Revenue up 18% Y/Y to $116.7 Million, Excluding Discontinued Operations

Company Delivers Record Adjusted EBITDA1 of $29.4 Million, up 78% Y/Y, 12% Sequentially, with Adjusted EBITDA Margin of 25%

GAAP Loss from Operations Improved 81% Y/Y, 79% Sequentially to $(4.5) Million, Excluding Discontinued Operations

MIAMI, August 17, 2023  — AYR Wellness Inc. (CSE: AYR.A, OTCQX: AYRWF) (“AYR” or the “Company”), a leading vertically integrated U.S. multi-state cannabis operator (“MSO”), is reporting financial results for the second quarter ended June 30, 2023. Unless otherwise noted, all results are presented in U.S. dollars.

The following financial measures are reported as results from continuing operations due to the sale of the Company’s business in Arizona in March 2023, which are reported as discontinued operations. All historical comparisons have been restated accordingly.

David Goubert, President & CEO of AYR, said, “The second quarter represented a meaningful step in AYR’s journey towards generating meaningful cash flow, as we simultaneously got leaner and more efficient while continuing to lay the foundation for revenue growth. We generated record Adjusted EBITDA, up 78% year-over-year with an Adjusted EBITDA margin of 25% and improved our GAAP loss from operations by 81% year-over-year to a loss of $4.5 million. Our efforts around cost savings and optimization accelerated margin expansion ahead of our expectations, and we believe these efforts will enable us to maintain Adjusted EBITDA margin in the mid-twenties for the second half as we unlock working capital through aggressive inventory management throughout the remainder of the year.

“We have also made meaningful progress on improving our liquidity profile in the second quarter. Along with the amendments to various earnout considerations completed in May, we also reached contingent agreements to extend the maturity of $69 million in promissory notes by two years and recently refinanced and upsized our Gainesville cultivation facility mortgage. As a result of the collective amendments to the vendor notes, contingent promissory notes and earn-out payments, and refinancing and upsizing of our Gainesville facility mortgage, we have extended the payment terms of more than $120 million of obligations, inclusive of the $69 million of contingent agreements. These important milestones reflect our commitment to strengthening AYR’s balance sheet, as we are intently focused on improving our working capital and liquidity.

“We are positioning AYR for sustainable long-term growth and profitability across all our markets, while prioritizing the financial health of the Company. As we look to the rest of the year, we plan to accelerate our cash generation via our 2023 optimization plan, making strides in inventory optimization, continuing to align our production with demand, and developing further synergies within our supply chain, retail, wholesale and purchasing functions. Additionally, we believe our ongoing initiatives to grow our Florida footprint, improve operations in New Jersey, and build out retail footprints in Ohio, Illinois, and Connecticut will enable us to accelerate growth in the quarters ahead.”

Second Quarter Financial Summary (excludes results from AZ for all periods) ($ in millions, excl. margin items)

  Q2 2022 Q1 2023 Q2 2023 % Change
Q2/Q2
% Change
Q2/Q1
Revenue $98.9   $117.7   $116.7   18.0%   -0.8%  
Gross Profit $36.0   $48.3   $56.6   57.2%   17.3%  
Adjusted Gross Profit1 $51.5   $65.3   $69.1   34.0%   5.8%  
Operating Loss $(23.7)   $(21.7)   $(4.5)   80.8%   79.1%  
Adjusted EBITDA1 $16.5   $26.3   $29.5   78.1%   11.8%  
Adjusted EBITDA Margin1 16.7%   22.4%   25.2%   854bps   284bps  

1Adjusted EBITDA, Adjusted Gross Profit and Adjusted EBITDA Margin are non-GAAP measures, and accordingly are not standardized measures and may not be comparable to similar measures used by other companies. See Definition and Reconciliation of Non-GAAP Measures below. For a reconciliation of Operating Loss to Adjusted EBITDA as well as Gross Profit to Adjusted Gross Profit, see the reconciliation tables appended to this release.

