The Valley Group

What might a convenience store for Cannabis look like if it was legal?

December 23, 2022

If you were rolling out a convenience store chain for Cannabis in the UK, what might it look like? Well we don’t know just yet as legalisation hasn’t yet reached British shores. But the Canadian market shows us what might be yet to come in the future should this natural high become an everyday part of retail culture on our high streets.

With locations across Canada, cannabis brand Superette has launched a new ‘convenience format’ that they’re calling Sip ’N’ Smoke. At 690 square metres, the eye-catching space offers pre-rolls and drinks, grab-and-go style.  The concept takes cues from cafeterias; you pick up a tray and move it along, as you select purchases from different sections or zones of the store.

 

pre rolls

 

When you think of cannabis, a whole host of stereotypes probably come to mind. Probably negative, dirty or even dingy ones. Superette has taken these and turned them on their head. Their other stores are white and pure – almost like a high-end lifestyle apothecary. Their Sip ’N’ Smoke neighbourhood stores have an almost-ironic nostalgic feel, with the yellow and red colour scheme.

 

high time

 

Like any self-respecting lifestyle brand, Superette offer a range of accessories such as tote bags, water bottles and lighters. 

 

superette Heinz

 

If you look at Superette’s brand and the company’s retail design and activations, they demonstrate how something traditionally associated with deviation or vice can be re-invented for a different world and era. A world where a natural leaf can mean and stand for something very different.

 

sip n smoke outside

 

You might not be ready for a visit to Superette on your next trip to Canada – but you might be inspired by their unique approach to branding, marketing and retailing the green stuff.

 

superette assistant

 

Photography by Alex Lysakowski