Item 9 Labs Corp. — a vertically integrated cannabis dispensary franchisor and operator that produces premium, award-winning products — announced today that it has signed an Asset Purchase Agreement (the “APA”) with The Herbal Cure, a medicinal and recreational dispensary and cultivator operating in Denver, Colorado.
The Herbal Cure was founded in 2010 and generated revenues of $5.4 million in 2021. Located in the desirable and central neighborhood of Washington Park in Denver, the 1,500 square-foot medicinal and recreational dispensary will be the Company’s future flagship location for the brand. Item 9 Labs Corp. anticipates the dispensary to be transitioned over to its cannabis dispensary franchise brand, Unity Rd., within six months of closing the acquisition, which is currently awaiting regulatory approval by Colorado’s Marijuana Enforcement Division (the “MED”) and the City of Denver.
The acquisition includes the current 5,000 square-foot facility, which has 3,500 square feet of space for on-site cultivation operations, corporate offices, team training and more. Item 9 Labs Corp. has room to expand the sales floor with additional point-of-sale terminals and expanded product assortment, in addition the potential to offer delivery services through one of the Company’s social equity partners.
On the cultivation side, the APA also consists of a 3,000 square-foot medicinal and recreational cultivation. The Company anticipates introducing its award-winning cannabis products from Item 9 Labs to the Colorado market in the year ahead. With nearly 30 podium finishes in Arizona marijuana competitions, Item 9 Labs is a trusted source for premium cannabis products with a catalog that spans 100-plus products across five core categories, including several active cannabis strains, cannabis vape products, premium concentrates and Orion vape technology.
“The Herbal Cure acquisition represents an accretive opportunity for the Company and is well-positioned with our national retail and product expansion strategy,” said the Company’s Chief Strategy Officer, Jeffrey Rassas.
Unity Rd. is the growth vehicle that will bring Item 9 Labs products to new markets. The Company is focusing product expansion efforts on states such as Colorado, where there are two to three Unity Rd. shops in operation to ease new market product entry and focus operations. In Colorado, Unity Rd. currently has a franchise shop located in Boulder as well as a corporate shop opening in the next few months in Adams County that will later be sold to a Unity Rd. franchise partner. This expansion strategy gives the Company’s dispensary franchise partners front-of-the-line access to a reliable, award-winning product supply chain. The Unity Rd. brand also benefits from the national product consistency that consumers have come to expect from franchise brands.
“With The Herbal Cure dispensary ideally located in South Denver, we anticipate seeing accelerated brand penetration in the market thanks to heightened exposure amongst daily commuters as well as high traffic from tourism, especially during the summer months,” said the Company’s Vice President of Mergers and Acquisitions, Mark Busch. “This flagship location is a tremendous value-add for the Unity Rd. brand as we develop in the Colorado market and is a premier avenue for our plan to bring our Item 9 Labs products to the state.”
In addition to Colorado, Item 9 Labs Corp. is actively seeking acquisitions of cannabis dispensaries in key markets in Arizona, Michigan and Oklahoma to convert into the Unity Rd. brand. Currently, the dispensary franchise has multiple agreements signed with nearly 20 entrepreneurial groups who are in various stages of development nationwide. It offers entrepreneurs the tools, resources, systems and training needed to successfully run a cannabis dispensary in their market, meanwhile maintaining full ownership of their business and dispensary license.
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