Thursday, 9 July 2026

 Stephan's Thursday Picks

  • More Americans than ever are taking weight-loss drugs (NYT)
  • Food and beverages have gone bananas (NYT)
  • Wild coffee swings usher in new era of market volatility (Bloomberg)
  • Walmart announced price cuts. Trump tried to take credit (NYT)
  • White House pressures top US grocers on beef prices (WSJ)

Wednesday, 8 July 2026

 Stephan's Wednesday Picks

  • Bath & Body Works is on a quest for the next billion dollar scent (NYT)
  • Walmart lowers prices of thousands of items, including beef and Coca-Cola (WSJ)
  • Seven & i's former supermarket unit may acquire more under Bain (Bloomberg)
  • Limited construction of new retail space in Canada is giving landlord RioCan an edge (Globe and Mail)
  • Inside the food truck mafia wreaking havoc around the National Mall (Washingtonian)

Tuesday, 7 July 2026

 Stephan's Tuesday Picks

  • Roger Martin: When less is more (Substack)
  • South Africa's grocery war shifts from search to AI conversation (Bloomberg)
  • Consumers shun mid-sized packs amid price squeeze, Nestle says (WSJ)
  • Liquor stocks are priced for a Big Tobacco moment (WSJ)
  • Ocado paves way for exit of CEO Tim Steiner after succession clash (FT)

Monday, 6 July 2026

 Stephan's Monday Picks

  • The pursuit of hungriness: 250 years of American food innovation (NYT)
  • Nestle to change KitKat recipe in Europe to make it crispier (Bloomberg)
  • California bans 'sell by' labels, hoping to cut food waste (NYT)
  • What Big Food did to ice cream (Medium)
  • Big brewers are making outsized bets on tiny cans of beer (WSJ)

Friday, 3 July 2026

 Stephan's Friday Picks

  • America's most talented nepo baby has two Michelin stars to prove it (GQ)
  • The State of Grocery in North America (McKinsey)
  • Tom Colicchio's final service (Esquire)
  • In new luxury kitchens, everything is hidden (NYT)
  • From the archives (2018): Paul Bocuse, celebrated French chef, dies at 91 (NYT)

Tuesday, 23 June 2026

 Stephan's Tuesday Picks

  • The art, science, and technology of geopolitical scenario planning (McKinsey)
  • In a soft housing market, appliance and home furnishing retailers are collapsing. Customers are paying the price (Globe and Mail)
  • Starbucks Korea to close all stores early for history training (Bloomberg)
  • China summons Sam's Club over food safety concerns (FT)
  • Bath & Body Works' strategy to win more young customers (WSJ)

Monday, 22 June 2026

 Stephan's Monday Picks

  • Weight-loss drugs cut UK food bills by £780 million, study shows (Bloomberg)
  • The latest snack innovations are basically just Creamsicles and Chex Mix (Bloomberg)
  • Why your summer tomatoes cost so much (Bloomberg)
  • The 70-year-old marriage between McDonald's and Coke has some issues (WSJ)
  • Being honest about low inventory can pay off for retailers (WSJ)