Lume Cannabis closes in Christmas after less than a year open

CHRISTMAS, Mich. (WLUC) - The Lume Cannabis Co. Christmas location closed its doors permanently this week.

The Christmas store opened in September 2021. The company said it is closing locations in Bay City, Christmas, Cheboygan and Southfield “to be better aligned for future growth.”

Lume plans to open three new locations in Ann Arbor, Grand Rapids and Portage. The company said employees who work at the discontinued Lume stores will be provided with severance pay and they will have the opportunity to apply for positions at other Lume stores in Michigan.

“This realignment is a key part of our strategy to maintain and strengthen our position as Michigan’s leading cannabis retailer,” said Doug Hellyar, president and COO of Lume. “We remain absolutely committed to growing and deepening our retail footprint in communities across Michigan and continuing our efforts to offer high-quality cannabis products for patients and adult-use customers.”

One Lume employee reached out to TV6 saying the nine employees that lost their jobs in Christmas were given no prior notice.

Lume currently has over 1,000 employees in Michigan and, with the current closures and new locations, it will operate 32 retail locations across the state.

The Sault Tribe, Inc (STI) leased the commercial property used to open the Christmas dispensary. STI says Lume will honor their lease; therefore, the closure will not impact STI’s business operations.

“We have a good relationship with Lume,” said STI’s Chief Executive Officer, Joel Schultz. “We understand companies must realign priorities and redirect resources to advance their mission toward a long-term vision. STI will continue collecting monthly payments from Lume, established under the existing lease agreement.”

Schultz says the STI Board of Directors will work with Lume, the Sault Tribe and the local community to explore other uses for the commercial property and building located on trust land.