Business

With North America expected to become the largest cannabis market in the world, we examine some of the fastest growing cannabis retailers preparing to dominate this market.

With more retailers opening for business and the edibles market likely coming online this year, there's going to be many more growth opportunities. Here are some of the hottest cannabis stocks right now that are positioning themselves to take advantage of the fast-growing retail market.

We examine how some of the world’s largest retailers are growing their bottled water market share ahead of CBD's seemingly inevitable legalization.

Back in November of 2018, the State of Michigan officially opened for business when its first medical marijuana dispensary opened. Besides a slow first month where sales hit $7.1 million, the State has seen sales average over $11 million since then.

This past week, Aurora Cannabis Inc (TSX:ACB)(NYSE:ACB) got a boost in price when analysts at Cowen Inc., an investment bank in the U.S., said that Aurora was its top pick for the sector.

National Access Cannabis Corp. is one of the bigger retailers and earlier this week the Company provided an update on its operations. Since legalization back in October, National Access Cannabis Corp (NAC) has generated sales of more than $20 million through its retail network. Previously, The Company had said it had done a little over $10 million in the first 80 days, and now with 140 days gone by, that number has doubled.

MedMen Enterprises Inc (CSE:MMEN) released its year-end results at the end of February and while sales were good, it was still nowhere near profitable. During the second quarter, The Company recorded sales of nearly $30 million, which is almost 10 times the amount that it posted a year ago. For the past six months, revenues reached $51 million compared to $5 million in 2017.

Aurora Cannabis Inc. continues building on its reach across the globe. The Company recently announced that it had acquired a controlling interest (51%) of a Portuguese company, Gaia Pharm Lda., which will now be known as Aurora Portugal Lda.

The retail footprint for cannabis continues to grow. Last week, five stores in Banff, Alberta were granted development permits, although the companies set to operate those locations still are awaiting approval from the province. One of those companies is Westleaf Inc., which is looking to be one of the biggest retailers in Western Canada with its record-store like brand, Prairie Records.

Canada’s marijuana landscape is evolving rapidly. In order to get a better understanding of how the cannabis industry is progressing, we have identified 5 emerging cannabis leaders in categories such as retail, cultivation, extraction, overall size, and international footprint.

How the cannabis retail market will look remains one of the marijuana's sector's biggest unknowns. Here is an overview of four big cannabis companies and their very different approaches for gaining market share in the retail space.

Canopy Growth Corp announced that it will be working with Alimentation Couche-Tard Inc (TSX:ATD.B) on a cannabis store in London, Ontario. The two companies entered into a multi-year agreement and will help support the operator of the London store, who was one of the lottery winners that was able to obtain a license to setup a pot shop in the province.

Tilray Inc. announced that it would be purchasing FHF Holdings Ltd, known as Manitoba Harvest. According to the release, Manitoba Harvest is the "world's largest hemp food manufacturer" and sells products in more than 16,000 stores in both Canada and the U.S.

Canopy Growth Corp. released its third-quarter results last week which showed the big pot producer selling more than 10,000 kilograms during the period. Here's a closer look at their financials to see just how well the big pot producer did during the quarter.

Last week, a report from Statistics Canada came out suggesting that despite the hype surrounding legalization, we haven't seen a whole lot more cannabis use. Let's break down the results and see what they tell us about the industry.

With the global CBD movement supercharged by the 2018 U.S. Farm Bill, cannabis and beverage companies alike are officially beginning to launch CBD-infused products in the U.S. market.

Aurora Cannabis Inc. released its quarterly results on Monday, and there was certainly a lot of red on them. Here's a quick breakdown.

In what should come as no surprise, Aphria Inc (TSX:APHA)(NYSE:APHA) formally responded to and rejected a takeover bid by U.S. cannabis company Green Growth Brands Inc. (CSE:GGB) (GGBXF). Here's what they had to say.

Namaste Technologies Inc. declined sharply after news hit that it was letting go of its CEO Sean Dollinger. Initially, allegations of wrongdoing were raised by a short seller, which led to an internal investigation being done by The Company.

In 2018, when Potash Corporation of Saskatchewan merged with Agrium Inc. to form Nutrien Ltd., the ticker symbol 'POT' became available to use. Naturally, with the cannabis industry taking off and generating a lot of excitement, many companies were vying to use the symbol. And due to the significant interest in the symbol, the Canadian exchanges did the only thing they deemed reasonable: hold a lottery.

