Sin City’s Thrive Cannabis Marketplace is a technologically advanced dispensary that makes shopping for weed cool – and Covid-secure. Rose Dykins reports
Thrive Cannabis Marketplace has opened a new cutting-edge store in Las Vegas that’s set up for socially distanced shopping for marijuana.
This is the brand’s fifth outpost to open in Nevada (and its fourth in Las Vegas), where cannabis has been legal for those aged 21 and over to purchase and consume recreationally since 2017.
Thrive is the state’s largest independently owned cannabis retailer, with a focus on “well-grown, high-quality cannabis”.
The brand aims to: “Set a positive example in the cannabis industry by eliminating negative stigmas [and] supporting charities, culture and the local economy.”
This comprised display cases with neon signage, jungle foliage, mannequins with plastic animal heads, and a statue of Julius Caesar.
This technology is not only a security measure – it also speeds up the sales process and reduces the number of people handling products, which is ideal for shopping during a pandemic.
The new Thrive store also offers a delivery service and curbside pick-up, whereby customers choose from its online menu.
The new store is open daily from 8am-midnight, and its delivery service is available 24/7.
The (legal) cannabis economy
According the research company Euromonitor International, the global legal cannabis market is projected to grow by a staggering 376 per cent over the next five years.
Euromonitor says recreational cannabis will account for 67 per cent of legal sales internationally in 2025, while medical cannabis will capture only 9 per cent – a 23 per cent decline from 2020.
Meanwhile, topicals, tinctures and edibles will become the three fastest-growing categories, respectively, over the next five years (flower currently remains the dominant legal cannabis format, but this is forecast to decline from 35 per cent in 2020 to 27 per cent in 2025.)
“Cannabis is already a nearly US$170 billion global industry, but the legal market today is only approximately US$30 billion,” says Shane MacGuill, senior head of nicotine and cannabis at Euromonitor International.
“As regulation progresses, the legal market is expected to capture 40 per cent of global cannabis sales in 2025, and companies will be able to tap into a large existing user base, as well as nurture the curiosity of new adult consumers.”
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