A new cannabis retailer that is setting itself apart as Canada’s first “premium lifestyle brand” has set up shop on Long Lake Road in Sudbury.
FIKA, whose flagship store is located in Toronto’s Distillery District, hopes to redefine the cannabis retail experience for its customers by taking the guesswork out of shopping.
The brand said in a release that it has chosen to remove “overwhelming menu boards” in addition to incorporating “organized, eye-catching displays that eliminate the confusion of cannabis packaging” in all of its locations.
The result is a more “browsable shopping experience,” the release said.
“We see Sudbury’s market as a huge opportunity to grow the FIKA philosophy and redefine cannabis retail,” said Christopher Kane, chief operations officer for FIKA, which was founded in 2020.
“The stigma of cannabis has unfortunately created an uphill battle for many retailers to obtain their preferred locations. FIKA’s authentic approach FIKA’s authentic approach has provided landlords with the confidence to begin incorporating cannabis retail into the best assets in their portfolios.”
Often translated from Swedish to English as “a coffee and treat break,” FIKA both as a word and a mantra seeks to promote a state of mind that encourages consumers “to pause and enjoy the everyday beauty in life.”
The layout and aesthetics of the store are designed in the hopes of reflecting those positive feelings.
Offering deep woods and earthy tones, the store’s centrepiece is three flower bars “designed to make shopping easy and approachable,” the company said in a statement.
Flower is displayed in magnifying domes that are “organized left to right by strain type and top to bottom by THC strength.”
Customers can also visit the Vintages section, which “showcases a curated, rotating selection of the most sought-after Canadian growers and provides an immersive platform to explore unique origin stories from across the country.”
Of course, it’s not all about flower. Other products include cannabis-infused chocolates, gummies, cold beverages, wellness products, topicals, Boy Smells candles and apparel, FIKA totes and South American Palo Santo smudging wood.
If a customer wants an even more hands-on experience, he or she can check out FIKA’s vape and pre-roll bars.
“We’ve designed our stores to be intuitive to newcomers and experienced consumers alike by taking a hospitality-forward approach,” said Kane.
The company said it hopes to achieve an engaging but relaxing experience by offering simple, easy-to-browse displays of competitively priced products.
FIKA’s director of store design and visual merchandising added that the brand developed custom merchandising for every category in the store to “eliminate distraction and confusion of cannabis packaging (allowing) our customers to see exactly what they are purchasing,” she said.
“Our prime retail locations and bespoke design play a major role (in what sets FIKA apart), but the key differentiator is our friendly and highly knowledgeable staff – we call them ambassadors,” said Kane.
“We invest significantly in training and education to provide the highest level of customer service. Our people are the heart of our brand, and their passion is what makes the store experience come to life.”
FIKA’s view is that despite a very busy cannabis space, the emerging industry has “yet to see a premium, lifestyle brand for the modern consumer,” said a press release.
The company’s plan is to open 18 FIKA Local and FIKA Herbal Goods locations across the country through 2023.
The new FIKA store in Sudbury is located in the SmartCentres plaza on 2408 Long Lake Rd. It is open seven days a week.
For more information about FIKA, visit its website.
Colleen Romaniuk is a Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, a Government of Canada program, at the Sudbury Star.
