Stephan's Monday Picks

• Spice maker McCormick's rise from a Baltimore cellar to a global food power (WSJ)
  
• How Nelson Peltz chalked up another break-up at Unilever (FT)
• The retailer that welcomes returns (WSJ)
• Secrets of the 'granny shelf' - a supermarket gold mine (FT)
• Teens sick of their phones are mallmaxxing (Bloomberg)

 Stephan's Thursday Picks

• Bain & Company unveils its 10th annual Insurgent Brands list (Bain)
• The brigade systems helps restaurants succeed. Does it also lead to abuse (NYT)
• The CEO's value test: Think like an activist, deliver like a leader (BCG)
• How Campbell's is investing in leadership - and driving growth and innovation along the way (McKinsey)
• From the archives (2025): Insurgent brands steal the spotlight in 2025 (Bain)

 Stephan's Wednesday Picks

• Where might the war with Iran hit your grocery bill? Start with raspberries (NYT)
• How successful retailers prosper in tough times (HBR)
• Unilever to combine foods business with McCormick (WSJ)
• McCain's ownership flaws were identified decades ago - now a second generation is feuding all over again (Globe and Mail)
• Hershey's growth strategy leans into salty, better for you snacks (WSJ)

 Stephan's Tuesday Picks

• Roger Martin: First mover advantages versus pioneering costs (Substack)
• Unilever nears deal to create $60 billion food giant with McCormick (WSJ)
• Food giants were finally starting to cut prices - then the war began (FT)
• Amazon's rural delivery push slams into Walmart (Bloomberg)
• Nestle pushes ahead of €5B Perrier and San Pellegrino deal (FT)

 Stephan's Monday Picks

• He was supposed to break up Kraft and Heinz. Then he changed his mind (NYT)
• Why Kraft Heinz's CEO decided not to split up the company (WSJ)
• Food megamergers hardly ever work. Could McCormick-Unilever be different (WSJ)
• The global food crisis unleashed by the war (FT)
• Dutch retailer Action targets US market by 100-store rollout by 2028 (Bloomberg)

 Stephan's Friday Picks

• Larry Fink's annual chairman's letter to investors (BlackRock)
• Kraft Heinz to invest $250 million in Montreal factory to boost capacity amid increased demand (Globe and Mail)
• The corporate strategy function in an AI-first world (BCG)
• Dollar General falls after naming CEO (Bloomberg)
• From the archives (1996): The science of shopping (The New Yorker)

 Stephan's Thursday Picks

• How Amazon is bringing fast delivery to rural America (WSJ)
• Commerce media at an inflection point (McKinsey)
• Red Lobster's last gasp (Bloomberg)
• Danone to buy protein shake maker for $1.2 billion (WSJ)
• Vertical farming tried to compete with open field farming. It's not going well (NYT)