PLYMOUTH, Mass. — Completing a move that was announced in late 2019, regional independent convenience-store chain VERC Enterprises has opened a Cannabidiol (CBD) Wellness Center inside one of its c-stores in Plymouth, Mass.
The shop is the first of its kind located inside a convenience store in the Boston region, said Leo Vercollone, CEO of VERC Enterprises. VERC plans to open more than 30 of these centers, he said.
“Our new CBD Wellness Center is focused on providing the community with lab-tested CBD options for everyone’s budget,” Vercollone said. “By learning more about CBD for yourself, loved ones and family pets, our goal is to make plant-based health and wellness convenient and affordable.”
VERC has publicly supported the marriage between CBD products and c-stores since early 2019, with Vercollone often vouching for the integration of the two. VERC began selling CBD products around that same time in forms such as gummy bears, topical creams and tinctures. As of November 2019, VERC was selling more CBD than gum and mints, Vercollone told CSP Daily News at the time.
CBD supplier Ceres Natural Remedies has partnered with VERC to offer the products inside the shop. Ceres’s CBD items are plant-based and include tinctures, salves, fruit gummies, topical creams, prerolled smokes, canned beverages and more. Ceres will also offer educational opportunities on the health benefits of CBD to VERC employees and the public every Saturday.
“Our commitment is to bring the best quality product to our stores,” Vercollone said. “We have partnered with a company that has demonstrated operational excellence over several years that invests in training and education for both staff and the general public, and one with an investment in and commitment to our region.”
Burlington, Vt.-based Ceres Natural Remedies was founded in 2014. The company operates three Wellness Centers in Vermont, and the partnership with VERC is its first foray into Massachusetts.
Duxbury, Mass.-based VERC Enterprises operates 30 c-stores and gas stations with locations throughout eastern Massachusetts and New Hampshire. The company began more than 40 years ago, with a single car wash in Marshfield, Mass., in a business founded by Eugene Vercollone. The company now has more than 300 employees and is a leader in hiring individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities.
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