SNDL Earnings Call Q3 2026: Rekord-Free-Cashflow, Cannabis-Überprüfung
SNDL meldete für das dritte Quartal 2026 einen Nettoumsatz von 238,0 Mio. CAD, was einem Rückgang von 2,5 % im Jahresvergleich entspricht. Der Bruttogewinn sank um 9,8 % auf 57,9 Mio. CAD. Dennoch verbesserte sich das bereinigte Betriebsergebnis auf plus 5,2 Mio. CAD, und der Free Cashflow erreichte mit 20,0 Mio. CAD einen Rekordwert, gestützt durch einmalige Effekte. Während der Cannabis- und Spirituosen-Einzelhandel Rekordmargen erzielte, verzeichnete die Cannabis-Produktion einen negativen Bruttogewinn. SNDL kündigte strategische Überprüfungen, Portfolio-Vereinfachungen, Kostensenkungen sowie ein mögliches Emittenten-Rückkaufangebot von bis zu 50 Mio. CAD an.
SNDL Q3 2026 Earnings Call Zusammenfassung
SNDL berichtete für das am 30. September 2026 endende Quartal über eine verbesserte zugrunde liegende Rentabilität und einen Rekord-Free-Cashflow, obwohl der konsolidierte Umsatz und der Bruttogewinn zurückgingen. Sofern nicht anders angegeben, verstehen sich alle Finanzzahlen in kanadischen Dollar.
Wichtigste Erkenntnisse
- Der Nettoumsatz sank im Jahresvergleich um 2,5 % auf 238,0 Mio. CAD, während der Bruttogewinn um 9,8 % auf 57,9 Mio. CAD fiel. Die Bruttomarge verringerte sich um 2 Prozentpunkte auf 24,3 %.
- Das bereinigte Betriebsergebnis verbesserte sich um 14,8 Mio. CAD auf plus 5,2 Mio. CAD, verglichen mit einem Verlust von 9,5 Mio. CAD im Vorjahreszeitraum.
- Der Free Cashflow erreichte mit 20,0 Mio. CAD ein Quartalsrekordniveau, was einem Plus von 19,5 % entspricht. Das Ergebnis enthielt einen einmaligen positiven Effekt von 10,6 Mio. CAD aus der ersten Auflösung der Captive-Versicherungsstruktur von SNDL.
- Der Cannabis-Einzelhandel erzielte einen Rekordquartalsumsatz von 85,6 Mio. CAD sowie eine Rekord-Bruttomarge von 27,0 %. Der Spirituosen-Einzelhandel erreichte trotz schwächerer Umsätze ebenfalls eine Rekord-Bruttomarge von 27,0 %.
- Der Umsatz im Bereich Cannabis-Produktion fiel um 27,7 % auf 27,0 Mio. CAD bei einer negativen Bruttomarge von 6 %. SNDL zog sich aus der unrentablen inländischen Kategorie für getrocknete Blüten zurück und leitete eine strategische Überprüfung ein, die auch Veräußerungen von Vermögenswerten umfassen kann.
- SNDL kaufte im Quartal 5,4 Millionen Aktien für 10,0 Mio. CAD zurück und schlug vorbehaltlich von Genehmigungen und Dokumentationen ein bedeutendes Emittenten-Rückkaufangebot von bis zu 50 Mio. CAD vor.
