MedMen Enterprises Inc. 2019

Abstract

With the legalization of recreational marijuana in the US, starting in 2012, an estimated US$80 billion market, in the US alone, opened up. MedMen Enterprises Inc. (MedMen) is a cannabis company based in Culver City, Los Angeles, California and was founded in 2010. As of early 2019 it is one of the biggest players in the cannabis industry with licenses for 78 retail stores and 17 factories across 12 states in the US. This case provides insights into the strategic decisions taken by CEO Adam Bierman in order to grow MedMen to what it has become as of early 2019. The focus lies on decisions that impacted the growth of MedMen on all levels including but not limited to their business model, their financing and their distribution channels. However, MedMen is still facing problems. Having reported an operating free cash flow loss of US$125 million for the first half of their FY2019 and having only $78 million in cash reserves left, puts them under heavy pressure to acquire external funding. Bierman is on his way to negotiate a $250 million loan from Gotham Green Partners, but the recent publication of their financial results puts them into an unfavorable starting position for the negotiation. Bierman believes in MedMen’s business model and believes that they will be successful, however, acquiring these extra funds is crucial to keeping the business running. Was their growth strategy the right decision and is it enough to convince Gotham Green Partners to provide the loan to MedMen or does Bierman need to think about innovating their business model once again?

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