Aleafia Health Secures Licence for Toronto Distribution Centre, Expanding Supply Chain and Ecommerce Opportunity
Aleafia Health announced that its subsidiary, Emblem Cannabis Corporation, obtained a Health Canada Processing Licence for a new Distribution Centre near Toronto. This facility enhances the company’s supply chain and enables same-day delivery expansion, with plans for weekend and after-hours services. The new DC serves a population of nine million, expanding market reach. The licence allows order fulfilment to various customers and expires on February 12, 2024. CEO Geoffrey Benic noted the growing demand for e-commerce and same-day delivery in the cannabis sector.
- Acquisition of Health Canada Processing Licence strengthens supply chain.
- Expansion of same-day delivery service enhances customer service capabilities.
- New Distribution Centre is strategically located near a large population base.
- Plans for increased order fulfilment efficiency for both medical and adult-use cannabis.
- None.
TORONTO, Feb. 16, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Aleafia Health Inc. (TSX: AH, OTC: ALEAF) (“Aleafia Health” or the “Company”) today announced its wholly owned subsidiary Emblem Cannabis Corporation has received a Health Canada Processing Licence (the “Licence”) for its new Distribution Centre (the “DC”). Located minutes from Toronto Pearson International Airport, the DC greatly strengthens the Company’s downstream supply chain, allowing for immediate expansion of same day delivery service, and eventual direct-to-retailer cannabis distribution.
Launched in April 2020, the Company’s AssureHome Delivery has provided patients in the Greater Toronto Area (“GTA”) and surrounding communities with same day cannabis delivery, for orders made by noon on any business day. With the new DC, the Company intends to significantly expand this service. This includes later order cutoff times, weekend and after-hours deliveries, and an enlarged service area. Additionally, it will allow for more efficient order fulfilment of adult-use shipments to provincial government wholesalers.
Located in Vaughan, a suburb of Toronto, the DC is within a two-hour drive of nine million people, or 25 per cent of the Canadian population. Due to this proximity, the Company expects to be able to continue to expand market share in the medical cannabis market.
“COVID-19 has resulted in a rapid expansion in ecommerce, coupled with greater demand for same-day delivery. Yet while supply chain logistics is among the most important cannabis industry competencies, it is also the least developed,” said Aleafia Health CEO Geoffrey Benic. “We plan to capitalize on this through a continued expansion of our AssureHome Delivery platform, which allows us to offer our customers and patients what they want, when they want it.”
The DC builds upon Aleafia Health’s existing production supply chain, which features two low-cost cultivation facilities and a value-added extraction and manufacturing site, all of which surround the GTA. The Licence was granted on February 12, 2021, expires on February 12, 2024, and authorizes cannabis storage and the fulfilment of orders to other licence holders, medical patients, adult-use provincial wholesalers and international customers.
Geoffrey Benic and Chief Operating Officer Greg Rossi were among the founding team members of the award-winning online grocery fulfillment and delivery service, GroceryGateway.com. The pair have also worked as executive consultants on supply chain logistics projects for some of the world’s largest companies including Walmart Inc., Nestlé S.A., Kraft Heinz Company, Campbell Soup Company and Mondelez International.
For Investor & Media Relations:
Nicholas Bergamini, VP Investor Relations
1-833-879-2533
IR@AleafiaHealth.com
LEARN MORE: www.AleafiaHealth.com
About Aleafia Health:
Aleafia Health is a vertically integrated and federally licensed Canadian cannabis company offering cannabis health and wellness services and products in Canada and in international markets. The Company operates medical clinics, education centres and production facilities for the production and sale of cannabis.
Aleafia Health owns four significant licensed cannabis production facilities, including the first large-scale, legal outdoor cultivation facility in Canadian history. The Company produces a diverse portfolio of commercially proven, high-margin derivative products including oils, capsules, edibles, sublingual strips and vapes. Aleafia Health operates the largest national network of medical cannabis clinics and education centres staffed by MDs, nurse practitioners and educators and operates internationally in three continents.
Forward Looking Information
This news release contains forward-looking information within the meaning of applicable Canadian and United States securities laws. Often, but not always, forward-looking information can be identified by the use of words such as “plans”, “expects”, “estimates”, “intends”, “anticipates”, or “believes” or variations of such words and phrases or state that certain actions, events or results “may”, “could”, “would”, “might” or “will” be taken, occur or be achieved. Forward-looking information involves known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors which may cause the actual results, performance or achievements of the Company or its subsidiaries to be materially different from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by the forward-looking information contained in this news release. Risks, uncertainties and other factors involved with forward-looking information could cause actual events, results, performance, prospects and opportunities including the expansion of same-day delivery service to differ materially from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking information, including risks contained in the Company’s annual information form filed with Canadian securities regulators available on the Company’s SEDAR profile at www.sedar.com. Although the Company believes that the assumptions and factors used in preparing the forward-looking information in this news release are reasonable, undue reliance should not be placed on such information and no assurance can be given that such events will occur in the disclosed time frames or at all. The forward-looking information included in this news release are made as of the date of this news release and the Company does not undertake any obligation to publicly update such forward-looking information to reflect new information, subsequent events or otherwise unless required by applicable securities legislation.
