to issue a maximum of eight licenses for cannabis stores on reserves on a first-come, first-serve basis. There are over 200 reserves in the province.

 Private Debt

Bridging Finance is funding the 1,900 square foot Manitoba project using a private debt fund set up in April to finance indigenous economic development. It plans to expand the fund to C$500 million ($378 million).

 It will charge 1% per month on the loans for the Popcann projects in indigenous communities, according to Sharpe. The loans will be shorter term and flipped over to banks or other lenders once the projects are generating revenue, he said.

 Bridging Finance and Popcann are in talks with several other First Nations in Canada and tribes in the U.S. to bring a similar model to their communities. Many First Nations, including Sharpe’s community of Tyendinaga, have dozens of unregulated pot stores but Bridging Finance will only fund legal outlets, he said.

 Casinos, Fisheries

Bridging Finance currently has C$1.6 billion in assets under management and its other direct lending funds invest in collateral-based bridging loans, inventory and accounts-receivables financing. Returns from the funds hover around 8.5%, according to Sharpe. The firm has already lent around C$320 million to finance casinos, renewable energy, housing, grocery stores and fisheries in indigenous communities. The company has never suffered a default or had to work out a loan in this area before, according to Sharpe.

 The interior of a Popcann pre-fabricated cannabis store.

For Popcann’s part, the company offers about eight different cannabis store layouts and can have the simplest versions up and running in 60 days, according to Popcann Chief Executive Officer Jake Neiman. He envisions having 10 Popcann stores open by the end of 2019 and 30 to 50 by the end of 2020. It will use Bridging Finance loans from around C$250,000 to C$500,000 depending on the size of the structure.

 “The intent is to put up a loan to get a Popcann fully operational and recoup that loan after it’s generating income for that community,” Neiman said. “It’s kind of a no-risk, all-upside situation.”

 Source: https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2019-08-12/lender-to-fund-shipping-container-pot-shops-on-indigenous-lands

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Introducing POPCANN: Tech-driven, prefabricated Cannabis stores disrupting mainstream retail approach

POPCANNs are modular retail stores that are set to disrupt the mainstream Cannabis retail approach. With a diverse product line of prefabricated Cannabis retail stores, every POPCANN incorporates immersive experiential technology to provide a truly original retail experience.

“Our mandate is to ensure legal Cannabis is made accessible to customers wherever they may be,” says Jake Neiman, Co-Founder and CEO of POPCANN. “Optimal sizes and layouts enable us to bring legal Cannabis to northern communities, music festivals, seasonal towns and other non-traditional environments, and offer a truly unique retail experience.”

According to reports from New Frontier Data, it is estimated that the U.S. and Canada could generate a combined $172 billion in retail sales over the next six years. As Cannabis is being legalized in a number of US States and Canada for both medicinal and recreational purposes, suppliers in the industry need to comply with strict regulations and therefore struggle with how to bring their products to hard-to-reach places. Developed specifically for the Cannabis industry, POPCANNs are compliant with the regulations in the markets in which they operate.

By integrating the latest experiential and projection mapping technology, POPCANNs provide a truly original retail experience for customers. Each purpose-built POPCANN Cannabis Retail Store is created for responsive, compliant operations, designed to help solve problems currently faced by numerous Cannabis stakeholders.

POPCANN has partnered with Storage Vault’s portable storage division, Canada’s largest and most trusted name in self-storage and related services, to bring legal Cannabis to diverse regions. This exclusive arrangement with Storage Vault enables POPCANN to operate Cannabis Retail Stores at over 200 non-traditional locations, coast-to-coast. In the U.S., POPCANN will also be leveraging creative partnerships to execute retail solutions across the country.

“Our partnership with POPCANN is an excellent example of how very different businesses can team up in creative ways,” says Steven Scott, CEO, Storage Vault. “This partnership provides POPCANN with a national infrastructure,  logistics and distribution platform to bring legal Cannabis to Canadians from secure, yet accessible areas.”

“Our proposed strategy uniquely enables provinces and states across North America to convert ‘opt outs’ into ‘opt ins’, through a new process that allows municipalities to test legal Cannabis retailing within their regions, away from residential areas and traditional retail centres” says Michael Girgis, Co-Founder and President of POPCANN. “We’ve put together innovative, turn-key solutions and our team bring extensive experience working with various levels of government.”

Outfitted with patent-pending security technology for age-restricted entrance along with secure and streamlined ordering, fulfillment on-site, POPCANNs are a practical solution for pushing out the black market in regions and municipalities where the black market currently has an exclusive foothold.

About POPCANN

POPCANNs are the only prefabricated Cannabis Retail Stores available in the North American marketplace for both pop-up and permanent installations. POPCANN’s mission is to provide turn-key Cannabis retail stores that rapidly bring legal Cannabis to traditional and alternative destinations.

Operating a fleet of patent-pending, tech-driven Cannabis structures, every POPCANN is customizable, secure and designed to meet each region’s distinct compliance requirements. Every POPCANN also incorporates next-gen projection mapping and augmented reality technologies to provide truly original retail experiences.

POPCANNs are made to solve problems for diverse Cannabis stakeholders, including government regulators and the general public. Optimal sizes and layouts enable POPCANN to bring legal Cannabis to northern communities, music festivals, seasonal towns and other non-traditional environments.

The POPCANN Corporation, headquartered in Toronto, Canada, was co-founded in 2019 by veteran media and technology entrepreneurs Michael Girgis and Jake Neiman.

