Friendly Stranger Holdings Corp announced it is on track to have 15 licensed cannabis retail stores open by the end of 2020 with five more by April 20, 2021. Stores will open under the Company’s three brands which includes the iconic legacy brands Friendly Stranger, Hotbox Shop and Happy Dayz. Adding to the three existing Friendly Stranger cannabis retail stores, FSHC will become one of the largest cannabis retailers in Ontario with 17 additional locations planned across the province. Among the first of the new stores are:
- Happy Dayz- 79 Dunlop St W. Unit B, Barrie- Opened August 1, 2020
- HotboxTM– 206 Augusta Avenue, Toronto – Opening August 11, 2020
- Happy Dayz- 291 George St. N., Peterborough– Opening August 13, 2020
Established in 2000 by cannabis activist Abi Roach and located in Toronto’s trendy Kensington Market, Hotbox had the longest running consumption lounge in North America. Acquired by FSHC in January 2020, Hotbox will reopen August 11 as a newly renovated legal cannabis retailer. Hotbox remains focused on celebrating cannabis pride, providing an authentic cannabis shopping experience and staying true to its roots as the pillar of its loyal Kensington cannabis community. Roach will visit Hotbox on the morning of August 12, finally seeing her decades of hard work and activism come full circle. Due to Ontario Government legislation, the former adjacent Hotbox consumption lounge will reopen as an accessory store and education centre. Hotbox is eagerly awaiting the legalization of consumption lounges in Ontario and will reopen once restrictions are lifted.
Joining the roster of legal cannabis retailers under the FSHC umbrella is Happy Dayz. Founded in 2007, Happy Dayz has been a family run business offering great quality cannabis accessories at a reasonable price for the past 15 years. Continuing to serve the GTA East suburban and rural communities, Happy Dayz will be opening new locations as well as transitioning previous accessory locations to cannabis retail stores.
“We started this year with a strong growth mindset and the goal of being one of the largest cannabis retail players in Ontario,” says James Jesty, President of Friendly Stranger Holdings Corp. “We opened three new Friendly Stranger cannabis retail stores in the first half of the year and despite setbacks from COVID-19, continue to expand. FSHC remains focused on establishing the best cannabis retail environments in the country, allowing us to welcome and educate consumers, promote industry innovation and normalize cannabis.”
FSHC will continue to work closely with the Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario to safely open their additional cannabis retail locations throughout the remainder of 2020 and into 2021.
A long-standing retail champion of cannabis culture, Friendly Stranger Holdings Corp (“FSHC”) is dedicated to ongoing long-term contribution within the Canadian cannabis market through the launch of numerous retail locations across Ontario. With strategic investments, such as acquiring iconic cannabis culture stores such as Hot Box and Happy Dayz under their umbrella, FSHC continues to evolve and execute their ongoing growth strategy.
