In Ontario, a cannabis store has to pass an AGCO inspection before it can open, and the fixtures are part of what makes it ready. Product on display has to stay out of customers’ reach, storage has to be secure, and the opening date is often set before the fixtures are ordered.
DNS Industries has manufactured fixture and millwork packages for more than 350 cannabis retail locations across North America, from single flagships to multi-banner rollout programs. Brands include four Fika group banners (Fire & Flower, Friendly Stranger, Happy Dayz and Prairie Records), along with Hunny Pot, Sessions Cannabis, Mellow Leaf, The Woods and Circa 1818.
Most retail fit-outs run to a lease date. A cannabis store also runs to the AGCO’s pre-authorization inspection, and the steps come in this order:
That means a longer millwork lead time costs money as well as time. Every week the fixture package slips is a week of rent with no revenue, so the fixture order should be placed earlier than many operators expect.
Customers want to see and compare product, and the rules require that it stay under staff control. The fixtures have to do both:
In Ontario, the AGCO’s Registrar’s Standards allow retailers to use sensory display containers so customers can see and smell cannabis, as long as the containers are locked and tamper-proof, customers cannot touch the product, and the containers stay on the premises. Product in a sensory display has to be bought from the store’s own inventory through the point-of-sale system. All other cannabis has to be stored securely and be accessible only to staff.
Common ways to build that into the fixture:
Compliance is the operator’s responsibility, and rules change, so confirm current requirements with the AGCO or your licensing advisor before the drawings are final. For general case design, see how to specify a custom display case.
Until 2025, Ontario’s Registrar’s Standards required that cannabis and accessories not be visible from outside the store, which is why first-generation stores had covered windows. The AGCO removed that standard on May 23, 2025. The federal Cannabis Act still prohibits displaying cannabis or its packaging where a young person may see it, and it limits promotion, so confirm what can face the window before the storefront fixtures are drawn.
Two layout points are worth settling early. Camera coverage is a requirement: the Registrar’s Standards call for surveillance of the sales floor, the point of sale and the storage areas, so fixtures must not block it. Open staff sightlines across the floor are not a rule, but they are good practice. Check both with the security contractor while the fixtures are still on paper.
Many larger cannabis retailers run several stores under one banner. As an operator adds locations, a standard fixture package is easier to manage: a reference store is built and approved, then standardized into a production package, with fixtures kitted and staged per store. The per-unit cost usually comes down as volume grows.
The process is the same as any multi-store retail rollout, and first article approval matters because a fixture error would repeat in every location.
Dispensary counters and display cases are in use all day, by staff and customers, in a small space. Display case glass, counter edges and gate hardware can take more wear than in other stores of the same size, so edge treatment, hardware grade and finish selection deserve attention early.
See the work: Sessions Cannabis · Hunny Pot · Mellow Leaf · Circa 1818 · The Woods · Fika · Mihi.
We detailed and assembled these programs at our facility in Vaughan. A secure display case combines glass, metal, locking hardware and lit millwork, and the parts have to be detailed and assembled accurately for the case to lock properly. Drawing them in one set of shop drawings and assembling them in one place makes that easier to control.
See also: illuminated display fixtures and custom display fixtures.
Most stores use locking display cases, budtender and consultation counters, reception millwork and locking back-of-house storage, and many add sensory displays. Fixture heights and positions should keep staff sightlines and camera coverage clear.
In Ontario the store has to pass the AGCO’s pre-authorization inspection, and it cannot open or sell until the Retail Store Authorization is issued. The lease runs throughout, so every week of fixture delay is rent with no revenue.
Yes. DNS has supplied fixture and millwork packages for more than 350 cannabis retail locations across North America. Brands include four Fika group banners (Fire & Flower, Friendly Stranger, Happy Dayz and Prairie Records), Hunny Pot, Sessions Cannabis, Mellow Leaf, The Woods and Circa 1818.
Yes, through sensory display containers. Under the AGCO’s standards they must be locked and tamper-proof so customers cannot touch the product, must stay on the premises, and the cannabis in them must come from the store’s inventory through the point-of-sale system.
Planning a dispensary build or multi-store rollout? Send us your drawings →
Related guides: display case design, cash wrap design.