Second Quarter and Recent Highlights

  • Retail Updates
    • Opened the Company’s 86th retail location, subsequent to quarter end.
    • Q2 retail sales increased 1% sequentially from Q1, with total transactions up 6%.
    • The Company has opened 10 Florida stores thus far in 2023, bringing its Florida store total to 62 open locations to date. The Company plans to exit 2023 with a total of Florida 64 stores, compared to 52 to start the year.
    • Completed re-brand of full fleet of Florida stores to AYR Cannabis Dispensary.
    • Announced agreement to acquire third Ohio dispensary license.
    • Announced an exclusive licensing and retail agreement in Florida with Kiva Confections, a global leader in cannabis edibles. As previously announced, the agreement will bring Kiva’s collection of award-winning cannabis edibles to the Florida market for the first time via AYR’s retail locations across the state.
  • Corporate Updates
    • Closed the acquisition of Tahoe Hydroponics, an award-winning cultivator and one of Nevada’s top producers of high-quality cannabis flower.
    • As previously announced, reached an agreement to amend the terms of contingent consideration under the membership interest purchase agreements of GSD NJ, LLC and Sira Naturals Inc.
    • As previously announced, reached contingent agreements to defer approximately $69 million of promissory note payments.
    • Subsequent to quarter end, closed a $40 million refinancing and upsizing of its existing mortgage for its Gainesville cultivation facility, contributing a net $14 million of cash proceeds. The new loan carries an interest rate of 5-year FHLB Rate + 4%.

Financing and Capital Structure

  • The Company deployed $6.7 million of capital expenditures in Q2 and ended the quarter with a cash balance of $60.0 million.
  • The Company has approximately 77.2 million fully diluted shares outstanding based on a treasury method calculation.i
  • Subsequent to the quarter end, the Company closed on a $40 million refinancing and upsizing of its existing mortgage for its Gainesville cultivation facility. Following the July 7, 2023, paydown of its existing $25.3 million mortgage, the Company had a pro forma cash balance of $74 million.
  • In 2023, the Company filed an application with the U.S. Internal Revenue Service (“IRS”) for the employee retention credit (“ERC”), as originally enacted through the U.S. Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act. The Company anticipates receiving $12.3 million relating to its ERC application.

Outlook

The Company remains committed to its financial health and is positioning itself to achieve sustainable long-term growth and profitability across all markets of operation. AYR expects to generate revenue and Adjusted EBITDA growth in the second half of 2023 and into 2024 and to generate positive GAAP cash flow from operations for the calendar year 2023.

AYR’s expectations for future results are based on the assumptions and risks detailed in its Management’s Discussion and Analysis (“MD&A”) for the period ended June 30, 2023, as filed on SEDAR+ and with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”).

Conference Call

The conference will be broadcast live and available for replay here.

A telephonic replay of the conference call will also be available for one month until end of day Sunday, September 17, 2023.

Toll-free replay number: (855) 669-9658
International replay number: (412) 317-0088
Replay ID: 0257

Financial Statements

Certain financial information reported in this news release is extracted from AYR’s Consolidated Financial Statements and MD&A for the quarter ended June 30, 2023. AYR files its financial statements and MD&A on SEDAR+ and with the SEC. All financial information contained in this news release is qualified in its entirety by reference to such financial statements and MD&A.

Definition of GAAP
“GAAP” means generally accepted accounting principles.

Definition and Reconciliation of Non-GAAP Measures

The Company reports certain non-GAAP measures that are used to evaluate the performance of its businesses and the performance of their respective segments, as well as to manage their capital structures. As non-GAAP measures generally do not have a standardized meaning, they may not be comparable to similar measures presented by other issuers. Securities regulators require such measures to be clearly defined and reconciled with their most comparable GAAP measures.

Rather, these are provided as additional information to complement those GAAP measures by providing further understanding of the results of the operations of the Company from management’s perspective. Accordingly, these measures should not be considered in isolation, nor as a substitute for analysis of the Company’s financial information reported under GAAP. Non-GAAP measures used to analyze the performance of the Company’s businesses include “Adjusted EBITDA,” and “Adjusted Gross Profit.”

The Company believes that these non-GAAP financial measures provide meaningful supplemental information regarding the Company’s performances and may be useful to investors because they allow for greater transparency with respect to key metrics used by management in its financial and operational decision-making. These financial measures are intended to provide investors with supplemental measures of the Company’s operating performances and thus highlight trends in the Company’s core businesses that may not otherwise be apparent when solely relying on the GAAP measures.

