The Venture Codex

Led · Debt Financing · Dec 2018

High Tide is a privately held company that operates cannabis and cannabis-accessory retail stores and wholesale businesses. It runs four Canna Cabana retail stores in Alberta and holds a majority stake in KushBar Inc. The company also operates two wholesale businesses, Famous Brandz and RGR Canada, and owns 19 Smoker’s Corner retail locations. High Tide has plans to open more stores in Alberta and to expand into Ontario and British Columbia. The company’s operations span retail and wholesale cannabis channels and include both branded stores and accessory outlets. The article does not disclose revenue or other financial metrics beyond the recent financing described below. High Tide is a privately held, Alberta-based downstream cannabis accessories corporation with a portfolio that includes Famous Brandz, RGR Canada Inc., Smoker’s Corner and the Canna Cabana retail concept. Its core business spans design, manufacture and distribution of cannabis accessories (RGR, Famous Brandz) and retail operations (Smoker’s Corner, Canna Cabana). Famous Brandz sells licensed accessories through celebrity and entertainment partnerships such as Snoop Dogg and Paramount Pictures, while Smoker’s Corner operates a 19-location franchise network founded in 2009. The company is positioning Canna Cabana to become a sizeable post-legalization retailer and has applied for 31 retail permits in Alberta and 16 in Saskatchewan, with British Columbia applications expected shortly. Financially, High Tide completed a $3.705M non-brokered private placement (3,705,000 common shares at $1.00 each) whose net proceeds are earmarked for retrofitting Smoker’s Corner stores to Canna Cabana outlets, building new Canna Cabana locations, funding license applications and for general corporate purposes and working capital.