In 2011, Dollar Shave Club burst onto the scene. The company was at the forefront of a group of new brands leveraging a direct-to-consumer (“D2C”) model, whereby brands would bypass retailers and sell directly to their fan base. Manufacturing, marketing, selling, and shipping was all executed in-house.

The strategy worked. In 2016, Unilever bought Dollar Shave Club for $1 billion in cash. 

A few years ago, Canada was set to become the industry leader for all things marijuana. But with so many marijuana stocks and a bustling cannabis industry, many believe that the market is not nearly where it should be at this point. There are several contributing reasons as to why the country did not overcome the U.S., which are worth taking a closer look at. Of course, Canada is still considered to be number two alongside the U.S. as far as cannabis industries go. And this is not to say that the U.S. marijuana industry does not have its problems, because it without a doubt does.

Three weeks before the pandemic sent Canadians into a state of emergency, executives at cannabis retail hopeful Mihi were celebrating. After two years of planning, hiring and strategizing, the Ontario-based company was awarded a cannabis retail operating licence by the Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario (AGCO). The plan was to open its first location in the spring.

Just eight weeks later, after reports of skyrocketing cannabis sales by consumers in lockdown, the company announced that those plans had changed.

Prince Edward Island required its four licensed cannabis retail locations to take protective measures when they reopened May 22, but wearing masks was reportedly not among them.

Beyond allowing only “limited access,” namely restricting the number of location occupants, mandatory measures in PEI Cannabis stores included having physical distancing both inside and outside stores, general screening regarding compliance with self-isolation demands prior to entry into the businesses, and no cash transactions for the time being.

In Statistics Canada's latest monthly domestic retail sales update, the government's official numbers cruncher revealed that cannabis sales rose by 19% on a month-over-month basis in March to $181 million Canadian (US$130 million). That gain contrasted dramatically with a relatively pronounced decline in overall retail sales in the country of nearly 8% in the same timeframe.

Much of this, it has to be said, is likely due to "stocking up" behavior among cannabis consumers. March is when mandatory business shutdowns necessitated by the the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus began in many locations, Canada included. People tended to buy large amounts of goods that would sustain or otherwise help them in the isolated circumstances dictated by stay-in-place measures.

Reliva had been trying to raise venture-capital money at a $40 million valuation before taking that amount in Aurora stock for acquisition

The courtship between Aurora Cannabis Inc. and Reliva began, as many such romances do, at a gathering of industry bigwigs and bankers.

The Manitoba government is moving forward on its plan for an open and competitive cannabis retail market, Crown Services Minister Jeff Wharton announced Friday.

“We are pleased to open the market further by allowing more retailers to apply for retail licences,” said Wharton in a press release. “This move will enable local entrepreneurs to create jobs and support Manitoba’s economy, which is a critical step as we work toward rebuilding Manitoba in the wake of COVID-19.”

CALGARY, May 25, 2020 /CNW/ - High Tide Inc. ("High Tide" or the "Company") (CSE:HITI) (OTCQB:HITIF) (FRA:2LY), a retail-focused cannabis corporation enhanced by the manufacturing and distribution of cannabis lifestyle accessories, is pleased to announce that the Canna Cabana retail cannabis store located in Unit #2 at 2400 Guelph Line in Burlington, Ontario (the "Burlington Store") will be opening on Wednesday, May 27, 2020. It marks the sixth branded Canna Cabana location in Ontario and the Company's 35th retail cannabis store across Canada.

VANCOUVER, May 25, 2020 /CNW/ - Village Farms International, Inc.

IMAGE SOURCE: GETTY IMAGES.

Which stock wins in a matchup between the biggest Canadian cannabis producer and one of the biggest U.S. cannabis operators?