Stephan's Wednesday Picks

• Magnum's mini ice creams ease fears of weight-loss drugs (FT)
• ACCC vs Woolworths may have exposed the 'magic' of supermarket discounts - but how will it change the way we shop (The Guardian)
• Lululemon's new CEO is already on the hot seat - and she hasn't even started yet (WSJ)
• Two NJ malls separated by just four miles - and very different fates (Bloomberg)
• Tesco argues equal pay claim disregards 'economic reality' (FT)

 Stephan's Tuesday Picks

• Unilever sales lifted by Dove soap, rebound in Brazil (Bloomberg)
• Hershey beats expectations, buoyed by charging higher prices (Bloomberg)
• Hershey CEO on making luxury chocolate accessible - and battling Ozempic breath (WSJ)
• Walmart expands local products in bid to boost sales, traffic (Bloomberg)
• Colgate-Palmolive sales rise on international growth (WSJ)

 Stephan's Monday Picks

• The State of Grocery Retail Europe 2025 (McKinsey)
• Ottawa announces $6 billion to boost skilled trades, smaller deficit projection of $66.9 billion (Globe and Mail)
• Health Canada approves generic Ozempic from Apotex as patients and insurers seek savings (Globe and Mail)
• The day the food noise died (NYT)
• New weight loss drugs like Ozempic can also erase people's love of food (Globe and Mail)

 Stephan's Friday Picks

• What I learned about billionaires at Jeff Bezos' private retreat (The Atlantic)
• The Japanese designers changing menswear (NYT)
• How the Walkman, Game Boy, Liquid Death, and Pokemon became surprise hits (HBR)
• Why do the top sushi restaurants leave us so bored, and so broke (NYT)
• From the archives (2025): The great French Fry mystery (Toronto Life)

 Stephan's Thursday Picks

• Skinny sodas and mini cans: How Coke's new CEO is sizing up customers (WSJ)
• Lululemon says its founder has advised rivals Alo and Vuori (Bloomberg)
• Target mandates relocation for 150 office workers (Bloomberg)
• Brands look beyond search engines as customer habits shift (FT)
• Kimberley-Clark sees $170 million hit with oil at $100 a barrel (Bloomberg)

 Stephan's Wednesday Picks

• Roger Martin: Strategic stuckness (Substack)
• Home Depot courts contractors as US economy weighs on DIY set (FT)
• AB Foods to spin off Primark (FT)
• Starbucks says its sales rebound is gaining momentum (WSJ)
• Mondelez reports developing market growth offsetting U.S, Europe weakness (WSJ)

 Stephan's Tuesday Picks

• How agentic AI is transforming retail merchandising (BCG)
• IHOP, Cracker Barrel, and Red Lobster cash in on catering (NYT)
  
• The humble bean gets a high-end glow-up (Bloomberg)
• Why it's time for Canada to consider a national fertilizer strategy (Globe and Mail)
• What happens when AI runs a store in San Francisco (NYT)