Cannabist Integrates Design and Technology in New Ways
Columbia Care’s nationwide dispensary chain gets a retail refresh. In today’s patchy market, developing a national cannabis retail brand with staying power is an unenviable task. The evolving needs of patients and consumers across unevenly legislated markets collide with a desire for cohesive branding, particularly as some areas undergo the transition from medical to adult use. How do you build something today that is capable of adapting to an uncertain tomorrow in a highly regulated, uneven industry, largely without precedent? New York-based multistate operator (MSO) Columbia Care has spent the past two years trying to answer this question. While its peers grabbed headlines for their continued growth, Columbia Care quietly amassed a national footprint of ninety-nine stores across fourteen states that run the gamut from legacy adult-use (California, Colorado) to emerging medical markets (Virginia, Pennsylvania, Missouri). In 2022, the $1-billion MSO will expand its refreshed appro...