Canada's cannabis retail sector lacks imagination -- but a handful of forward-thinking Canadian marijuana producers are about to change that.

National Access Cannabis Corp. plans to be a big player in the retail landscape and their early quarterly results are a good indication that things are on the right track.

Just months after marijuana's legalization in Canada, innovative cannabis retailers are emerging to disrupt Canada's marijuana retail landscape.

The Ontario Cannabis Store received a lot of complaints about its slow delivery when it started selling pot back in October. However, the government-run organization is now looking to offer consumers much quicker turnaround times, in the form of same-day delivery.

Now that recreational marijuana sales are now well underway in Canada, we're getting more and more data as to how big the market is. Statistics Canada recently released retail sales data which showed cannabis store sales reaching $54 million in November. That's up 25% from October when sales were $43.1 million. However, October included just two weeks worth of recreational sales.

Last month, Green Growth Brands Inc (CNSX:GGB) expressed interest in acquiring Canadian cannabis giant Aphria Inc (TSX:APHA)(NYSE:APHA). While many people questioned the seriousness of it, Green Growth seems determined to prove otherwise as it is making a second bid for the stock.

Companies have been looking at partnerships and key deals to help further their prospects for growth in the industry. We've seen beverage makers and tobacco companies link up with cannabis companies already, and that's only the start...it's branding time. And Tilray just announced a major brand partner.

National Access Cannabis' stock trades on the TSX Venture and with a market cap of around $100 million. It still has a long way to go in catching up to some of the bigger players in the industry. Could their latest acquisition help?

Earlier this week, we learned that Aurora Cannabis Inc (TSX:ACB)(NYSE:ACB) had come to terms to acquire yet another company: Whistler Medical Marijuana. The deal, valued at $175 million, will of course be yet another all-stock transaction between the two companies. With only $148 million in cash on its books last quarter and the company burning through a lot of it during the course of its operations, is there enough for Aurora to spare?

Just last month, the U.S. made a big move in passing the Farm Bill, which legalized cannabidiol (CBD) derived from hemp. While it didn't mean that all CBD would be legalized, it was still a significant step for cannabis companies as it now paves a way for them to sell some types of CBD products. Here are a few companies involved in the space.

Medical marijuana patients in Ontario can now make cannabis purchases online through Shoppers Drug Mart's new website. The website recently launched and is designed for patients and provides information for consumers interested in learning more about medical marijuana. Here's how it stacks up against the others.

Last year, we saw some of the big name cannabis stocks opt to list on the U.S. exchanges as they looked to build credibility while also trying to draw in more investments. However, along with that came a lot more scrutiny and expectations from analysts.

Marijuana sales in Nevada have been doing very well. Data from July until October shows the State collecting nearly $32 million in taxes from marijuana sales, which were well ahead of expectations. In just four months, nearly half of The State's expected tax revenue from marijuana for the year had already been collected.

Cannabis can be purchased in-store, online, and it can even be picked up in a drive-thru. For consumers in Vermont, the option is now available in Brattleboro. Ceres Natural Remedies sells hemp-derived cannabidiol (CBD) - which was recently legalized - and has opened the company's first drive-thru where consumers can pick up cannabis the same way they might get their fast food. While it's not the first one in the country, it's by no means prevalent just yet.

If you're looking for a pot stock to invest in for 2019, we've got two that could be great buys for two very different reasons.

Doors to the recreational cannabis market opened on October 17th in Canada, but it'll take a little more time before we see how companies did in their first quarters post-legalization. Here's how sales are so far.

Green Growth Brands Ltd (CNSX:GGB) announced that it was intending to purchase Canadian pot producer Aphria Inc (TSX:APHA)(NYSE:APHA) in a takeover attempt.

Tilray Inc (NASDAQ:TLRY) announced that it would be working with Anheuser-Busch InBev NV (NYSE:BUD) to research cannabis beverages. Unlike most beverage deals we've seen thus far, the research won't be limited to drinks containing cannabidiol (CBD). Tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), which gives users a high from marijuana, will also be included in the research.

Aphria Inc (TSX:APHA) (NYSE:APHA) continues its foray into South America as it announced this week that it was looking to secure yet another deal, this time in Paraguay.

Canada’s first-mover advantage in marijuana legalization means more than just leading the proverbial “pack” in cannabis production. In fact, Canada’s true first-mover advantage in the cannabis space is much more nuanced. It lies in branding.