BOCA RATON, Fla., Nov. 24, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Jushi Holdings Inc. (CSE: JUSH) (OTCMKTS: JUSHF), vertically integrated, multi-state cannabis operator, announced its financial results for the third quarter ended September 30, 2020. All financial information is provided in U.S. dollars unless otherwise indicated.

Third Quarter 2020 Financial Highlights

• Total revenue increased 67 percent sequentially to $24.9 million
• Gross profit of $12.3 million, an increase of 64 percent sequentially
• Net loss of $30 million
• Adjusted EBITDA¹ of $1.9 million, a $3.1 million improvement as compared to the second quarter of 2020
• $43.2 million of cash and marketable securities on the balance sheet as of September 30, 2020 and approximately $73 million on pro forma basis for same period including the October equity raise

Third Quarter Operational Highlights

• Closed equity acquisition of Pennsylvania grower-processor permit holder
• Closed on an approximate $33 million debt financing of 10 percent senior secured notes and warrants
• Opened 10^th BEYOND/HELLO^TM retail location and the 8^th Pennsylvania Medical Marijuana dispensary in Reading, Pennsylvania

Recent Developments

• On November 24, 2020, the Company has exercised its right to accelerate the expiry date of subordinate voting share purchase warrants issued to participants in the Company's previously-announced private placement offerings, which closed in April 2018 and June 2018. The Company expects redemptions of these warrants to result in cash proceeds of approximately USD$30 million and in the issuance of approximately 15 million additional subordinate voting shares. However, there can be no assurance that any of the warrants will be exercised prior to the accelerated expiry date
• On November 23, 2020, Jushi announced its plans to nearly double the square footage of its Pennsylvania grower-processor facility in Scranton, PA to more than 160,000 square feet in a phased expansion, which will nearly triple its canopy space to approximately 98,000 square feet
  • The first phase of the expansion is expected to come online in mid-2021 and the final phase will be complete in Q2 2022
• On November 20, 2020, the Company announced it increased its majority ownership stake in its Virginia-based pharmaceutical processor license holder Dalitso LLC from ~62% to 79%, and plans to begin retail sales on December 1, 2020
• On November 19, 2020, the Company announced that Dalitso LLC, the Company’s majority-owned, Virginia based pharmaceutical processor permit holder, has commenced operations at its cultivation, manufacturing, processing and retail facility in Manassas, Virginia and that the Company’s retail brand, BEYOND/HELLO^TM, will begin dispensing medical marijuana dispensary sales on December 1, 2020
• On November 9, 2020, the Company announced the award of a provisional license for a medical cannabis cultivation in Portugal to its majority owned subsidiary Jushi Europe. Jushi is contemplating a spin-off to shareholders of Jushi Holdings Inc.’s 51% ownership in Jushi Europe
• On October 23, 2020, the Company closed on an approximate $29 million in net proceeds for its overnight marketed equity financing with proceeds to be used for opportunistic acquisitions. As of October 31, 2020, the Company had approximately $73 million in cash and short-term investments
• On October 14, 2020, the Company opened 11^th BEYOND/HELLO^TM retail location in Santa Barbara, California

¹ See “Reconciliation of Non-IFRS Financial Measures” at the end of this press release for more information regarding the Company’s use of non-IFRS financial measures.

Management Commentary

“Jushi delivered another outstanding quarter, generating revenues at the high-end of our previously provided guidance range and achieving Adjusted EBITDA profitability for the first time in the Company’s history,” said Jim Cacioppo, Chief Executive Officer, Chairman and Founder of Jushi. “Our strategic roll out continues and I’m pleased with the initial reception following the recent openings of our latest BEYOND/HELLO^TM retail stores in Santa Barbara, California and Reading, Pennsylvania. As previously announced, we are also looking forward to opening our first retail dispensary in Virginia, two additional stores in Illinois, and further enhancing our newly acquired grower-processor facility in Scranton, Pennsylvania.”

