The Nova Scotia Liquor Corporation is set to renovate all of its cannabis stores less than a year after they were first opened as the province prepares for the second wave of cannabis legalization in Canada.
Two tenders issued on Friday and Monday respectively, provide details on the planned renovations, which will make space for edibles, extracts and topicals when they become legal on October 17, 2019.
The Nova Scotia Liquor Corporation (NSLC) is the only licensed cannabis retailer in Nova Scotia.
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One of the tenders offers detailed upgrades that will be carried out at the 11 hybrid cannabis-liquor stores in the province.
The second tender provides details on the plans for the NSLC store at 5540 Clyde Street that only retails in cannabis products.
“The work will include adding new display cabinets, additional counters and lighting and installing refrigeration units to accommodate the new products,” said NSLC spokesperson Beverley Ware in an email, adding that the changes will allow customers to see more of the new product.
Ware says that the renovations are necessary because when they designed the stores for legalization in 2018 they had no mandate to sell edibles or extracts.
The NSLC is attempting to adapt to the new rules around edibles by the federal government and their new mandate.
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“We built the original design knowing we would need to adapt for the future and this phase of new products. We had a tight timeline for the first phase of legalization,” Ware wrote.
The cost of the renovations are not available at this time and won’t be known until the tendering process is completed.
Work on the renovations is slated to begin soon after the tenders are awarded.
Both tenders are set to close by mid-August.