Wichtige Finanzdaten
| Kennzahl | Q3 2026 | Veränderung gegenüber dem Vorjahr | Wichtiger Kontext |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nettoumsatz | 238,0 Mio. CAD | Minus 6,2 Mio. CAD bzw. 2,5 % | Wachstum im Cannabis-Einzelhandel und geringere Konsolidierungseliminierungen im Cannabisbereich glichen Rückgänge an anderer Stelle teilweise aus |
| Bruttogewinn | 57,9 Mio. CAD | Minus 6,3 Mio. CAD bzw. 9,8 % | Auf den Bereich Cannabis-Produktion entfiel ein Rückgang von 6,6 Mio. CAD |
| Bruttomarge | 24,3 % | Minus 2 Prozentpunkte | Rekordmargen im Einzelhandel wurden durch die schwache Leistung der Cannabis-Produktion kompensiert |
| Betriebsverlust | 48,3 Mio. CAD | — | Enthielt eine nicht zahlungswirksame Geschäftswertabschreibung von 52,0 Mio. CAD im Zusammenhang mit der Cannabis-Produktion |
| Bereinigtes Betriebsergebnis | 5,2 Mio. CAD | Verbesserung um 14,8 Mio. CAD | Verglichen mit einem Verlust von 9,5 Mio. CAD in Q3 2025 |
| Free Cashflow | 20,0 Mio. CAD | Plus 3,3 Mio. CAD bzw. 19,5 % | Enthielt einen einmaligen Vorteil von 10,6 Mio. CAD aus der Captive-Versicherung |
| Veränderung der Zahlungsmittel und Zahlungsmitteläquivalente | Minus 50,7 Mio. CAD | — | Spiegelte hauptsächlich Beiträge an Beteiligungsunternehmen in Höhe von 60,8 Mio. CAD und Aktienrückkäufe von 10,0 Mio. CAD wider |
Geschäfts- und operative Entwicklung
Spirituosen-Einzelhandel
Der Umsatz im Spirituosen-Einzelhandel sank um 3,3 % auf 134,8 Mio. CAD, da die flächenbereinigten Umsätze um 6 % fielen. Drei neue Filialen von Wine and Beyond und stärkere Umsätze mit Eigenmarken glichen die schwächere Nachfrage teilweise aus. Eigenmarkenprodukte schnitten im Quartal um 8,5 Prozentpunkte besser ab als nationale Marken.
Der Bruttogewinn lag bei 36,4 Mio. CAD, was einem Rückgang von 0,3 Mio. CAD entspricht, jedoch stieg die Bruttomarge um 70 Basispunkte auf den Rekordwert von 27,0 %. Das bereinigte Betriebsergebnis sank um 0,6 Mio. CAD auf 6,0 Mio. CAD, da der geringere Umsatz und die mit neuen Filialen verbundenen Kosten die Margengewinne überwogen.
Cannabis-Einzelhandel
Der Umsatz im Cannabis-Einzelhandel stieg um 0,7 % auf den Rekordquartalswert von 85,6 Mio. CAD. Neue Filialen und wertsteigernde Umgestaltungen glichen einen Rückgang der flächenbereinigten Umsätze von 3,8 % aus, der auf eine Marktverengung in Alberta und Ontario zurückzuführen war.
Der Bruttogewinn stieg auf 23,1 Mio. CAD und die Bruttomarge weitete sich um 60 Basispunkte auf den Rekordwert von 27,0 % aus. Das bereinigte Betriebsergebnis legte um 4,7 % auf 5,3 Mio. CAD zu, gestützt durch Effizienzgewinne bei Werbeaktionen und Produktmix sowie höhere Dateneinnahmen.
Cannabis-Produktion
Der Umsatz im Bereich Cannabis-Produktion verringerte sich um 27,7 % auf 27,0 Mio. CAD, hauptsächlich weil sich SNDL aus der unrentablen inländischen Kategorie für getrocknete Blüten zurückzog. Der Bruttogewinn war mit minus 1,6 Mio. CAD negativ (was einer negativen Marge von 6 % entspricht), hauptsächlich aufgrund ausstiegsbedingter Bestandsanpassungen und Abweichungen bei den Jeeter-Kosten.
Der bereinigte Betriebsverlust des Segments weitete sich von 10,2 Mio. CAD auf 11,4 Mio. CAD aus. SNDL reduzierte die Belegschaft in Kelowna um mehr als 30 % und begann mit der Überprüfung möglicher Veräußerungen von Vermögenswerten, Produktivitätsmaßnahmen und anderer strategischer Alternativen.
