[ gleened from: https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/calgary/does-
alberta-have-too-many-cannabis-stores-1.6466084 ]


"From behind the counter of a northwest Calgary cannabis shop,
Alex Macyszyn serves a handful of midday customers.

"He has plenty of company in his line of work: there are at
least three other cannabis stores within a five-minute drive,
and another one that recently closed down.

"There's way too many cannabis stores just in this area," said
Macyszyn.

"It makes the competition really hard."

A new analysis of the Canadian cannabis retail landscape
suggests Alberta may have more cannabis stores than the market
can sustain.

The report, from the Connecticut-based data firm Cannabis
Benchmarks, notes that Alberta has the country's highest number
of cannabis stores per capita. It also has more stores than
what the firm considers an "optimal" number, based on
benchmarks from more mature U.S. markets like Oregon and
Colorado.

"We expect the number of stores in Alberta to decline over the
next 24 months, as competition intensifies and store economics
become less favourable," the firm's analysis says.

Industry expert Michael Armstrong agrees change is coming in
Alberta. Already, he said, some cannabis stores are
consolidating, and in the months ahead he believes others may
try and get an edge in another location.

"Somebody who maybe said, 'Oh, I want to be downtown' . now
might be saying, 'Well, gee, my rent's too high,''' said
Armstrong, an associate professor of retail operations research
at Brock University.

"Let me find a lower rent retail district, maybe a little more
suburban, maybe off the main street, and then my business will
become viable again."

In a statement, the commission noted there is no cap on the
number of retail stores allowed in Alberta, and that licences
are issued based on whether a retailer meets certain
application requirements. Cannabis stores are also subject to
certain restrictions on locations and local bylaws, the
statement said.

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