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Canna Cabana poised to set up shop in BC

Published on October 12, 2021 by oz. staff

Canna Cabana in Ottawa
Canna Cabana's location in Ottawa is one of more than 100 retail stores operated by High Tide.

The Canna Cabana chain is coming to BC.

High Tide announced this week it’s received ‘due diligence’ approval from the British Columbia Liquor Distribution Branch to operate in the province.

“This approval allows us to expand into Canada’s third-most populous province which, being famous for its ‘BC Bud’, has a long history of accepting cannabis culture and was ground zero for legalization in Canada,” says Raj Grover, president and CEO of High Tide.

High Tide says the approval means its subsidiary, Canna Cabana, can move ahead with site-specific licence applications.

The company operates 101 cannabis stores throughout Ontario, Alberta, Manitoba and Saskatchewan, operating as Canna Cabana, Meta Cannabis Co., Meta Cannabis Supply Co., and NewLeaf Cannabis.

High Tide says its entry into BC is especially significant because the province is a major global tourist destination, with more than six million overnight international visitor arrivals in 2019, according to the Tourism Industry Association of BC.

“We will be strategic in selecting our BC locations in order to maximize our retail potential for years to come,” says Grover.

“I am very proud of our team’s perseverance over the last three years to achieve this major milestone,” says Grover.

The company says it’s the largest Canadian recreational cannabis retailer measured by revenue.

Fore more than a decade, High Tide has been running e-commerce platforms, including Grasscity.com, Smokecartel.com, Dailyhighclub.com, and Dankstop.com. Its more recently moved into the hemp-derived CBD space through CBDcity.com and FABCBD.com.

Investors in High Tide include Tilray Inc. and Aurora Cannabis.