Kapitalallokation und US-Investitionen
SNDL kaufte in Q3 5,4 Millionen Aktien für 10,0 Mio. CAD zu einem gewichteten Durchschnittspreis von 1,31 US-Dollar zurück. Einschließlich der Käufe bis zum Stichtag der Präsentation im Oktober hat das Unternehmen seit Q4 2024 insgesamt 34 Millionen Aktien für 73,5 Mio. CAD zurückgekauft, was die Anzahl der ausstehenden Aktien um etwa 8 % verringerte.
Nach der Umstrukturierung von Parallel erhöhte sich die indirekte Eigenkapitalbeteiligung von SNDL von ungefähr 67 % auf rund 92 %. SNDL finanzierte zudem Investitionen in eine Anbauanlage in Gainesville, Florida. Über SunStream steigerte das Unternehmen seinen Anteil an den übernommenen Schulden von Parallel von 39,4 % auf 69,4 %, indem zusätzliche Schulden zu 75 % des Nennwerts erworben wurden.
Parallel betreibt 56 Einzelhandelsstandorte sowie drei Produktions- und Anbaustätten in Florida, Texas und Massachusetts. Laut Management beschäftigt das Unternehmen rund 800 Mitarbeiter und erzielt einen Nettoumsatz von etwa 150 Mio. US-Dollar.
Prognose des Managements
- Das Management geht davon aus, dass sich die Kostenreduzierungen am Standort Kelowna ab dem 4. Quartal 2026 positiv in der Gewinn- und Verlustrechnung niederschlagen werden.
- SNDL erwartet im 4. Quartal einen zweiten und letzten Mittelzufluss in Höhe von 8,0 Mio. CAD aus dem Abschluss der Auflösung der Captive-Versicherung.
- Vorbehaltlich der endgültigen Dokumentation und der Zahlung einer Strafe von 200.000 CAD wird erwartet, dass die voraussichtliche Beilegung der regulatorischen Angelegenheiten in Ontario einen normalisierten Franchise-Betrieb ermöglichen wird.
- Die geplante Umstrukturierung des Franchise-Geschäfts in Ontario dürfte zur Entkonsolidierung dieser Aktivitäten führen. Auf Basis der Zahlen der letzten 12 Monate erklärte das Management, dass dies den ausgewiesenen Umsatz um etwa 105 Mio. CAD, das Betriebsergebnis jedoch nur um rund 2 Mio. CAD reduzieren würde.
- SNDL prüft Wege zu einer direkten Eigentümerschaft und finanziellen Konsolidierung des medizinischen Cannabisgeschäfts von Parallel. Das Management nannte keinen konkreten Zeitplan.
Risiken und wichtige Aspekte
- Die Cannabis-Produktion bleibt hinter den Erwartungen des Managements zurück und verzeichnete einen negativen Bruttogewinn, einen höheren bereinigten Betriebsverlust sowie eine Geschäftswertabschreibung von 52,0 Mio. CAD.
- Der Umsatzdruck in beiden Einzelhandelssparten bleibt deutlich spürbar: Im Spirituosen-Einzelhandel sanken die flächenbereinigten Umsätze um 6 %, im Cannabis-Einzelhandel um 3,8 %.
- 10,6 Mio. CAD des Free Cashflows in Q3 stammten aus einem einmaligen Effekt der Captive-Versicherung, was die Vergleichbarkeit mit der zugrunde liegenden Cash-Generierung einschränkt.
- Die strategische Überprüfung der Cannabis-Produktion könnte zu Veräußerungen von Vermögenswerten oder weiteren Umstrukturierungen führen, jedoch hat das Management Umfang, Zeitplan oder Ergebnis noch nicht definiert.
- Der Weg zur Konsolidierung des US-Engagements im Bereich medizinischen Cannabis hängt vom Dialog mit Regulierungsbehörden und Börsen ab. Das Management verwies zudem auf die anhaltende Unsicherheit bezüglich der US-Einstufung von Cannabis für den Freizeitzweck als Schedule-III-Substanz.
