GrowGeneration Eyes Canadian Market with High-Tech Cultivation Push

VANCOUVER, BC – January 14, 2026 – As thousands of cultivation professionals prepare to descend on the Vancouver Convention Centre for the Grow Up Conference & Expo next week, one exhibitor’s presence is generating significant industry buzz. GrowGeneration Corp. (NASDAQ: GRWG), one of the largest U.S. suppliers for controlled environment agriculture (CEA), is setting up at Booth 300 not just to display its wares, but to execute a calculated strategic offensive aimed at capturing a larger share of the lucrative, and challenging, North American commercial cultivation market.

This move is a direct reflection of the company’s sharpened focus on high-value commercial operators and the expansion of its proprietary product lines. The choice of venue is no accident. The Grow Up conference is widely regarded as Canada's premier cultivation summit, and British Columbia itself is often called the “epicenter of craft cannabis in Canada.” GrowGeneration’s leadership is making it clear they are there to do serious business.

“GrowGeneration’s participation in the Grow Up Conference & Expo supports our strategic focus on driving growth through commercial engagement and proprietary brand adoption,” said Michael Salaman, President of GrowGeneration, in a recent statement. His comments underscore a pivotal shift for the company, moving to reinforce its position as a leading supplier of scalable, margin-enhancing solutions for an industry where efficiency is paramount.

A Strategic Play for Commercial Growers

For the commercial cultivators attending the expo, GrowGeneration’s message of efficiency and innovation is expected to resonate deeply. The Canadian cannabis market, despite its maturity, is fraught with challenges. Growers face intense price compression, stiff competition from a persistent black market, and a heavy burden from federal excise taxes. In this environment, maximizing yield, improving quality, and reducing operational costs are not just business goals—they are survival imperatives.

This is the landscape GrowGeneration is stepping into with a suite of targeted solutions. The company is deploying a team of commercial sales representatives and brand managers to the event, with a clear mandate to engage directly with operators. By scheduling one-on-one meetings, the firm aims to move beyond a simple sales pitch and function as a strategic partner, helping cultivators design and implement systems that address their most pressing operational pain points.

The Power of Proprietary Brands

At the heart of GrowGeneration's strategy is its expanding portfolio of proprietary brands. These products are not just revenue streams; they are the engine of the company's recent financial improvements. In the third quarter of 2025, sales from proprietary brands like Char Coir, Drip Hydro, and Ion Lights accounted for 31.6% of the company's cultivation and gardening sales—a significant jump from 23.8% in the prior year. This shift was a key driver behind the company’s gross profit margin increasing to a robust 27.2%.

With an ambitious target to push that contribution to 40% in 2026, the Grow Up expo serves as a critical launchpad. Attendees will get a firsthand look at these margin-driving products:

• Char Coir: A high-grade coco coir growing medium sourced from a single farm to ensure consistency, a crucial factor in large-scale commercial operations.
• Drip Hydro: A nutrient line engineered to be both cost-effective and high-yielding, directly addressing the need to lower overhead without sacrificing quality.
• Ion Lights: A series of advanced LED fixtures designed to optimize plant health and cannabinoid expression, tapping into the industry-wide push for energy efficiency.

Perhaps the most telling innovation on display will be the Dialed In Under Canopy LED lights. This system is engineered to solve a universal problem in commercial cannabis: the underdeveloped and less potent flower found in the lower canopy, which receives less light. By delivering targeted light to these areas, the system helps cultivators increase their volume of sellable, high-quality product, turning a common source of waste into a new revenue stream.

A Company in Transition

GrowGeneration's strategic push at the conference is backed by a period of significant internal transformation and improving financial health. The company's third-quarter 2025 results painted a picture of a business successfully pivoting toward profitability. Net sales of $47.3 million surpassed analyst estimates, and the company reported a return to positive Adjusted EBITDA of $1.3 million—its strongest result on that metric in four years. This was a dramatic improvement from an Adjusted EBITDA loss of $2.4 million in the same period of 2024.

This turnaround has been fueled by disciplined cost management. The company has been actively engaged in a “footprint optimization” strategy, which included the closure of 19 underperforming retail locations since mid-2024. While a reduction in store count led to a slight year-over-year decline in net sales, it also resulted in a 31.5% decrease in total operating expenses, showcasing a clear focus on efficiency over sheer scale. With a strong balance sheet holding $48.3 million in cash and no debt, GrowGeneration is well-capitalized to invest in strategic growth initiatives like its presence in Vancouver and continued research and development for its proprietary brands.

The company's appearance at the Grow Up Conference & Expo is therefore more than just a marketing event; it represents the convergence of a refined business strategy, innovative product development, and a stabilizing financial foundation. For commercial growers looking for an edge and investors tracking the CEA sector, GrowGeneration’s activity in Vancouver will be a key indicator of its trajectory and its potential to lead the industry toward a more efficient and profitable future.