CHICAGO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--PRESS RELEASE--Cresco Labs Inc., one of the largest vertically integrated multistate cannabis operators in the United States, has announced that it has signed a binding agreement to sell its Joliet and Kankakee, Ill. properties to Innovative Industrial Properties, Inc. for approximately $46.3 million, which amount includes funding for additional tenant improvements at the Kankakee property. Concurrent with the closing of the sale, Cresco Labs will enter into a long-term, triple-net lease agreement with IIP and will continue to operate each property as a licensed cannabis cultivation and processing facility. The two properties represent approximately 100,000 square feet of industrial space in aggregate. The agreement is expected to close within the next 30 days.
“This sale-and-leaseback agreement with IIP represents a non-dilutive capital solution for Cresco Labs that will support the expansion of our Illinois operations in preparation for the legalization of adult-use cannabis on January 1, 2020,” said Cresco Labs CEO and Co-founder Charlie Bachtell. “A portion of the proceeds from the sale of the two properties will be utilized to create the scale in our cultivation capacity and retail dispensary network necessary to meet the significant increase in demand projected from the legalization of adult-use cannabis and the expansion of the medical-use program in Illinois. With the Illinois cannabis market projected to reach $2 billion to $4 billion in annual sales at maturity, the expansion of our operations will position Cresco Labs to build upon our leading market share and significantly increase the revenue we generate from Illinois in the coming years.”
