The SQDC expands its opening hoursQuébec

Approximately half of the Quebec Cannabis Society (SQDC) branches will have extended opening hours in the early evening on weekends starting February 1.

Fifty-three outlets will close at 7 p.m. on Saturdays and 6 p.m. on Sundays. The weekday schedule remains unchanged, with stores closing at 9 p.m.

This decision, announced Monday, is the result of a pilot project conducted by the SQDC in recent months. In July, the company began exploring the possibility of extending the opening hours of about 20 of its stores. 

When launching the initiative, Senior Vice President of Customer Experience Jean-François Dulac-Lemelin explained that “the goal of this approach is to further counter the illegal market at a time of day when demand is high and illegal sellers are active.”

The pilot project also followed the adoption of Bill 85, which amends the Regulation respecting admission periods in commercial establishments. 

The experiment allowed the SQDC to observe “an increase in traffic during the last hours of operation, confirming the relevance of changing the hours.” 

“Based on this experience, the organization has therefore revised the opening hours of about half of its branches upward, based on market analysis data,” the company said in a statement on Monday.

READ MORE: Noovo Info