Wichtigste Punkte der Analysten-Fragerunde
- EU-GMP-Zertifizierung: Das Management erwartet die Zertifizierung des Standorts Atholville nach einem erfolgreichen Audit. Laut Unternehmensangaben könnten durch die interne Verarbeitung Drittkosten von etwa 0,20 bis 0,45 CAD pro Gramm vermieden werden. Geplante Modernisierungen der Beleuchtungs- und Klimatechnik sollen die Qualität und die Erträge für internationale Märkte verbessern.
- Ausstieg aus getrockneten Blüten im Inland: SNDL erklärte, dass seine kostenintensivere Indoor-Produktion nicht für die Preisgestaltung des inländischen Marktes für getrocknete Blüten geeignet sei. Das Unternehmen werde sich stattdessen auf Markenvertrieb, Edibles, Getränke, angereicherte Produkte und profitable Lizenzpartnerschaften konzentrieren.
- Strategische Überprüfung des Cannabis-Bereichs: Das Management identifizierte kommerzielle Umsetzung, Vertrieb, Produktivität der Standorte, Arbeitseffizienz, Vertriebs- und Betriebsplanung sowie selektive Kapitalinvestitionen als Verbesserungsbereiche. Es gab an, dass weiterhin alle Alternativen geprüft werden.
- Kapitaleinsatz in den USA: SNDL gab an, weiterhin Kapital über SunStream einsetzen zu können. Nächste Priorität sei die Zusammenarbeit mit Regulierungsbehörden und Börsen, um zumindest das Engagement von Parallel im Bereich medizinischen Cannabis in die wiederkehrenden Ergebnisse von SNDL zu konsolidieren.
Vollständiges Transkript der Telefonkonferenz
Vollständiges Transkript der Telefonkonferenz
Ausführungen des Managements
Operator
Good morning, and welcome to SNDL's Third Quarter 2026 Financial Results Conference Call. This morning, SNDL issued a press release announcing their financial results for the second (sic) [ third ] quarter of 2026 ended on September 30, 2026. This press release is available on the company's website at sndl.com and filed on EDGAR and SEDAR as well. The webcast replay of the conference call will be also available on the sndl.com website. SNDL has also posted a supplemental investor presentation in addition to the conference call presentation we will be reviewing today on its sndl.com website.
Presenting on this morning's call, we have Zach George, Chief Executive Officer; and Alberto Paredero, Chief Financial Officer. Before we start, I would like to remind investors that certain matters discussed in today's conference call or answers that may be given to questions could constitute forward-looking statements. Actual results could differ materially from those anticipated. Risk factors that could affect results are detailed in the company's financial reports and other public filings that are made available on SEDAR and EDGAR. Additionally, all financial figures mentioned are in Canadian dollars, unless otherwise indicated. We will now make prepared remarks, and then we will move on to analyst questions. I would now like to turn the call over to Zach George. Please proceed.
Zachary George
Welcome to SNDL's Third Quarter 2026 Financial and Operational Results Conference Call. During the third quarter, SNDL delivered improved underlying financial performance while continuing to deploy capital against our highest conviction strategic priorities. We generated record quarterly free cash flow of $20 million and returned to positive adjusted operating income despite continued market pressure and significant challenges in Cannabis operations. Cannabis Retail delivered record quarterly net revenue and gross margin, while Liquor Retail also achieved a new quarterly gross margin record.
These results demonstrate the value of disciplined pricing, mix management, procurement productivity and continued cost control across our retail platforms. At the same time, Cannabis operations remained below our expectations. We took decisive action during the quarter to simplify the portfolio, exit the unprofitable domestic dried flower category, reduce costs and concentrate resources on higher-value products. We have also initiated a strategic review of the segment to assess a range of strategic and operational alternatives, including potential asset divestitures and broader productivity initiatives. We continue to allocate capital with discipline during the quarter.
