EPISODE #164 The Evolving CBD Market with Phillip Glyn, Founder and Director at Vitality CBD - Show Notes

On the latest episode of The Cannabis Conversation, we’re joined by Phillip Glyn, Founder and Director at Vitality CBD - one of the UK’s leading CBD brands.

Together, we reflect on the state of the CBD market in the UK, the impact of the FSA’s Novel Foods Regulations on the sale of CBD, as well as discussing the future of CBD retailing in the UK.

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About Phillip Glyn

Phillip has been a serial entrepreneur for the past 20 years and is the Founder and Director of Vitality CBD, UK’s leading CBD brand with a focus on creating trustworthy, all-natural products. With unrivalled marketing support, Vitality CBD has established itself as a leader in a rapidly expanding marketplace. Distribution has grown to 4000+ stores including some of the UKs large retailers, such as Boots, Tesco, ASDA plus Amazon and Ebay invitation only pilot scheme, in addition to 1000s of independents. The company was acquired in August 2021 by a Canadian public company, Yooma Wellness Inc.?

Episode Summary

• Phillip has been a lifelong entrepreneur, having previously owned an FMCG distribution company in the 2000s.
• He fell into the e-cigarette business in its infancy and ended up launching his own CBD brand with his business partner after seeing the success of CBD vape liquids.
• Vitality CBD was launched in 2018, and saw success straight away through its product differentiation and focus on consumer education.
• To create trust and transparency around CBD, the brand invited consumers to try their products firsthand within pharmacies using samples, which were supplemented with educational content on digital screens.
• Alongside national pharmacies, the brand is now sold in Boots, Tesco, Asda, Ocado, eBay and Amazon.
• The company differentiates itself through its lifestyle ranges such as its active range, whereby the products contain active pharmaceutical ingredients such as ashwagandha and lemon balm.
• The Covid-19 pandemic allowed the brand to focus its efforts on the digital market, a sales channel which has always performed well.
• It has always been thought that the UK market is 1-2 years ‘behind’ the North American market, but Phillip believes that we have recently closed the gap.
• With restrictions placed on advertising CBD products, and making claims around them, it is very important to focus on distribution and SEO.
• The brands that have been around the longest in the UK have a larger digital presence and dominate search engine results pages.
• There has been some controversy within the UK regarding the Food Standards Agency’s handling of adding CBD to their list of Novel Foods, with clerical errors resulting in commercial disruption.
• Phillip is optimistic that current regulations will ‘weed out’ some of the cowboys, leaving the big industry players.
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Quotables

‘We took it upon ourselves to build a category. We weren't just putting a product on a shelf and hoping it sold. What we were trying to do is lead by example’

Resources

Connect with Phillip on LinkedIn: https://www.dhirubhai.net/in/phillip-glyn-18435333/

Vitality CBD’s Website: https://vitalitycbd.co.uk/

Follow Vitality CBD on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/vitalitycbduk/

About Me

I'm?Anuj Desai - a commercial advisor, lawyer and founder of Canverse - a strategic consultancy helping founders, entrepreneurs and businesses navigate the emerging cannabis industry.

Please follow?The Cannabis Conversation to keep up to date with news and insights from the industry, and get in touch at [email protected] to discuss how I can help your business move forward in the cannabis sector!

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