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)

 Stephan's Monday Picks

• Sam's Club launches one-hour US delivery with shoppers in on-demand phase (FT)
• Best Buy CEO Corrie Barry steps down after years of tepid growth (WSJ)
• Danone sales rise as yogurt, water outweigh formula recalls (Bloomberg)
• Wagyu used to signify quality beef. What are you paying for today (NYT)
• Who killed the Florida orange (Slate)

 Stephan's Friday Picks

• Metro delays raising food prices as customers turn to discount stores (Globe and Mail)
• How Chobani turned Greek yogurt into an American staple (Bloomberg)
• AB Foods to spin off Primark (FT)
• How Nestle's pioneering China businesses fell into disarray (FT)
• From the archives (2000): Can Amazon make it (Bloomberg)

 Stephan's Thursday Picks

• Why McCormick thinks flavouring food is better than making it (WSJ)
• How big brands can spot the next big thing (BCG)
• Protein is hotter than ever. So why is the owner of Quest and Atkins on a cold streak (WSJ)
• Pistachio prices hit eight-year high on war in major grower Iran (Bloomberg)
• Walmart challenges Amazon on same-day delivery using stores as warehouses (FT)