Stephan's Friday Picks

• Pepsi vs Carrefour: a battle inflamed by French retail rules (FT)
• Amazon to invest in Diamond Sports Group as part of bankruptcy deal (ESPN)
• Macy's to cut about 2,350 stores, close 5 stores (WSJ)
• Zara billionaire grabs chance to buy up discounted real estate (FT)
• From the archives (2015): Shifting from star performer to star manager (HBR)

Stephan's Thursday Picks

• The trends defining the $1.8 trillion global wellness market (McKinsey)
• Uber to close alcohol delivery app Drizly (WSJ)
• You will miss the pizza delivery driver (The Atlantic)
• Scientists tricked our brains into craving ultra-processed foods - and now people are fighting back (Globe and Mail)
• Renting clothes was supposed to be the future of fashion. Then shoppers got board (WSJ)

 Stephan's Wednesday Picks

• DavidsTea steeped in turmoil but determined not to sell (Globe and Mail)
• Loblaws will no longer offer 50% off discount on expiring products (CBC)
• RBI buying top Burger King franchisee in $1-billion deal (Globe and Mail)
• Food marketing in the Ozempic age (NYT)
• Inflation heats up in December, posing a challenge for the Bank of Canada (Globe and Mail)

 Stephan's Tuesday Picks

• Roger Martin: Why you should be afraid of 'great execution' (Medium)
• Halal food industry growing to meet demand as Muslim population continues rising (Globe and Mail)
• Supermarkets agree to accept smaller vegetables from rain-soaked UK farms (The Guardian)
• Why Rexall's American owner wants to sell the pharmacy chain - and might unload it at a loss (Globe and Mail)
• How smart marketing, scarce supply, and unique colours made the Stanley cup a must-have item (CBC)

 Stephan's Monday Picks

• The barcode engineered its own downfall (The Atlantic)
• Rexall pharmacy chain put up for sale as American owner rethinks Canadian footprint (Globe and Mail)
• Farming is a dirty word now (The Guardian)
• The meme king of longevity now wants to sell you olive oil (NYT)
• At Kernel, Chipotle's Steve Ells is still trying to solve lunch (Grub Street)

 Stephan's Friday Picks

• The growing link between microbes, mood, and mental health (Knowable Magazine)
• No, that's not Tayler Swift peddling Le Creuset cookware (NYT)
• The Stanley water bottle craze, explained (Vox)
• Where the CEO of Walmart U.S turns for advice (WSJ)
• From the archives (2008): Wal-Mart chief offers a social manifesto (NYT)

 Stephan's Thursday Picks

• Is America's ultra-processed diet that bad? Big Food fights back (WSJ)
• Walmart experiments with AI to enhance customers' shopping experiences (AP)
• Instacart is bringing ads to its smart carts (Fast Company)
• Sainsbury's could have done more given fall in consumer costs (WSJ)
• Retailers battle fraudulent returns (WSJ)