Mr. Cacioppo added, “We continued to see strong momentum in the business as we exited the third quarter, and as a result, we expect to see further expansion in revenue and profitability through the balance of the year. We continue to optimize our operations, including allowing more transactions to be fulfilled through our online reservation system at BEYOND-HELLO.com, adding additional point-of-sale stations in our stores in Illinois and Pennsylvania, and leveraging data analytics to offer more targeted promotions. We have also upgraded our talent by adding several new hires in the third quarter with expertise in retail, cultivation, and security. The positive impact of these changes is just beginning to be realized, and we expect to be able to continue to deliver strong results in the fourth quarter and full-year 2021.”

Financial Results for the Third Quarter Ended September 30, 2020

($ in thousands, except per share amounts)

Revenue in the third quarter of 2020 ("Q3 2020") increased 67 percent to $24.9 million, compared to $14.9 million in the second quarter of 2020 (“Q2 2020”). The 67 percent increase in revenue was primarily driven by strong revenue growth at the Company’s BEYOND/HELLO^TM stores in Illinois and Pennsylvania, a partial contribution from the recently acquired Pennsylvania grower-processor permit holder, and improved market conditions in Nevada. On a same-store sales basis, revenue increased by approximately 45%, compared to the second quarter of 2020, excluding two temporarily closed stores in Philadelphia.

Gross profit in Q3 2020 was $12.3 million, resulting in a gross margin of 49 percent, compared to $7.5 million with a gross margin of 50 percent in Q2 2020. The $4.8 million, or 64 percent increase in gross profit over the prior quarter was primarily due to an increase in retail sales, the addition of the Pennsylvania grower-processor, improved product mix, improved procurement of product and more disciplined promotional offers.

Q3 2020 net loss was $30 million, or $0.31 per diluted share, compared to a net loss of $9.3 million, or $0.10 per diluted share, in Q2 2020. The $20.7 million increase in net loss in the third quarter was driven primarily by the increase in the derivative warrant liability prompted by the rise of the Company’s share price from $1.31 at June 30, 2020 to $2.44 at September 30, 2020, partially offset by a net gain on a business combination, higher revenue and gross profit.

Adjusted EBITDA¹ in Q3 2020 was $1.9 million, compared to Adjusted EBITDA (Loss) $(1.2) million in Q2 2020.

Balance Sheet and Liquidity

As of September 30, 2020, the Company had $35.8 million of cash, as well as $7.4 million in short-term investments. Total current assets of $62.6 million and current liabilities of $41.2 million as of September 30, 2020. Net working capital at the end of September 30, 2020 was $21.4 million. The Company expects to incur capital expenditures of approximately $7 million to $8 million during the fourth quarter of 2020 and $25 million to $30 million during 2021, subject to market conditions. As of September 30, 2020, the Company had $99.0 million principal amount of total debt, excluding leases and property, plant and equipment financing obligations.

Subsequent to the quarter ended September 30, 2020, the Company received approximately $29 million in net proceeds for its overnight marketed equity financing round. As of October 31, 2020, the Company had approximately $73 million in cash and short-term investments, is fully funded for the build-out of the current portfolio, and has excess liquidity to pursue opportunistic acquisitions.

Operations Update

Pennsylvania:

In August 2020, Jushi announced the closing of its equity acquisition of a Pennsylvania Grower-Processor permit holder. The acquisition adds a 90,000 sq. ft. cannabis cultivation and processing facility that is strategically located within minutes of Interstate 81, Interstate 84 and the Pennsylvania Turnpike, enabling efficient wholesale distribution to the 98 dispensaries currently open across the Commonwealth, including the Company’s eight operational BEYOND/HELLO^TM dispensaries in Pennsylvania.

Since closing the acquisition, the Company’s focus has shifted to optimizing the facility to ensure long term growth and market share expansion in the Pennsylvania market. Jushi has begun implementing a series of operational and facility improvements, including introducing new extraction technologies and equipment, implementing complete facility automation, and improving room utilization to double overall yield while increasing product quality. These upgrades, which will be implemented over the next twelve months, are expected to significantly increase the production of both pre-packaged flower and extracted products. Furthermore, as mentioned above, Jushi plans to significantly expand the building footprint as well as the cultivation space.