Adjusted EBITDA

“Adjusted EBITDA” represents (loss) income from continuing operations, as reported under GAAP, before interest and tax, adjusted to exclude non-core costs, other non-cash items, including depreciation and amortization, and further adjusted to remove non-cash stock-based compensation, impairment expense, the accounting for the incremental costs to acquire cannabis inventory in a business combination, acquisition and transaction related costs, and start-up costs.

Adjusted Gross Profit

“Adjusted Gross Profit” represents gross profit, as reported, adjusted to exclude the accounting for the incremental costs to acquire cannabis inventory in a business combination, interest, depreciation and amortization, start-up costs and other non-core costs.

A reconciliation of how AYR calculates Adjusted EBITDA and Adjusted Gross Profit is provided in the tables appended below. Additional reconciliations of Adjusted EBITDA, Adjusted Gross Profit and other disclosures concerning non-GAAP measures are provided in our MD&A for the three months ended June 30, 2023.

Forward-Looking Statements

Certain statements are forward-looking statements within the meaning of applicable securities laws, including, but not limited to, those statements relating to the Company and its financial capacity and availability of capital and other statements that are not historical facts. These statements are based upon certain material factors, assumptions, and analyses that were applied in drawing a conclusion or making a forecast or projection, including experience of the Company, as applicable, and perception of historical trends, current conditions, and expected future developments, as well as other factors that are believed to be reasonable in the circumstances. Forward-looking statements are provided for the purpose of presenting information about management’s current expectations and plans relating to the future and readers are cautioned that such statements may not be appropriate for other purposes. These statements may include, without limitation, statements regarding the operations, business, financial condition, expected financial results, performance, prospects, opportunities, priorities, targets, goals, ongoing objectives, strategies, and outlook of the Company. Forward-looking statements are often identified by the words “may”, “would”, “could”, “should”, “will”, “intend”, “plan”, “anticipate”, “believe”, “estimate”, “project”, “expect”, “target”, “continue”, “forecast”, “design”, “goal” or negative versions thereof and other similar expressions.

Forward-looking estimates and assumptions involve known and unknown risks and uncertainties that may cause actual results to differ materially. While AYR believes there is a reasonable basis for these assumptions, such estimates may not be met. These estimates represent forward-looking information. Actual results may vary and differ materially from the estimates.

Assumptions and Risks

Forward-looking information in this release is subject to the assumptions and risks as described in our MD&A for the quarter ended June 30, 2023, and Annual Information Form as of and for the year ended December 31, 2022.

Additional Information

For more information about the Company’s Q2 and 2023 operations and outlook, please view AYR’s corporate presentation posted in the Investors section of the Company’s website at www.ayrwellness.com.

About AYR Wellness Inc.

AYR Wellness is a vertically integrated, U.S. multi-state cannabis business. The Company operates simultaneously as a retailer with 85+ licensed dispensaries and a house of cannabis CPG brands.

AYR is committed to delivering high-quality cannabis products to its patients and customers while acting as a Force for Good for its team members and the communities that the Company serves. For more information, please visit www.ayrwellness.com.

 

Ayr Wellness Inc.
Unaudited Interim Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheets
(Expressed in United States Dollars, in thousands, except share amounts)
    As of
    June 30, 2023   December 31, 2022  
ASSETS  
Current    
  Cash $ 60,030   $ 76,827  
  Accounts receivable, net   8,692     7,738  
  Inventory   99,374     99,810  
  Prepaid expenses, deposits, and other current assets   13,277     8,702  
  Assets held-for-sale       260,625  
  Total Current Assets   181,373     453,702  
Non-current    
  Property, plant, and equipment, net   308,558     302,680  
  Intangible assets, net   717,199     744,709  
  Right-of-use assets – operating, net   119,321     121,340  
  Right-of-use assets – finance, net   43,367     43,222  
  Goodwill   94,108     94,108  
  Deposits and other assets   6,254     8,009  
TOTAL ASSETS $ 1,470,180   $ 1,767,770  
       
