Nabis to Acquire Hudson Distribution Services’ New Jersey Cannabis Distribution License

NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Nabis, the largest licensed cannabis wholesale platform, entered into a strategic partnership with Hudson Distribution Services, LLC (“Hudson Distribution”) to acquire its New Jersey cannabis distribution license and warehouse lease.

Why it matters: Nabis will enter New Jersey as the largest cannabis distributor in New York, Nevada, and California, acquiring licensed infrastructure and existing operator relationships without a greenfield build. That infrastructure comes through Hudson Distribution, a company born out of the former distribution business of Hudson News Distributors, LLC - the largest distributor of magazines, books, and various other products in the northeast, which was led by James S. Cohen, Chairman and CEO of its diversified holding company, Hudson Media, Inc.

The deal positions Nabis in strategic locations across the tri-state area ahead of what many in the industry expect to be a future interstate commerce framework. It gives New Jersey brands and retailers access to Nabis Marketplace, a modern wholesale commerce platform with real-time inventory visibility, automated payments, and financing tools.

The details:

• The license: Nabis will acquire a New Jersey cannabis distribution license from Hudson Distribution, a long-established operator in the state.
• The lease: Nabis will assume Hudson Distribution’s warehouse lease, providing immediate access to turnkey logistics and distribution infrastructure.
• The investment: Hudson Distribution and affiliated parties will become Nabis shareholders through a seed investment in Nabis’s New Jersey operations.

What Vince C. Ning, CEO and Co-founder of Nabis, said: "Entering New Jersey gives Nabis the infrastructure to help scale our brand and retail partners in an exciting and growing market they've been waiting to access. Hudson Distribution and the Hudson family of distribution companies have built a legacy of trust, reliability, and dependability that spans over 100 years, giving Nabis a running start in the state.”

What James S. Cohen, CEO of Hudson Distribution and head of the Hudson family of companies, said: “Retail distribution is our very DNA, for over 100 years we distributed magazines, books, and newspapers - all perishable products - to retailers and consumers throughout the Northeast, often within hours of those products hitting our docks from suppliers. We know distribution and logistics, and so we know that Nabis is the best choice to provide continuity to the burgeoning cannabis distribution channel and help grow our partners across New Jersey and beyond.”

What’s next: Nabis expects to launch its wholesale technology platform and distribution services for brands and retailers in New Jersey in the second half of 2026.

About Nabis

Nabis is the #1 wholesale platform powering over $1B annually in licensed cannabis commerce across the U.S. Nabis enables thousands of nationwide brand and retailer partners to innovate, launch, and scale strategically. Its integrated wholesale solution includes a best-in-class online marketplace, state-of-the-art multi-channel fulfillment, payment processing, flexible financing, data analytics, and sales and marketing services. Nabis delivers the predictability cannabis operators need to grow. Nabis has been recognized on Inc. 5000’s list of Fastest Growing Private Companies in America, Fast Company’s 50 Most Innovative Companies in America, and Deloitte’s Technology Fast 500. Learn more at nabis.com.

About Hudson Distribution

Hudson Distribution is a New Jersey-licensed cannabis distributor led by James S. Cohen, Chairman, CEO, and head of the Hudson family of companies, including Hudson Media, Inc., and Hudson Capital Properties, made famous by the eponymous airport retail locations known as Hudson News stores. The roots of the company go back over 100 years to James’ grandfather, Isaac, founder of a newspaper and magazine distribution enterprise in Hudson County, NJ, which then grew and matured into the leading magazine distributor in the Northeastern U.S under the leadership of James’ father, Robert. In the mid-1980s, Hudson Group was born as an outgrowth of the company’s wholesale business, and it soon became the nation’s largest airport news and gift concessionaire through its Hudson News branded stores. In 2008, Hudson Group became majority owned by Avolta AG (formerly Dufry AG), a Swiss-based travel retailer that operates duty-free and duty-paid shops and convenience stores throughout the world. The company, in which the Cohen family remains a major shareholder, employs almost 75,000 people and operates in over 75 countries worldwide.

As another outgrowth of the legacy wholesale business, Hudson Distribution was created through a partnership with Jacob Miller, the principal of Paybotic Financial, a leading cannabis financial and payment-processing firm. From the outset, the venture’s purpose was clear - to service the newly legalized cannabis market in Hudson’s home state of New Jersey, leveraging the expertise of decades of distribution know-how along with the capital heft to be a backbone of the fledgling cannabis industry in the Garden State and beyond.