When it comes to job growth, the cannabis industry is, indeed, smoking:

• The legal cannabis industry accounted for 417,493 full-time equivalent jobs in January, compared to 122,800 in 2017, according to a report by Vangst.
• While that’s 2% lower than in 2022, it follows at least five straight years of double-digit job growth.

More than 20 states have legalized recreational consumption, and entrepreneurs are securing licenses for cannabis retail stores.

That requires hiring associates to staff the stores for an industry that in many states, including New York, didn’t exist a few years ago. And hiring budtenders—the cannabis equivalent to bartenders—can be considerably more complicated than staffing a McDonald’s.

“I know exactly what I need for a burger flipper [but] these jobs that we focus on are very different than that,” Sloane Barbour, founder and CEO of Engin Sciences Inc, an AI recruiting software company that specializes in the cannabis industry, told Retail Brew. “They require unique and novel insight. A budtender needs to know a lot of specific information about the plant, cannabinoids, terpenes, high-volume retail, point-of-sale systems, [and] compliance is a big part of their job.”

In an industry known for myriad strains of its products, Barbour and others have made it their business to help cultivate a new strain of employee: the cannabis retail worker.

Keep reading here.—AAN

The future of work is all about flexibility, but making it work for your team can be tricky. Whether you clock in from the store, at home, or on the go, Cisco’s solutions empower retail pros to thrive in any work environment.

Cisco has the networking, security, and collaboration tools to deliver frictionless user experiences so you can give your supply chain and entire business the agility needed to delight your customers. With their hybrid work solutions, you can ensure your employees maintain access to necessary applications without compromising security.

Ready to offer your team the freedom to work efficiently from anywhere? Chat with an expert from Cisco to find the right solutions tailored for your hybrid work environment.

Book your consultation with a specialist.

Sustainability is on everyone’s mind, and some luxury brands are approaching it in unique ways. Just this week, Armani Group announced it has opened an experimental agroforestry plantation—a land-use system that integrates shrubs and trees with crops or pastures—in southern Italy.

The plantation, which has already witnessed some cotton planting since, will trial different methods to manufacture cotton sustainably with a low carbon footprint.

Known as the Apulia Regenerative Cotton Project, it runs in partnership with the Sustainable Markets Intiative’s Fashion Task Force and Circular Bioeconomy Alliance, both founded by King Charles during his time as Prince of Wales.

“This innovative approach responds to increasing consumer demand for sustainable fashion globally, and at the same time, it ensures traceable and resilient value chains as well as the safety of resources,” Armani said in a statement.

Above and beyond: Armani is not the only luxury brand testing out innovative approaches to sustainability.

Kering—the parent company to Saint Laurent and Gucci—recently announced its goal to cut its greenhouse gas emissions by 40% by 2035, using 2021 as a baseline.

Keep reading here.—JS

Artificial intelligence in fashion has been a running theme over the past year, as more brands incorporate the tech into their biz models. There’s a whole damn AI fashion week now, let’s not forget.

Now, subscription fashion service Rent the Runway is betting on it too. After an overhaul and cost-cutting measures last year, the rental company aims to improve its range of offerings this year, offering users more looks and a text-based concierge service, WWD reported.

The central focus of these efforts is to make renting clothes smoother, all with the help of an AI-powered search function Rent the Runway will be testing over the next few weeks “to make the process of discovering products more intuitive and natural.”

Keep reading here.—JS

Today’s top retail reads.

Above and beyond: First launched in 2021, Walmart is working to expand its HIV speciality pharmacy program across a dozen states to help patients gain easy access to treatments. (CNBC)

Carry on: As it marks its 125th anniversary in Tokyo, German luggage brand Rimowa is looking to LVMH’s efficient formula for growth to ensure success. (Vogue Business)

Tight-lipped: Target has gone silent after pulling Pride merchandise from shelves, but what message is that sending? (Retail Dive)

Flexible work FTW: Embrace hybrid work with all the right tools. Cisco’s solutions empower you to stay connected effortlessly and efficiently with your team—no matter where they are. Connect with an expert.*

High-key homeownership: Gen Z is shakin’ up the home improvement and furniture industries…color us shocked. Our latest article breaks down what changes to expect. Sponsored by LTK.*

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Three of the stories below are real...and one is most definitely not. Can you spot the fake?

1. Visitors in California can now stop at a Cheez-It gas station equipped with a large Cheez-It pump that sprays out free bags of…you guessed it, Cheez-Its.
2. Taco Bell may soon start offering a fully vegan Crunchwrap that comes with plant-based beef and cheese.
3. And to display its solidarity with World Animal Day, McDonald’s will offer only vegan items for one full week in July.
4. Grillo’s Pickles will soon be available as a hard seltzer flavor.

Keep reading for the answer.

Catch up on the Retail Brew stories you may have missed.

• A shoe brand that uses upcycled wine corks
• How the debt-ceiling bill will affect SNAP benefits
• Gen Z reshapes the home improvement and furniture industries