LIABILITIES AND SHAREHOLDERS’ EQUITY    
Liabilities    
Current    
  Trade payables $ 18,475   $ 26,671  
  Accrued liabilities   36,620     25,470  
  Lease liabilities – operating – current portion   8,365     7,906  
  Lease liabilities – finance – current portion   10,402     9,529  
  Contingent consideration – current portion       63,429  
  Purchase consideration payable       2,849  
  Income tax payable   69,727     46,006  
  Debts payable – current portion   75,948     40,523  
  Liabilities held-for-sale       43,841  
  Accrued interest payable – current portion   5,710     2,581  
  Total Current Liabilities   225,247     268,805  
Non-current    
  Deferred tax liabilities, net   72,413     72,413  
  Lease liabilities – operating – non-current portion   116,826     118,086  
  Lease liabilities – finance – non-current portion   21,600     24,016  
  Construction finance liabilities   36,422     36,181  
  Contingent consideration – non-current portion       26,661  
  Debts payable – non-current portion   112,891     136,315  
  Senior secured notes, net of debt issuance costs   244,318     244,682  
  Accrued interest payable – non-current portion       4,763  
  Other long term liabilities   25,021     524  
TOTAL LIABILITIES   854,738     932,446  
       
Commitments and contingencies    
       
Shareholders’ equity    
  Multiple Voting Shares – no par value, unlimited authorized. Issued and outstanding – 3,696,486 shares        
  Subordinate, Restricted, and Limited Voting Shares – no par value, unlimited authorized. Issued and outstanding – 63,718,487 and 60,909,492 shares, respectively        
  Exchangeable Shares: no par value, unlimited authorized. Issued and outstanding – 9,710,707 and 6,044,339 shares, respectively        
  Additional paid-in capital   1,364,162     1,349,713  
  Treasury stock – 645,300 shares   (8,987 )   (8,987 )
  Accumulated other comprehensive income   3,266     3,266  
  Accumulated deficit   (735,204 )   (510,668 )
  Equity of Ayr Wellness Inc.   623,237     833,324  
  Noncontrolling interest   (7,795 )   2,000  
TOTAL SHAREHOLDERS’ EQUITY   615,442     835,324  
TOTAL LIABILITIES AND SHAREHOLDERS’ EQUITY $ 1,470,180   $ 1,767,770  

 

Ayr Wellness Inc.
Unaudited Interim Condensed Consolidated Statements of Operations
(Expressed in United States Dollars, in thousands)
    Three Months Ended     Six Months Ended
    June 30, 2023   June 30, 2022       June 30, 2023   June 30, 2022  
               
Revenues, net of discounts $ 116,737   $ 98,914       $ 234,402   $ 198,417  
               
Cost of goods sold excluding fair value items   60,090     59,656         129,473     116,314  
Incremental costs to acquire cannabis inventory in business combinations       3,212             5,731  
Cost of goods sold   60,090     62,868         129,473     122,045  
               
Gross profit   56,647     36,046         104,929     76,372  
               
Operating expenses            
  Selling, general, and administrative   46,929     47,792         98,980     96,821  
  Depreciation and amortization   11,867     11,233         27,481     22,115  
  Acquisition expense   2,402     2,722         4,642     4,168  
  (Gain) loss on sale of assets   (12 )   (2,000 )       47     (2,000 )
Total operating expenses   61,186     59,747         131,150     121,104  
               
Loss from operations   (4,539 )   (23,701 )       (26,221 )   (44,732 )
               
Other income (expense), net            
  Fair value (loss) gain on financial liabilities   (3,866 )   1,701         23,731     31,780  
  Interest expense, net   (10,496 )   (6,913 )       (18,061 )   (13,220 )
  Interest income   233     11         399     40  
  Other, net   352             631      
Total other income (expense), net   (13,777 )   (5,201 )       6,700     18,600  
               
Income (loss) from continuing operations before income taxes and noncontrolling interest   (18,316 )   (28,902 )       (19,521 )   (26,132 )
               
Income taxes            
  Current tax provision   (12,887 )   (9,678 )       (24,065 )   (19,247 )
  Deferred tax benefit       1,089             696  
Total income taxes   (12,887 )   (8,589 )       (24,065 )   (18,551 )
               
