Cannabis group’s move to tackle Covid-19 pays off

UK based cannabis group Sativa Wellness has reached the £1 million milestone in Covid-19 test bookings. 

The seed-to-sale CBD and cannabis company, previously known as Sativa Group, announced the launch of its testing facilities in November 2020 with the opening of its first clinic at its Goodbody Wellness store in Bath. 

It has now achieved in excess of £1,100,000 of bookings in the last four months, with 17 operational clinics throughout the UK.

These include the second company owned clinic, 13 in-pharmacy clinics opened, in sites such as Plymouth, Billericay, Bournemouth, Milton Keynes and Watford and two mobile clinics covering from Wales in the West to Essex in the East. 

Sativa Wellness Group hopes to have 30 operational clinics up and running by the end of April.

The clinics provide PCR testing for travel and work, antigen testing, as well as antibody testing for those who want to find out if they have had COVID 19 and to see if they have developed antibodies.

The private clinic is designed for people who aren’t presenting symptoms but who need a negative test for travel, work or peace of mind when visiting vulnerable relatives. 

The Sativa Group PLC and Stillcanna Inc merged to create Sativa Wellness Group Inc last year to focus on CBD and wellness opportunities in Europe.

The company turned its attention to tackling Covid-19 early on in the pandemic, converting its manufacturing facilities to deliver CBG-infused hand sanitisers followed by the launch of its clinic testing facilities. 

Speaking at the time, George Thomas, managing director of Goodbody Botanicals commented: “Our expertise in good health and wellbeing made it an obvious transition to be able to offer COVID testing in our store. 

“The same attention to detail and care has been taken to ensure we can offer the best testing in a safe, calm environment. We hope this service will give people the peace of mind, and proof, required to return to travel, work and visiting friends and family when this is possible.”

The recent government announcement of plans to ease restrictions  in April, and in particular opening up international travel from May, is expected to have a significant positive effect on the clinic business. 

The material growth that took place despite lockdown is expected to dramatically increase as the restrictions are removed.

Executive chairman, Geremy Thomas said: “The clinic business has demonstrated growth even during lockdown creating a significant cash generating opportunity. As the restrictions lift in line with the government roadmap, this growth is expected to increase dramatically.”