WAKEFIELD, Mass., July 23, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -PRESS RELEASE- Curaleaf Holdings, Inc. one of the largest vertically integrated cannabis operators in the United States, today announced that it closed its milestone acquisition of GR Companies, Inc. ("Grassroots"), the largest private vertically-integrated multi-state operator in the United States, on July 23, 2020.
The acquisition of Grassroots expands Curaleaf's presence from 18 to 23 states, with the combined company having affiliated operations spanning over 135 dispensary licenses, 88 operational dispensary locations, over 30 processing facilities and 22 cultivation sites with 1.6 million square feet of cultivation capacity.
"The successful acquisition of Grassroots marks Curaleaf's expansion into new vertically integrated markets in the Midwest, firmly establishing our U.S. market leadership position. This highly complementary combination brings together two companies with a shared vision for enhancing patients' and customers' lives with high-quality cannabis wellness and lifestyle products. I'd like to welcome all our new Grassroots colleagues, patients and customers to the Curaleaf family as we pursue our mission of improving lives by providing clarity around cannabis and confidence around consumption," commented Joseph Lusardi, CEO of Curaleaf. "The integration of Grassroots is expected to be immediately accretive to our financial performance, with our unprecedented scale providing significant opportunities to leverage Curaleaf's powerful consumer brands as well as new form factor innovations across our expanded national presence."
Completion of the transaction strategically accelerates Curaleaf's expansion into Illinois and Pennsylvania, which are among the largest and fastest-growing cannabis markets in the United States. Upon close, Curaleaf will hold a licensed cannabis presence in state markets including Arizona, Connecticut, Florida, Illinois, Pennsylvania, Maryland, Massachusetts, Maine, Nevada, New Jersey, New York, North Dakota and Vermont.
The cultivation and processing assets in Illinois have been transferred and the formal approval to transfer certain retail assets is expected imminently. Maryland operations previously affiliated with Grassroots may be transferred to Curaleaf after expiration of the statutory hold period, subject to regulatory approval and compliance with restrictions on ownership or control of multiple cultivation, processor and dispensary licenses in the State.
"Both Grassroots and Curaleaf are driven by a similar, positive culture and we are excited to join forces, adding scale and a combined strategic vision to create a dominant position in the industry.” Mitchell Kahn, co-founder and CEO of Grassroots, said. "This opportunity would not have come to fruition without the strength of our highly skilled executive team, who have built an impressive portfolio at an unprecedented pace, with facilities in highly competitive markets. We look forward to integrating our talent and resources to build a great consumer product company - one that is dedicated to producing and delivering high-quality, safe and effective cannabis products to the customer."