Net loss from continuing operations   (31,203 )   (37,491 )       (43,586 )   (44,683 )
               
Discontinued operations            
  Gain (loss) from discontinued operations, net of taxes (including loss on disposal of $180,194 for the six months ended June 30, 2023)   559     (2,758 )       (184,686 )   (4,759 )
Loss from discontinued operations   559     (2,758 )       (184,686 )   (4,759 )
               
Net loss   (30,644 )   (40,249 )       (228,272 )   (49,442 )
  Net loss attributable to noncontrolling interest   (711 )   (1,892 )       (3,736 )   (3,508 )
  Net loss attributable to Ayr Wellness Inc. $ (29,933 ) $ (38,357 )     $ (224,536 ) $ (45,934 )
               
Basic and diluted net loss per share            
  Continuing operations $ (0.42 ) $ (0.52 )     $ (0.56 ) $ (0.60 )
  Discontinued operations   0.01     (0.04 )       (2.59 )   (0.07 )
  Total basic and diluted net loss per share $ (0.41 ) $ (0.56 )     $ (3.15 ) $ (0.67 )
               
Weighted average number of shares outstanding (basic and diluted)   72,756     68,625         71,390     68,108  
               

 

Ayr Wellness Inc.
Unaudited Interim Condensed Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows
(Expressed in United States Dollars, in thousands)
  Six Months Ended
  June 30, 2023   June 30, 2022  
Operating activities    
Consolidated net loss $ (228,272 ) $ (49,442 )
Less: Loss from discontinued operations (Note 4)   (4,492 )   (4,759 )
Net loss from continuing operations before noncontrolling interest   (223,780 )   (44,683 )
Adjustments for:    
Fair value gain on financial liabilities   (23,731 )   (31,780 )
Stock-based compensation   10,008     19,381  
Stock-based compensation – related parties       707  
Depreciation and amortization   17,783     7,294  
Amortization on intangible assets   29,010     28,234  
Incremental costs to acquire cannabis inventory in a business combination       5,731  
Deferred tax benefit       (696 )
Amortization on financing costs   1,145     1,146  
Amortization on financing premium   (1,509 )   (1,509 )
Loss (gain) on disposal of property, plant, and equipment   47     (2,000 )
Loss on the disposal of Arizona business   180,194      
Changes in operating assets and liabilities, net of business combinations:    
Accounts receivable   (1,254 )   2,193  
Inventory   736     (3,294 )
Prepaid expenses, deposits, and other current assets   1,550     713  
Trade payables   (8,770 )   2,460  
Accrued liabilities   (1,215 )   (4,575 )
Accrued interest payable   (2,044 )   (3,714 )
Lease liabilities – operating   1,219     1,078  
Income tax payable   23,416     (8,005 )
Cash provided by (used in) continuing operations   2,805     (31,319 )
Cash provided by (used in) discontinued operations   2,180     (3,553 )
Cash provided by (used in) operating activities   4,985     (34,872 )
     
Investing activities    
Purchase of property, plant, and equipment   (13,939 )   (48,429 )
Capitalized interest   (5,464 )   (7,168 )
Cash paid for business combinations and asset acquisitions, net of cash acquired   (1,500 )   (11,465 )
Cash paid for business combinations and asset acquisitions, working capital   (2,600 )   (2,812 )
Proceeds from the sale of assets, net of transaction costs       27,591  
Cash received (paid) for bridge financing   (73 )   1,258  
Advances to related corporation       (5,907 )
Deposits for business combinations, net of cash on hand       (2,825 )
Purchase of intangible asset   (1,500 )   (1,000 )
Cash used in investing activities from continuing operations   (25,076 )   (50,757 )
Proceeds from sale of Arizona – discontinued operation   18,084      
Cash received for working capital – discontinued operations   840      
Cash provided by (used in) investing activities of discontinued operations   (44 )   3,166  
Cash used in investing activities   (6,196 )   (47,591 )
     