On July 15, 2020, in partnership with Agape Total Healthcare Inc, Jushi opened one new dispensary in Reading, Pennsylvania, bringing its total store count in the Commonwealth to eight medical dispensaries operating under the BEYOND/HELLO^TM brand. The Company anticipates further consolidating its retail footprint in Pennsylvania, and opening an additional seven locations by the end of the third quarter 2021.

Illinois:

Jushi operates two BEYOND/HELLO^TM retail stores in Illinois, serving both medical and adult-use customers. The stores are located in Sauget (adjacent to East St. Louis) and Normal (Bloomington-Normal metro area). Each store is also eligible to seek approval from the Illinois Department of Financial & Professional Regulation to open a second adult-use retail location, and such second retail locations are currently undergoing regulatory approvals and are under construction. Jushi plans to exercise both options and open the second Sauget location in December 2020 and the second Bloomington-Normal location in January 2021.

Virginia:

In August 2020, Jushi’s majority owned Dalitso LLC, a Virginia-based pharmaceutical processor for medical cannabis extracts, received approval from the Virginia Board of Pharmacy to commence vertically integrated operations for the cultivation, processing, dispensing, and delivery of medical cannabis products to registered patients in Virginia. Dalitso is one of only five applications to have received conditional approval for a pharmaceutical processor permit issued by the Virginia Board of Pharmacy and one of only four to have received final approval and permit issuance.

In November 2020, the Company announced it commenced operations at Dalitso’s pharmaceutical processor facility near the City of Manassas, and will be officially opening its first BEYOND/HELLO^TM medical dispensary in Virginia on December 1, 2020.The Company also anticipates adding an additional five BEYOND/HELLO^TM branded medical dispensaries in Virginia. The Company is targeting opening stores in Fairfax, Leesburg, Falls Church, Woodbridge, Arlington and Tysons Corner.

California:

In October 2020, Jushi opened its 11^th retail location nationally: BEYOND/HELLO^TM Santa Barbara and its first store in California. The city of Santa Barbara is a limited license market and currently only allows for three dispensaries to operate in the jurisdiction. The Company also previously signed a $3.1 million financing arrangement related to the real estate previously purchased in connection with this license. As previously disclosed, the Company plans to continue to develop its plans related to moving forward in the merit-based application process as one of only three selected applicants for a storefront retail (and ancillary delivery) permit in Culver City, California.

The Company will continue to pursue additional retail opportunities in specific limited license markets in California, particularly jurisdictions with high barriers of entry, limited market participants, and a firm handle on the local unregulated market.

Outlook

Mr. Cacioppo commented, “As a result of our expectation for continued strong operating results for the remainder of the year, we are increasing our fourth quarter 2020 revenues guidance from $25 to $30 million to $28 to $30 million and expect fourth quarter 2020 Adjusted EBITDA to be between $2.5 and $3.0 million. For the first quarter of 2021, we expect revenues to be between $37 and $40 million and Adjusted EBITDA to be between $4.0 to $5.0 million. We are also maintaining our 2021 revenue guidance of $205 to $255 million and our 2021 Adjusted EBITDA guidance of approximately $40 to $50 million.”

Mr. Cacioppo added, “Jushi’s growing retail footprint and best-in-class cultivation and processing assets are supported by strong managerial, operational experience, deep consumer insights, award-winning genetics, and a comprehensive suite of innovative brands. Through strategic M&A and key management hires, we have built a strong foundation to continue to drive outsized performance as we execute on the opportunity ahead.”

The Company’s MD&A and consolidated financial statements for the third quarter September 30, 2020, along with all previous public filings of the Company, may be found on SEDAR at www.SEDAR.com.

About Jushi Holdings Inc.
We are a vertically integrated cannabis company led by an industry leading management team. In the United States Jushi is focused on building a multi-state portfolio of branded cannabis assets through opportunistic acquisitions, distressed workouts, and competitive applications. Jushi strives to maximize shareholder value while delivering high quality products across all levels of the cannabis ecosystem. For more information please visit www.jushico.com or our social media channels, Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn.