Stephan's Tuesday Picks

• The cult $4.99 chicken defying inflation (FT)
• The church of Raising Cane's (Slate)
• Retailers want AI to solve online shopping's biggest problem (Bloomberg)
• Asda recovery remains elusive with ninth straight quarterly sales drop (Bloomberg)
• Companies including Walmart plow tariff refunds into price cuts, appealing to stretched customers (WSJ)

 Stephan's Monday Picks

• How chicken conquered the world (FT)
• Dollar chains give diverging view on pressured retail sector (Bloomberg)
• How Celsius became the king of normie energy drinks (Bloomberg)
• How wagyu, Japan's prized beef, took over America (WSJ)
• Gap is back. Investors are starting to believe (WSJ)

 Stephan's Friday Picks

• Triggering a Canadian investment supercycle (TD Economics)
• How healthy are lentils (NYT)
• Two guys are eating their way around the world - without leaving New York (NYT)
• New York mayor faces off over Amazon (NYT)
• From the archives (Helen Rosner): What Le Cirque will be remembered for (The New Yorker)

 Stephan's Thursday Picks

• Canada grocer restores labels that helped consumers boycott US products (Bloomberg)
• Local business group sues over Mamdani's plan to open municipal grocery stores (WSJ)
• Shein bets on deals to revive its fashion success after $70 billion plunge (Bloomberg)
• New York mayor faces off against Amazon (NYT)
• Couche-Tard starts $8.7 billion takeover bid for Poland's Zabka (Bloomberg)

 Stephan's Wednesday Picks

• The box that built globalization (FT)
• The tech billionaire disrupting restaurants (FT)
• Roots agrees to go-private transaction led by Marquee Brands (Globe and Mail)
• Starbucks, Chipotle tweak menus and rewards to win over diners (Bloomberg)
• Plus-size clothes are disappearing at retailers in GLP-1 era (Bloomberg)

 Stephan's Tuesday Picks

• U.S. to boost beef imports to address high prices, Trump says (WSJ)
• Pork struggles to gain ground, even in middle of protein craze (Bloomberg)
• Skyrocketing beef prices finally have Americans reaching their spending limit (Bloomberg)
• Shein was fast fashion's next big thing. Now it's fighting for a second act (NYT)
• American shoppers are still spending but they're getting pickier (Bloomberg)

 Stephan's Monday Picks

• When brands lose their magic (FT)
• Walmart posts lowest sales growth in over six years (WSJ)
• US alcoholic beverage consumption stabilizes at historic low (Bloomberg)
• Albertsons CIO says its shoppers are buying more - thanks to AI (WSJ)
• Cold water cup noodles sell out in Japan as surprise summer hit (Bloomberg)