We repurchased 5.4 million shares and announced our intention to pursue a potential substantial issuer bid of up to $50 million, subject to required approvals and documentation. We also made significant strategic investments in the United States. Following the completion of Parallel's restructuring in July, our participation in its rights offering increased our indirect equity ownership from approximately 67% to approximately 92%. We also funded investments supporting a new cultivation facility in Gainesville, Florida, and the acquisition of an additional portion of Parallel's take-back debt at a material discount to its face value. These actions reflect our priorities: improve operating performance, preserve financial flexibility, return capital when our shares represent an attractive investment and selectively pursue opportunities that can create meaningful long-term value. Over now to Alberto for more detail on our third quarter financial performance.
Alberto Paredero-Quiros
Thank you, Zach. Before moving on, I would like to remind everyone that the amounts discussed today are denominated in Canadian dollars unless otherwise stated. Certain figures referred to during this call are non-IFRS measures. For definitions of these measures and reconciliations where applicable, please refer to SNDL's management's discussion and analysis and the earnings press release issued today. Net revenue was $238 million in the third quarter of 2026, representing a decrease of $6.2 million or 2.5% compared with the same period of the prior year. Growth in Cannabis Retail and the impact of lower cannabis eliminations partially offset declines in Liquor Retail and Cannabis operations.
Gross profit was $57.9 million, a decline of $6.3 million or 9.8% year-over-year. Gross margin was 24.3%, down 2 percentage points as record margins in both retail segments were more than offset by a weak performance of Cannabis operations. Operating loss was $48.3 million, reflecting a $52 million noncash goodwill impairment associated with the Cannabis operations. Adjusted operating income, which excludes intangible impairment charges and restructuring costs, was positive $5.2 million, an improvement of $14.8 million compared with the same period last year.
Change in cash and cash equivalents was negative $50.7 million, primarily reflecting $60.8 million of capital contributions to equity accounted investees and $10 million of share repurchases. Free cash flow was a record $20 million, up $3.3 million or 19.5% year-over-year, including a $10.6 million benefit from the initial unwinding of our captive insurance.
Looking at our performance over the past several quarters, we're encouraged by the progress in adjusted operating income and free cash flow despite continued headwinds in revenue and gross profit. This reflects the financial discipline we have brought to the business and our continued focus on improving underlying profitability and cash generation. While there is still work to do, particularly in Cannabis operations, we believe we are making meaningful progress towards a more profitable and cash-generative business. Looking more closely at segment contributions, consolidated net revenue declined by $6.2 million year-over-year. Liquor Retail declined by $4.6 million and Cannabis operations declined by $10.3 million.
Cannabis Retail increased by $0.6 million, while the change in cannabis eliminations provided an $8.2 million offset. Gross profit declined by $6.3 million, driven by Cannabis operations, which accounted for a $6.6 million decline. Liquor Retail declined by $0.3 million, while Cannabis Retail increased by $0.7 million. Adjusted operating income improved by $14.8 million from a loss of $9.5 million in the prior year quarter to income of $5.2 million. A $9.9 million improvement in corporate expenses and a $6.6 million improvement from investments more than offset weaker results in Cannabis operations and Liquor Retail.
Free cash flow increased from $16.7 million in the third quarter of 2025 to a record $20 million this quarter. Compared with the prior year quarter, lower cash earnings reduced free cash flow by $1.1 million and year-over-year working capital change reduced by $11.8 million. Working capital optimization contributed $2.5 million in the third quarter of 2026, but this benefit was lower than in the prior year quarter due to differences in the timing of working capital movements. These impacts were more than offset by $16.2 million of other items, including a $10.6 million benefit from the initial unwind of the captive insurance arrangement. While the captive insurance contribution to Q3 free cash flow is a onetime item, we expect a second and final $8 million cash inflow in the fourth quarter as we complete the unwinding of the captive structure.
