2 more pot shops approved for London, bringing total to 5

Two more retail cannabis store applicationsin London have received the green light, after being selected in the Ontario Alcohol and Gaming Commission'ssecond licence lottery.

The commission, which regulates Ontario's pot industry, held the lottery on Tuesday and named the 42 chosen applicants on Wednesday.

"Everyone is sort of just feeling their way out when it comes to [the right number of cannabis shops to have],but I don't think having fiveshopsis too manyfor London,"said retail expertBruce Winder.

One of the applications is for a store in the area of Western University's main gates, at 1135 Richmond St., something Winder says makes complete sense from a retail perspective.

"It's very smart to have a retail store near the UWO campus because my hypothesis is you're gonna have a much higher rate of participation. It's convenient retailing," Winder said.

The name attached to the application for this location is Noah Soberano.

Robert Chomiak received the other licence for a store at 1310 Fanshawe Park Rd., which is in a north-west big-box retail plaza near Hyde Park Road.

Another application for the same 1135 Richmond St.address, under the name Marilyn Jesty, is listed as being on a waitlist.

The two new licences brings London's number of allowed pot shops up to five. The city already has three stores that received their licences earlier this year, in the first lottery.

Winder thinks while the number of shops seems to be adequate in terms of sustainability, that might not be the case for too long.

"By December, you'll start to see cannabis-infused beverages and edibles, so, just from an assortment standpoint, the product breadth and width is getting so much bigger than dry flower, capsules, and oils," he said.

For this lottery, the AGCO says it received more than 4,800 expressions of interest.

Unlike the first lottery, applicants in the latest draw had to show that they had secured retail space that could be used as a store if they were selected, and that they had enough capital to open it.

The winners now have until Aug. 28 to complete an application to open a store that will be vetted by the AGCO.