Chicago-based multi-state cannabis operator Cresco Labs today announced the opening of its first five Sunnyside* adult-use dispensaries in Illinois, just in time for the commencement of legal sales in the state on the first day of the new year.
Cresco Labs has placed its new shops in high-traffic areas, which are located in Lakeview, Champaign, Elmwood Park, Buffalo Grove, and Rockford, Illinois.
All locations are scheduled to open at 6 a.m. on January 1 with a full staff ready to assist the thousands of customers projected for the first week.
Cresco Labs has also launched the Sunnyside* website, which the company says is designed to provide an educational and seamless internet shopping experience.
Product information and expert recommendations are available on the site, which serves as an e-commerce platform where customers can order products online for in-store pickup or home delivery in applicable states.
Currently, Illinois and New York are the only two states where the website is live, though Cresco Labs plans to integrate into other states as the company continues to open additional dispensaries across the nation.
As cannabis prohibition comes to an end in Illinois, Cresco Labs CEO and co-founder Charlie Bachtell says that New Year’s Eve will be a historic day.
Bachtell says that Cresco is prepared to help introduce a new type of wellness to a broader range of customers across the state through the its brick-and-mortar locations and online shop, expecting the grand openings to draw large crowds.
The company is expecting lines to begin forming at the new shops on New Year’s Eve.
“Cresco is also very thankful to our customers for supporting the social equity and restorative justice elements of this program as several of the excited customers at our Wrigleyville location have made significant donations to our Gift of History initiative with all contributions benefiting the Last Prisoner Project,” says Bachtell. “From a market perspective, Illinois is poised to become one of the largest programs in the U.S. and our Company is prepared from both cultivation and retail perspective to fully realize this opportunity.”
Bachtell says that the launch of recreational cannabis in Illinois is a transformative step for the entire industry and that Cresco is confident that it is ideally positioned to provide long-term value to customers, employees, communities, and shareholders.
Marijuana Business Daily estimates that the Illinois adult-use cannabis market will bring with it an estimated $2.4 billion in annual sales at market maturity.
With 13 million residents in the state, and more than 100 million tourists visiting every year, Illinois is projected to become one of the largest adult-use cannabis in the United States.
