VANCOUVER, British Columbia — Cova is the point-of-sale (POS) solution of choice for nearly every major cannabis retailer entering the coveted Ontario market. The key province has proven a serious challenge for private cannabis retail, with elusive licenses, strict regulations, and high expectations. With no room for error, 20 of the 25 retail license winners, including The Hunny Pot Cannabis Co., Ganjika, Ameri, Superette, Hobo Recreational Cannabis Store, Fire & Flower, and Spiritleaf are putting their trust in Cova software to ensure smooth sailing when they open their doors.
“Cannabis retail is far more complex than other retail environments, and compliance is a big factor,” said Gary Cohen, CEO of Cova. “We wanted to help our customers protect their hard-earned license and investment, that’s why we carefully designed our product to align with the nuances of cannabis laws and regulations. Our POS is equipped with automated compliance features like age verification, sales limit alerts and batch tracking to help prevent human error.”
Cova’s experience in technology and retail spans 20 years. Rooted in a successful enterprise environment, the passionate retail technology company brings robust resources and infrastructure, while remaining agile enough to incorporate customer feedback and keep pace with the evolving cannabis retail industry.
Cova’s advanced platform has earned industry favour largely because the easy-to-learn software is backed by comprehensive support. The company’s premier launch team and ongoing help with processes and best practices was vital to retailers like The Hunny Pot Cannabis Co. and Spiritleaf.
“We are very pleased to be opening our flagship Ontario Spiritleaf store in Kingston,” said Darren Bondar, President and CEO of Inner Spirit Holdings, the company behind the growing Spiritleaf franchise. “We trust Cova as our POS partner to support this milestone and power all our store operations. Having been in retail for 20 years, we know that an easy-to-use and reliable POS system is crucial for the success of a retail business. After spending over a year evaluating various POS systems, we chose Cova and have not looked back.”
The Kingston store marks the 6th location for Spiritleaf, Canada’s largest cannabis retail franchise concept. The Calgary-based company is rapidly expanding, with 50 approved permits in Alberta alone, over 20 franchise agreements in Ontario with more than 100 potential stores in development across the nation. Cova will continue to serve as a close partner to ensure that successful expansion.
In Toronto, The Hunny Pot Cannabis Co. – one of the first companies to be granted a license in the province – will open a 3500 square-foot store in the heart of downtown.
“As we approach the finish line, we couldn’t be more excited for April 1st and to welcome our first customers. As the first legal retailer to open its doors in the city of Toronto, we have a duty to set an example for current and future retailers, which means paying close attention to all of our vendors, from designers to POS software. We are confident in Cova’s overall approach, service offerings and their dedication to compliance, which is incredibly valuable to us at The Hunny Pot,” said Hunny Gawri, Owner of The Hunny Pot Cannabis Co.
“Cova is very excited to work with such dedicated entrepreneurs who share our values and commitment to propel the cannabis industry forward,” Cohen said. “These retailers worked hard to make an incredibly challenging deadline and meet all the government requirements. We’re committed to working hard and to continue earning their trust while we help them succeed in this incredibly exciting journey.”
About Cova
Cova is the leading POS solution in the cannabis industry. The Cova team’s relentless pursuit of creating the industry’s first lovable POS has led to solutions that help retailers simplify compliance, reduce operational costs, and increase revenue through automated compliance, inventory management, mobile reporting dashboards, and Cova’s Express Checkout app. With a growing network of cannabis industry partners including Leafly, Baker, I Heart Jane, greenRush, springbig, Enlighten, GeekTek, and Budvue, Cova’s seamless tech ecosystem gives retailers access to the best tools available to run their business. Cova’s offices are located in Denver, CO, Vancouver, BC, Winnipeg, MB and Regina, SK.
About Inner Spirit Holdings
Inner Spirit Holdings is establishing a chain of recreational cannabis stores under its Spiritleaf brand. Supporting local entrepreneurs by applying its award-winning franchise and retail models, Inner Spirit has more than 100 franchise agreements in place for potential Spiritleaf locations and also plans to operate corporate outlets in certain jurisdictions. Developing a diverse portfolio of quality and curated lifestyle cannabis products – including Spiritleaf’s own locally sourced lines – Spiritleaf is positioned to be an iconic Canadian brand and the most trusted source for recreational cannabis. More information can be found on Inner Spirit’s website at www.innerspiritholdings.com
About The Hunny Pot Cannabis Co.
The Hunny Pot Cannabis Co. will be one of the first 25 legal retail cannabis stores set to open its doors in Ontario. The Hunny Pot Cannabis Co. is owned and operated by Hunny Gawri and is located at 202 Queen St West, Toronto. The doors are set to open on April 1, 2019. You can find more information about the store at thehunnypot.com and you can follow the store on Instagram at @thehunnypotcannabisco.