Turning to the commercial segments. I will begin with Liquor Retail. As a reminder, beginning in 2026, applicable direct and indirect overhead costs are allocated from corporate to its operating segments within general and administrative expenses and comparative periods have been recast. Liquor Retail net revenue was $134.8 million, a decline of $4.6 million or 3.3% year-over-year. Persistent softness in market demand continued to affect same-store sales, which declined 6%. Growth from the 3 new Wine and Beyond stores opened during the last 12 months, together with continued momentum in private label sales, which outperformed national brands by 8.5 percentage points in the quarter, helped partially offset the same-store sales decline.
Gross profit was $36.4 million, down $0.3 million, while gross margin expanded 70 basis points to a record 27.0%. The margin improvement was driven by pricing, product mix management and procurement productivity. Adjusted operating income was $6 million, down $0.6 million year-over-year as the benefit from gross margin expansion was more than offset by lower revenue and higher SG&A expenses associated with the recent store openings. Cannabis Retail net revenue returned to growth and reached a new quarterly record of $85.6 million, an increase of $0.6 million or 0.7% year-over-year.
New store openings and value-add conversions more than offset a 3.8% decline in same-store sales caused by market contraction in Alberta and Ontario. Gross profit increased by $0.7 million to $23.1 million, while gross margin expanded by 60 basis points to a record 27.0%. The improvement was supported by promotional and product mix efficiencies and increased data revenue. Adjusted operating income was $5.3 million, an increase of $0.2 million or 4.7% as promotional and product mix efficiencies and increased data revenue more than offset the impact of higher asset impairment reversals in the prior year period. Cannabis operations net revenue was $27.0 million, a decline of $10.3 million or 27.7% year-over-year.
The decline was primarily attributable to our exit from the unprofitable domestic dried flower category as we reshaped the segment to focus on higher-value product categories. Gross profit was negative $1.6 million with a gross margin of negative 6%. These results were primarily driven by inventory adjustments associated with our exit from dried flower as well as the Jeeter cost variances. Adjusted operating income loss was $11.4 million compared with a loss of $10.2 million in the prior year. While the segment results remain below our expectations, we took decisive action during the quarter to reduce manufacturing costs and other operating expenses, particularly at our Kelowna facility.
These actions included a workforce reduction of more than 30% at that site. We expect the P&L benefits of these actions to begin contributing in the fourth quarter. Given the segment's continued underperformance, we have also initiated a strategic review to evaluate alternatives to improve its financial performance and reduce its impact on our consolidated results. The review will consider a range of alternatives, including potential asset divestitures and broader productivity initiatives. Over to you, Zach, for additional comments on capital allocation and our strategic milestones.
Zachary George
Turning first to capital allocation. We continue to repurchase shares while maintaining balance sheet flexibility. During the third quarter, we repurchased 5.4 million common shares for $10 million, excluding commissions, at a weighted average price of USD 1.31 per share. Including repurchases completed in October through the measurement date shown in the presentation, we have repurchased 34 million shares since the fourth quarter of 2024 for $73.5 million at an average price of USD 1.54 per share. This represents an approximately 8% reduction in shares outstanding since the fourth quarter of 2024.
During 2026, we have significantly accelerated these repurchases. And under the current repurchase program, we have repurchased approximately 23 million shares for over $45 million at an average price of USD 1.41 per share. These shares represent approximately 9% of the 263.4 million common shares outstanding at the beginning of 2026. We have also announced a potential substantial issuer bid for an aggregate purchase price of up to $50 million at a price per share not to exceed USD 1.35. The proposed SIB would further accelerate capital returns while maintaining balance sheet flexibility.
The completion of Parallel restructuring was a transformational milestone for SNDL's U.S. investments. During the third quarter, our participation in Parallel's rights offering increased our indirect equity ownership from approximately 67% to approximately 92%. The funding provides liquidity to support inventory, product availability and essential supply chain infrastructure. SNDL also funded SunStream's investments supporting the build-out of a new cultivation facility in Gainesville, Florida. In addition, SunStream acquired a further portion of Parallel's take-back debt at 75% of face value, increasing its ownership of that debt from 39.4% to 69.4%.
