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Organigram celebrates successful first week of legalization

“The launch of the Canadian adult recreational cannabis market has already exceeded our expectations in many ways,” Organigram chief executive officer Greg Engel said in a release. “Consumers have immediately shown tremendous support for this new marketplace and incredible interest in our own portfolio of recreational brands, driving a phenomenal volume of early sales.”

Organigram said it also recognizes the work being done by the provincial authorities responsible for the sale and distribution of recreational cannabis across the country.

“From the foresight required to develop back-end sales systems and secure inventory, to designing impeccable customer experiences, to managing the extraordinary volume of sales, our partners including the New Brunswick provincial authority, Nova Scotia Liquor Corporation, Prince Edward Island Liquor Control Commission, Newfoundland and Labrador Liquor Corporation, Ontario Cannabis Store (OCS), Alberta Gaming & Liquor Commission and Manitoba Liquor & Lotteries have offered Canadians – and the world – a model of the kind of infrastructure necessary to help this nascent market succeed,” Engel stated.

The OCS online store received more than 1.3 million unique visits within the first 24 hours of operation, resulting in approximately 100,000 orders from customers.

“In addition to the excellent bricks and mortar locations that were ready to welcome customers across the country, the Ontario Cannabis Store offered a seamless online environment that was able to accommodate customer demand in the province,” Engel said.

In the Atlantic provinces and Alberta, Edison Cannabis Co. product was available for sale at both retail locations and online.

In many jurisdictions, the volume of sales of recreational cannabis significantly exceeded expectations, and Organigram said it is working collaboratively with its jurisdictional partners daily to make the appropriate adjustments and respond to consumer demand.

“Within just a few days, we’ve seen just how excited Canadians are to be able to access and explore legal recreational cannabis,” Tim Emberg, Organigram’s vice-president of sales and commercial operations said in the release. “This intense interest means we are working with our partners to fill orders as quickly as possible. Given the extraordinary demand, we expect to be able to ship more product this week to help address local inventory concerns.”

Organigram said both retailers and licensed producers will be working diligently to review their forecasts and adjust as the market evolves.

“This is a new process for all of us and we will learn and adapt as we go,” Engel said.