Reference Link:

https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/introducing-popcann-tech-driven-prefabricated-cannabis-stores-disrupting-mainstream-retail-approach-300862121.html

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POPCANN is the global leader in prefabricated seasonal cannabis retail stores and experiential environments.

[cannabis-retail-stores-in-c-blog]

It’s a Cannabis Store in a Box with POPCANNs.

TORONTO – Canadian modular construction company POPCANN has announced its line of prefabricated cannabis retail store structures created from repurposed shipping containers. The POPCANN is designed for rapid set-up and deployment, with use in remote permanent locations and even as temporary retail pop-up stores for events.

“Our mandate is to ensure legal cannabis is made accessible to customers wherever they may be,” POPCANN co-founder and Chief Executive Officer Jake Neiman said in a press release. “Optimal sizes and layouts enable us to bring legal cannabis to northern communities, music festivals, seasonal towns, and other non-traditional environments, and offer a truly unique retail experience.”

“Our focus is to bring legal, safe cannabis to locations that don’t have access to a store,” Neiman told mgRetailer. “All the big guys are okay with building a superstore in Toronto or Ottawa, but what about other small towns? The black market is thriving in places like that and other venues where they can distribute, because customers have no choice. So, we’re providing a solution for customers and legal vendors to have an option that’s compliant.”

Each custom store interior is planned using the “latest experiential and projection mapping technology,” in compliance with governmental regulations, as well as responsive features for ease of operation. In comparison to building out a storefront location from scratch, some vendors may see the modular units as a time- and cost-saving option. Store design features include patent-pending security technology for age-restricted entrance, secure ordering, and fulfillment onsite.

The structure of the steel shipping containers is extremely durable, said Neiman, and the product vault area in each POPCANN is walled with reinforced steel. The units also come with a total of eleven indoor and outdoor security cameras.

In addition to retail facility usage, containers can also be designed in different environments including cannabis education center, medical cannabis clinic, consumption lounge, or experiential destination.

“Our proposed strategy uniquely enables provinces and states across North America to convert ‘opt outs’ into ‘opt ins’, through a new process that allows municipalities to test legal cannabis retailing within their regions, away from residential areas and traditional retail centers,” POPCANN co-founder and President Michael Girgis said in the press release. “We’ve put together innovative, turn-key solutions and our team bring extensive experience working with various levels of government.”

In an exclusive partnership with Canada’s leading self-storage company Storage Vault, the company has plans to locate 200 POPCANN cannabis retail units at various Storage Vault storage facility locations across Canada, in small towns, as well as First Nation and rural areas.

“Our partnership with POPCANN is an excellent example of how very different businesses can team up in creative ways,” said Storage Vault Chief Executive Officer Steven Scott in the release. “This partnership provides POPCANN with a national infrastructure, logistics and distribution platform to bring legal cannabis to Canadians from secure, yet accessible areas.”

In the U.S., Neiman hinted that the company has been in talks with leading cannabis retail vendors that are interested in offering their customers more location options. “It’s a really cost-effective way for some of these retailers to expand their footprint quickly,” Neiman explained.

“We’re focused on a very efficient customer experience,” Neiman added. “And we’ve gotten some great response from people that are interested as retailers–but regulators are responding well, also, because we’re bringing a legal alternative to customers.”

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POPCANN IS CREATING PREFABRICATED CANNABIS STORES

POPCANN is disrupting Canada’s cannabis industry with the launch of their modular, prefabricated cannabis stores. Designed to be used as pop-up or permanent installations, POPCANN stores integrate the latest technology to provide a truly unique customer retail experience.

Co-founder Jake Newman says, “POPCANN is a retail solution that is designed to make retail cannabis accessible to all Canadians, in particular those in northern and First Nations communities – all the areas that are currently being shutout from accessing legal recreational cannabis.” Newman also envisions pop-up POPCANNs being used at music events, festivals, and parades, similar to how events are now temporarily licensed to sell and serve liquor.

When asked about how POPCANN came to be, Co-founder Michael  Girgis  says, “The structure of the shipping container is used in the retail space by many other industries. POPCANN is leading the charge in positioning the shipping container–plus all the innovative technology inside them–as new, practical solutions for the cannabis industry.”

Girgis and Newman have brought their almost 20 years of experience in market technology and innovation to cannabis stores. POPCANN’s projective mapping technology can create any theme within the store, change the mood and atmosphere at the touch of a button, and create an immersive customer experience. The company is also exploring using augmented reality to let customers engage with product.

The company says the stores are compliant with the markets in which they operate and include patent-pending security technology for age-restricted entrance, secure and stream-lined ordering, and fulfillment on-site.

While the company has encountered challenges, given it is “ahead of regulations”, a temporary unlicensed prototype can be found in downtown Toronto. Girgis and Newman view POPCANN as a compliment, not competition, to what cannabis retailers are already doing and are excited to partner with licensed producers and retailers.

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Popcann

POPCANNs is the perfect solutions for Cannabis retail stores in Canada and United States. POPCANN offers many retail store options to meet the needs of diverse environments and destinations. Contact POPCANN and choose perfect Prefab Cannabis Retail Store for your application.

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Cannabis Vending Stores United States

Searching First Nations Cannabis Stores in Canada. POPCANN offers a diverse product-line of prefabricated cannabis-centric structures for both pop-up and permanent installations.Get POPCANN Cannabis Vending Stores in the United States and Canada.

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POPCANN offers many Seasonal cannabis retail store options in Canada and United States.Contact us today and find the perfect POPCANN for your Event,Concert and Festival.