Financing activities    
Proceeds from exercise of options       300  
Proceeds from notes payable, net of financing costs   10,000     51,713  
Proceeds from financing transaction, net of financing costs       27,599  
Payment for settlement of contingent consideration   (10,000 )   (10,000 )
Deposits paid for financing lease and note payable       (924 )
Tax withholding on stock-based compensation awards   (321 )   (3,996 )
Repayments of debts payable   (13,778 )   (6,563 )
Repayments of lease liabilities – finance (principal portion)   (5,177 )   (4,561 )
Repurchase of Equity Shares       (8,430 )
Cash provided by (used in) financing activities by continuing operations   (19,276 )   45,138  
Cash used in financing activities from discontinued operations   (123 )   (274 )
Cash provided by (used in) financing activities   (19,399 )   44,864  
     
Net decrease in cash   (20,610 )   (37,599 )
Cash, beginning of the period   76,827     154,342  
Cash included in assets held-for-sale   3,813      
Cash, end of the period $ 60,030   $ 116,743  
     
Supplemental disclosure of cash flow information:    
Interest paid during the period, net   23,110     26,049  
Income taxes paid during the period   959     30,680  
Non-cash investing and financing activities:    
Recognition of right-of-use assets for operating leases   3,134     23,002  
Recognition of right-of-use assets for finance leases   3,858     23,342  
Issuance of promissory note related to business combinations   1,580     16,000  
Conversion of convertible note related to business combination   2,800      
Issuance of Equity Shares related to business combinations and asset acquisitions   115     6,352  
Issuance of Equity Shares related to settlement of contingent consideration   4,647     11,748  
Issuance of promissory note related to settlement of contingent consideration   14,000     14,934  
Settlement of contingent consideration   37,713      
Capital expenditure disbursements for cultivation facility   241      
Cancellation of Equity Shares       78  
Extinguishment of note payable related to sale of Arizona business   22,505      
Extinguishment of accrued interest payable related to sale of Arizona business   1,165      
Reduction of lease liabilities related to sale of Arizona business   16,734      
Reduction of right-of-use assets related to sale of Arizona business   16,739      
     

 

Ayr Wellness Inc.
Unaudited Interim Consolidated Adjusted EBITDA and Gross Profit Reconciliation
(Expressed in United States Dollars, in thousands)
         
  Three Months Ended Six Months Ended
  June 30, 2023     June 30, 2022     June 30, 2023     June 30, 2022  
  $     $     $     $  
Loss from continuing operations (GAAP) (4,539 )   (23,701 )   (26,221 )   (44,732 )
         
Incremental costs to acquire cannabis inventory in a business combination     3,212         5,731  
Interest (within cost of goods sold “COGS”) 763     742     1,514     1,204  
Depreciation and amortization (from statement of cash flows) 21,756     18,394     46,793     35,528  
Acquisition and transaction costs 2,402     2,722     4,642     4,168  
Stock-based compensation, non-cash 4,424     9,727     10,008     20,088  
Start-up costs1 2,235     3,862     5,962     7,106  
(Gain) loss on sale of assets (12 )   (2,000 )   47     (2,000 )
Other2 2,417     3,543     13,037     5,466  
  33,985     40,202     82,003     77,291  
         
Adjusted EBITDA from continuing operations (non-GAAP) 29,446     16,500     55,782     32,559  
         
         
         
1 These are set-up costs to prepare a location for its intended use. Start-up costs are expensed as incurred and are not indicative of ongoing operations
2 Other non-core costs including non-operating adjustments, severance costs and non-cash inventory write-downs
         
         
         
  Three Months Ended Six Months Ended
  June 30, 2023     June 30, 2022     June 30, 2023     June 30, 2022  
  $     $     $     $  
Gross profit (GAAP) 56,647     36,046     104,929     76,372  
         
Incremental costs to acquire cannabis inventory in a business combination     3,212         5,731  
Interest (within COGS) 763     742     1,514     1,204  
Depreciation and amortization (within COGS) 9,889     7,161     19,313     13,413  
Start-up costs (within COGS) 748     1,154     3,010     2,752  
Other (within COGS) 1,013     3,215     5,577     4,052  
         
Adjusted Gross Profit from continuing operations (non-GAAP) 69,060     51,530     134,343     103,524  
         

 

[i] Includes pending M&A and contingent considerations related to GSD and Sira Naturals purchase considerations. Excludes AYR granted but unvested service-based LTIP shares totaling 4.8 million.