The legal cannabis business was worth $6.6-million in Barrie during the first quarter of 2021, according to the Ontario Cannabis Store (OCS).
A total of 791,000 grams was sold in the city by its 11 retail cannabis stores and the OSC website during January, February and March.
Barrie’s total dollar sales ranked sixth among Ontario’s 160 cities and 23rd in per capita sales.
Spiritleaf in Barrie’s Park Place has only been open for about two and a half months, and for much of that time wasn’t able to have customers come into the store
“Our sales trend definitely has changed because we are able to have foot traffic,” said Clayton Glass of Spiritleaf. “It comes in waves and there are different times of day that people prefer to come in, based on what their work schedule is. Some people just take a look around, some want to do an order on-line and get in and out.”
Glass said if the pandemic has another wave it will affect new customers more than existing ones; retail lockdowns have severely limited in-store traffic.
“I think that’s a concern for any consumer out there or any business owners, but when it comes to what it would do in regards to sales I feel like anyone who typically is already a cannabis consumer would probably not be deterred from it,” he said. “The ones it would probably hinder are the people who are fairly new to the industry.
“Just because I feel their comfortability is based on being able to come in and feeling educated on the product, feeling comfortable and understanding it, versus a pandemic setting where those people would probably feel a little more shy toward the circumstance, and not be able to get those answers and would probably wait,” Glass said.
Despite Barrie’s first-quarter numbers, the city has done better in total cannabis sales revenues - and recently.
In the fourth quarter of 2020 - from October to December - Barrie’s cannabis sales were just more than $7.3 million, with 841,000 grams sold. In 2020’s third quarter, July to September, sales totalled $6.9 million and 758,000 grams sold.
“We do not have the data for Barrie for pre-pandemic,” said Joanna Hui, communications manager with OCS. “Aggregate data is available where there are five or more stores, but Barrie a year ago did not have five or more stores.”
More than $840 million was raked in by Ontario’s 572 cannabis retail stores and the OCS website between April 2020 and March 2021, with a little more than 99 million grams sold, according to a report released by OCS earlier this month.
Ontario Cannabis Store is a crown agency solely owned by the province of Ontario and reports to the Ministry of Finance. OCS provides safe, responsible access to recreational cannabis for adults aged 19 and older. It is Ontario’s only online retailer and wholesaler of legal recreational cannabis in Ontario.
The OCS ensures its customers only receive legal, clearly labelled cannabis products by working with a group of licensed producers authorized by Health Canada. Its online store prioritizes education and provides many opportunities for both new and experienced consumers to learn more about cannabis and responsible use.
