/NOT FOR DISSEMINATION IN THE UNITED STATES OR FOR DISTRIBUTION TO UNITED STATES WIRE SERVICES/
EDMONTON, March 24, 2020 /CNW/ - Fire & Flower Holdings Corp. ("FFHC") (TSX: FAF) and its wholly-owned subsidiary Fire & Flower Inc. ("Fire & Flower" or the "Company"), today announced that it anticipates continuous operations of its highest performing retail store locations in Ottawa and Kingston, Ontario. This announcement follows the province of Ontario declaring cannabis retail stores and licensed producers as "essential workplaces", on March 23, 2020.
Additionally, Fire & Flower stores across its retail network in Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, Ontario and the Yukon territory will serve customers exclusively through the Spark Perks™ Fastlane™ "click-and-collect" service starting today, Tuesday, March 24, 2020.
Management continues to focus on maintaining continuity of business in other provinces where it operates and is focused on stores situated in key markets to ensure customers have sustained access to Fire & Flower stores.
Fire & Flower is demonstrating leadership in the cannabis retail industry by taking the following measures to help ensure the health and safety of its customers and staff:
- Customer orders exclusively thorough the Fastlane "click-and-collect" service
- Safety shields that create separation between customers and staff members
- Increased and frequent cleaning of all surfaces in retail stores
- Reduction of paper materials including point-of-sale materials
- Cashless transactions by only accepting card-based payments
- Limited numbers of customers permitted entry to stores at any given time and enforcing social distancing between customers
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The Fastlane "click-and-collect" service limits social interactions by creating a digital shopping experience and minimizing customer time in shop, thereby encouraging social distancing and limited physical interaction in Canada's battle against COVID-19.
"Throughout the unprecedented COVID-19 public health challenge, the Fire & Flower team has continued to respond with the best interests of our customers, employees and the community in mind, and I am humbled to be part of a team that cares so greatly about the success of this Company," shared Trevor Fencott, Chief Executive Officer of Fire & Flower. "We are very pleased that the province of Ontario has named cannabis retail stores and licensed producers as essential services and congratulate the province in this decision which will help combat the illegal, unregulated cannabis market. This decision will ensure that consumers will have access to safe, legal cannabis. Fire & Flower continues to demonstrate a leadership position in the protection of the health and safety of customers, employees and the public."
Fire & Flower continues to serve customers in key locations. A list of all Fire & Flower open and operating locations and temporary closures are available on the Company's website at https://www.fireandflower.com/locations.
The Spark Perks Fastlane "click-and-collect" service is a key feature of the Hifyre™ digital retail platform and has more than 80,000 members across Canada.