Sundial Growers to Acquire Inner Spirit Holdings and Spiritleaf Retail Cannabis Network
Wednesday, May 5, 2021, 7:00 AM ET
CALGARY, AB, May 5, 2021 /PRNewswire/ - Sundial Growers Inc. (NASDAQ: SNDL) ("Sundial") and Inner Spirit Holdings Ltd. (CSE: ISH) (OTCQB: INSHF) ("Inner Spirit") are pleased to announce that they have entered into an arrangement agreement (the "Agreement") pursuant to which Sundial will acquire all of the issued and outstanding common shares of Inner Spirit for total consideration of approximately $131 million (the "Transaction"). The combined company will continue to focus on providing quality cannabis to consumers through a responsible and disciplined approach while creating enduring value for shareholders.
Under the terms of the Agreement, Inner Spirit's shareholders will receive, for each Inner Spirit common share held, (i) $0.30 in cash and (ii) 0.0835 of a Sundial common share (representing $0.09 per Inner Spirit common share based on the 10-day volume-weighted average price ("VWAP") of Sundial common shares on the Nasdaq Capital Market), for total consideration of $0.39 per Inner Spirit common share. The purchase price of $0.39 per Inner Spirit common share represents a premium of 54.8% to the 10-day VWAP of Inner Spirit common shares on the Canadian Securities Exchange (the "CSE") and a premium of 62.5% to the closing price of Inner Spirit common shares on the CSE on May 4, 2021. The Transaction has been unanimously approved by the Boards of Directors of Sundial and Inner Spirit and is expected to close early in the third quarter of 2021.
The Transaction is expected to provide modest synergies and economies of scale due to the different business models of Sundial and Inner Spirit.
"Sundial becomes a stronger and more diverse cannabis company by acquiring Inner Spirit and the Spiritleaf retail store network," said Zach George, Chief Executive Officer of Sundial. "Inner Spirit has successfully created a franchise-based retail network that has grown from coast to coast and offers a differentiated and premium in-store experience to consumers. Our shared Albertan roots and commitment to data-driven consumer insights make for an ideal partnership. Sundial's capital base will enable us to support continued expansion and deepen the capabilities of the Spiritleaf retail brand."
"Sundial is the ideal company to acquire Inner Spirit and support the future development of the Spiritleaf retail cannabis brand," said Darren Bondar, Founder, President and Chief Executive Officer of Inner Spirit. "The Sundial team has shown a strong commitment to our management team, franchise partners and employees as well as our growth ambitions. The combination will enable us to further expand our position as the country's leading retail cannabis brand for customers and communities and will open up new market opportunities to us. We're also very pleased Inner Spirit shareholders will be able to participate in our future success through an ongoing equity ownership."
In just over two years, the Spiritleaf retail network has grown to become Canada's largest single brand retailer with 86 stores operating in British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan, Ontario, and Newfoundland and Labrador. Spiritleaf's franchised and corporate stores have created deep ties within their local communities and served 2.3 million guests in 2020. The retail brand has earned a reputation as a knowledgeable and trusted source of recreational cannabis while offering a premium consumer experience. Spiritleaf opened its 86(th) store on April 28, 2021 in Edmonton, Alberta and is projected to exceed the 100-store milestone in the summer of 2021.