CHICAGO and VANCOUVER, British Columbia—Circle K has partnered with Green Thumb industries to sell licensed medical marijuana in select locations via a lease agreement. Next year, Green Thumb plans to launch its “test-and-learn” phase of the rollout with about 10 RISE Express-branded dispensaries adjacent to Circle K stores in various locations in Florida.
Through the exclusive agreement, Green Thumb can lease space from Circle K in Florida, where the retailer currently operates about 600 locations. The RISE Express stores will offer medical-marijuana patients a selection of branded cannabis products, including flower (smokable cannabis buds), pre-rolls, gummies and vapes.
“The opening of RISE Express stores at Circle K locations is a game-changer. Convenience is a strong channel in retail, and people want more access to cannabis,” said Ben Kovler, Green Thumb founder, chairman and CEO. “The new RISE Express model is a huge step forward in making it easier and more efficient for patients to purchase high-quality cannabis as part of their everyday routine when stopping by their local convenience store.”
The products available at these retail stores will come from Green Thumb’s 28-acre cultivation facility in Ocala, Florida, that will be up and running by the end of 2022. Green Thumb entered the Florida market in 2018 and currently owns and operates medical cannabis retail stores throughout Florida.
According to the Florida Department of Health, over 700,000 Floridians are currently registered active cardholders in the state’s medical marijuana program.
In 2020, Circle K invested in Fire & Flower, a Canadian cannabis retailer, opening two Fire & Flower shops opened adjacent to Circle K stores, one in Grande Prairie and the other in Calgary, in Alberta. Canada became the first major country to allow adult-use cannabis sales in October 2018.
This week, Uber announced Uber Eats deliveries of cannabis in Toronto through a partnership with cannabis marketplace Leafly. Uber says Torontonians can order “safe, legal cannabis” straight to their homes, placing orders from local licensed cannabis retailers in the Uber Eats app.