Earlier this month, a new cannabis retailer swung open its doors in Langley.
But there was some confusion as to its location.
In a press release, the provincial government’s BC Liquor Distribution Branch (LDB) said, not once but twice, that the new store was situated inside Willowbrook Shopping Centre.
A visit to the mall last weekend, to search out the store for photos, proved frustrating.
Even queries at customer services offered no resolution. Google searched and no clarity. Emails to Willowbrook’s parent company were not returned – understandably, since it was the weekend. When they did get back to me early in the week, we had a chuckle about the mistake.
Turns out the new cannabis store is in the Willowbrook neighbourhood of Langley, but actually many blocks away from Willowbrook Shopping Centre.
BC Cannabis Stores (BCCS) opened its latest store in Langley on Wednesday, March 15 in the same strip mall as Best Buy and the new Hockey Shop.
The government shop offers a range of products including edibles, extracts, topicals, dried cannabis flower, oils, capsules, and pre-rolls to customers 19 years and older, said Kevin Satterfield, director of cannabis retail operations for LDB.
“We look forward to serving our customers in the Langley area, as we begin our tenure in the community,” Satterfield said in the release, offering some assurances.
“Keeping cannabis away from youth is BC Cannabis Stores’ top priority. We have developed comprehensive social responsibility material to educate customers on the importance of ensuring young people do not have access to cannabis,” he added.
As well the stores are designed to create a safe and favourable alternative for adults to purchasing cannabis from the illicit market.
The 2,048-square-foot Willowbrook-area store is staffed by five full-time and eight part-time employees.
BCCS is operated by the LDB, which is the sole wholesaler and public retailer of non-medical cannabis, Satterfield explained. It contributes more than $1.1 billion annually to the province, which helps provide funding for public services like health care and education.
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