As previously shared, Parallel currently operates in Florida, Texas and Massachusetts with 56 retail locations, 3 manufacturing and cultivation sites, approximately 800 employees and approximately USD 150 million of net revenue. We are evaluating different paths to direct ownership and the financial consolidation of Parallel's medical cannabis business as we believe it offers meaningful scale, an attractive margin profile and a platform for continued growth. We will provide further information as the path forward and timing become more clearly defined. We are encouraged by the progress towards resolving the long-standing regulatory matters involving the Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario.
Subject to the completion of definitive documentation and payment of a $200,000 monetary penalty, the anticipated resolution is expected to provide a path towards normalized franchise operations. The contemplated structure includes approximately $30 million of third-party secured financing from a Tier 1 financial institution to repay existing SNDL debt. The proceeds received by SNDL are expected to remain restricted as collateral. The arrangement would also transition the relationship to a modified franchise structure under which SNDL would provide administrative services only.
As a result, the Ontario franchise operations are expected to be deconsolidated from SNDL's financial statements. Based on the trailing 12-month amounts presented, deconsolidation would reduce reported net revenue by approximately $105 million, while the impact on operating income would be significantly smaller at approximately $2 million. Our third quarter results demonstrate progress, but they also reinforce the important work still ahead. We delivered record free cash flow, returned to positive adjusted operating income and achieved record gross margins in both retail segments.
At the same time, Cannabis operations remains below expectations, and we are taking decisive action to improve its performance and evaluate strategic alternatives. We continue to approach capital allocation with discipline. We are returning capital to shareholders, investing selectively in opportunities such as Parallel and maintaining the flexibility provided by our debt-free balance sheet and investment portfolio. I want to thank our teams for their continued focus and execution and our shareholders for their ongoing support. We remain committed to improving operating performance and creating long-term value. I will now turn the call back to the operator for the analyst Q&A session.
Operator
[Operator Instructions] Our first question that comes from Frederico Gomes with ATB Cormark.
Fragen und Antworten
Frederico Yokota Gomes
First question, I guess, you guys passed the audit for EU-GMP Atholville. Could you talk about how material actually getting the EU-GMP certification would be from a financial standpoint for that facility? What could be the potential upside here, savings and opportunities in international?
Zachary George
Frederico, thanks for the question. So in terms of the receipt of the certification itself, we're expecting that any day now. It was a big milestone for the team to successfully pass the audit. As you know, the standards are quite stringent. It really depends -- you can look at this from a number of different angles. If you were -- if you had to rely on processors, you're looking at costs of anywhere from $0.20 to $0.45 a gram. So that's eliminated. But more importantly, which also makes this moot is we're going through a series of upgrades within the Atholville facility, which is going to change the capabilities of that facility, including modern generation lights and HVAC upgrades. So we're expecting to see better quality and yields, which are going to be critical to improving realized pricing as we look at international markets. And so that's really where the focus is today.
Frederico Yokota Gomes
And then just looking at your decision to exit flower domestically. Maybe could you explain a little bit better why did you make that decision? And do you think it could impact, I guess, sales in other categories that you have given that, I guess, you won't have branded flower product anymore?
Zachary George
Yes, I appreciate it. I think it's really important to distinguish where this market is on a price point basis. And you can see the dynamic very clearly with the broader peer group. So higher quality and also more expensive production from indoor facilities really is not well suited for where the domestic market is on dried flower. So we have strong partnerships and commercial relationships with LPs that have very strong underpinnings with hybrid glasshouse environments of 5 million square feet or more. And so that's a capability and a strategic advantage that SNDL does not possess. So we really don't think it makes sense to try to compete with those who have the lowest cost of production given that infrastructure that they're owning and managing through their individual enterprises.
So look, we have a dominant position in edibles and beverages as well. These are smaller categories, do quite well across a number of infused [indiscernible] categories. So we're really focused on distribution of branded products. As you know, we also have some very important and profitable license relationships. So we don't believe that this will impact sales in other categories. They need to stand on their own, that being said. But in this case, it's really about looking at marginable activities and ensuring that we're focused on areas where we can develop competitive advantage in terms of our capabilities.
