CBD store union to be launched June 1

The project had been on the back burner for several months. It suddenly gained momentum after the French government decided to to ban the sale of CBD flowers. About 50 store owners gathered via videoconference on Thursday. A roundtable discussion in which Newsweed was able to participate. The goal: to outline the structure of this future employers’ association. According to our information, it will be called the Federation of CBD Professionals… or the Union of CBD Professionals. The name has not yet been finalized.

The launch date has been set: it will be June 1, likely in Marseille. The future president is expected to be Charles Morel. This business lawyer is someone from outside the cannabis industry. That works out well. «We needed a neutral party», Mao Aoust sighs. The owner of 115 stores bearing the High Society label is the driving force behind this project.

For now, this new union is estimated to represent about 50 to 60 percent of the cannabidiol retail sector. That amounts to 50 to 70 store owners, bearing in mind that some members own dozens of franchise locations and employ a total of several hundred people. This is the case for Mao Aoust, as well as David Aran, owner of 140 CBD’eau stores, and Nordine Djamel Tsamen and Nils Gagnaire, who run about twenty Foxseeds stores.

A palpable sense of unease

During the meeting, the participants’ concern was palpable. If the government bans the sale of CBD flowers, they will lose an average of 60% of their sales. «We have to hurry! Otherwise, it’s going to be very, very difficult for us,», "David Aran expressed alarm," he said. Another participant echoed this sentiment: «We need to do what we haven’t been able to do—that is, talk to one another and exchange ideas.»

In fact, the owners of CBD stores had been planning to get organized for several months. The owner of CBD’eau had already mentioned to Newsweed a possible «CBD Union» in March. In fact, these merchants did not feel represented by the Professional Hemp Union. The project had been temporarily shelved due to COVID-19 and the Kanavape ruling.

«The project has been in the works for three weeks", recalls Mao Aoust. From »In just one week, we got down to business and held our first meetings." There are still a few details to work out. In particular, the cost of membership in the future Federation of CBD Professionals. Finally, will franchise stores, which are contractually bound to a parent company, be able to join the organization? This is surely the thorniest issue in the upcoming negotiations.