Debra Borchardt
Jushi Holdings Inc. (NEO: JUSH.B), signed a definitive agreement to acquire its first operational adult-use and medicinal dispensary in San Diego in a deal valued at $12 million. Jushi is getting 75% of the equity and voting interest in the dispensary. The deal is expected to close in the third or fourth quarter of this year.
“The California market is a core part of our growth strategy with a very sizable addressable market that, to put in perspective, is larger than Canada,” said Jushi CEO and Chairman, Jim Cacioppo. “San Diego, specifically, is a market that we have strategically chosen to establish our footprint in due to the limited nature of the licenses and restrictive zoning. Our partners in San Diego have built a fantastic store with a loyal customer base, which offers consumers a wide variety of high-quality products, is easily accessible off the highway and offers a well-located springboard for future delivery to San Diego and neighboring cities. We view this partnership as one of many sought by Jushi throughout California and, together with previously announced transactions, pending applications, and future expansion in the state, we look forward to continued announcements in due course.”
Terms
The company said in a statement that the $12 million will be paid 50% in cash and 50% by way of issuance of certain 8% secured notes to the sellers maturing after 18 months, and convertible at the option of the holders on or prior to the maturity date into Subordinate Voting Shares of the company, at a conversion price based on a specified historical volume weighted average trading price of the shares on the NEO exchange, subject to a minimum of $2.30 and a maximum of $2.875 per Share.
California has nearly 40 million residents and the longest-running medical cannabis program in the country. San Diego is the second largest city in California with a population of approximately 1.4 million and over 35 million visitors each year. San Diego is also a limited license market with a maximum of 36 total retail cannabis licenses divided among 9 council districts. To date, 19 retail cannabis licenses have been issued in the city, 17 of which are operational.