Operator
[Operator Instructions] One moment for our next question that comes from Aaron Grey with AGP, Alliance Global Partners.
Aaron Grey
I guess maybe a little bit piggybacking off of the last question and then just thinking about the strategic review and alternatives for the Cannabis operations business. I would love to get your perspective in terms of what do you think are the core competencies needed to win within Cannabis operations? I think you just alluded to one maybe being low-cost cultivation greenhouse or otherwise, which obviously Sundial doesn't currently have. But maybe outside of that, where do you feel like there's ways to win to where maybe you could add on to your existing asset base or sell one of your current assets to someone else where it might be complementary. I would love to get your broader perspective there.
Alberto Paredero-Quiros
Aaron, thank you for the question. So obviously, there are multiple dimensions in which we believe we need to improve to be competitive in the marketplace and to win. Starting with our commercial execution, driving the right focus behind the right categories with the right consumer understanding of consumer needs is an important capability that we have been building and we need to continue making improvements in that direction, including as well our commercialization strategy and improving the distribution that we have for our key products. Even with those products that are market leaders, as Zach mentioned a second ago, in [indiscernible] numbers. So that still represents an opportunity that we need to pursue and continue strengthening that commercial capability is certainly one priority.
Right now, the biggest struggle that we're having is with our operational execution in some of our facilities. We believe that we have appropriate infrastructure. We certainly have ideas on how we can step up and improve the -- with a better layout and with some capital investments that we can drive significant productivity. But it starts with better execution of our sales and operating planning process, our labor efficiencies. So there is a significant amount of opportunities that we are identifying there, some of which are low-hanging fruit, some of which may be a little bit more harder to get to.
While we are approaching this strategic review, we're certainly not leaving anything on the table. All options are valid. We know the value of some of those assets. We know the value to us. We know the value to some other people. We know the value that we can generate if we were to improve some of those capabilities. So all of those things I said will be on the table. We'll look at all of the possible options, and we are confident that we'll be able to make the right decisions at the end of the exercise.
Aaron Grey
That was really helpful in terms of how you guys are evaluating it. Second question for me, just in terms of some of the U.S. assets. You mentioned some in terms of Florida with Gainesville, but also just looking at Texas, I know we talked about it last call. But just as we think about the ability to potentially consolidate speaking with the exchanges or otherwise, can you talk about the dynamics needed for you to deploy capital into the U.S. market? Can you do that now? Would you have to wait? Would love to just get more color in terms of how you think about the U.S. and the capital allocation strategy that you alluded to earlier.
Zachary George
Yes. Thanks, Aaron. I think as you know and we've discussed, we have the ability today and we see it in our sort of trailing activities to deploy capital into the U.S. through our SunStream joint venture. We've done so with direct exposure to credit through that joint venture. We've also done -- we've also been able to get indirect exposure to equity through that vehicle. We're now at a point where most of the capital has been repatriated and the next step will be to reconcile these remaining exposures and work to consolidate the medical exposure. I think you've seen a number of other transactions in the marketplace where recreational assets have been ring-fenced and owned indirectly to facilitate an uplisting.
So that would, at this point, given the lack of clarity on Schedule III for rec in the U.S., be part of that. So we're not going to wait for the U.S. government action to focus on the controllables. But to directly answer your question, we have deployed capital. We have the ability to do so. And the next step is to work with the relevant regulatory bodies as well as exchanges to facilitate the consolidation of at least the medical exposure into our recurring P&L.
Operator
Thank you. Ladies and gentlemen, this will conclude our Q&A session. And I would like to turn the conference back over to Zach George for closing remarks.
Zachary George
Thank you. I want to thank our owners, commercial partners and employees across the organization today. To everyone joining us, thank you for your time and continued interest in SNDL. We appreciate your support and look forward to updating you again in the near future. Have a great day.
Operator
Thank you. And this concludes our conference call. You may disconnect your lines. Thank you for participating, and have a pleasant day.
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