Best of Pax Westona: November 2020

Classic toys are making a comeback during the pandemic (Washington Post)

The decade of VC funding that shaped e-commerce and DTC brands (Retail Dive)

The future of U.S. grocery: Maintaining the momentum (Bain)

Adidas bet on the rebirth of Reebok. Has it paid off? (Bloomberg)

The future of McDonald's in in the drive-thru lane (Wired)

Roger Martin: From laudable list to how to really win (Medium)

How the Netherlands became a plant-based protein powerhouse (Fast Company)

The rise and fall of getting things done (The New Yorker)

Retailers cut back on choices (WSJ)

Can Shopify compete with Amazon without becoming Amazon (NYT Magazine)

 Stephan's Monday Picks

• Agriculture ministers to examine grocery retailers' fees charged to suppliers (Globe and Mail)
• What transporting ice cream across the country teaches us about vaccine logistics (CBC)
• Black Friday hints at chaotic shopping period to come (Globe and Mail)
• HBC's big plan to survive Covid may be to go small (CBC)
• Shoppers who shun credit cards will still borrow $20 for candy (Bloomberg)

 Stephan's Friday Picks

• The joylessness of cooking (The New Yorker)
• Federal watchdog voices 'concern' over big grocers removal of $2 wage bonus (Financial Post)
• Empire reinstates bonus pay for workers in lockdown regions (Globe and Mail)
• John Pecman: Let the market manage food delivery pricing (C.D. Howe Institute)
• From the archives (1992): The names game  (Maclean's)

 Stephan's Thursday Picks

• Can Shopify compete with Amazon without becoming Amazon (NYT Magazine)
• Four reasons the stay-at-home economy is here to stay (WSJ)
• McCormick buys Cholula hot sauce for $800 million (Eater)
• Cheese giant enters standoff with Canadian supermarkets over fines (Financial Post)
• Cargill's CEO on preventing Covid-19 from disrupting the food supply (WSJ)

 Stephan's Wednesday Picks

• Chocolate makers are having a hard time cutting down on sugar (WSJ)
• Why Hudson Bay's unpaid rent puts landlords in a difficult position (Globe and Mail)
• A day in the life of an Amazon warehouse worker (WSJ)
• As customers move online, so does the holiday shopping season (NYT)
• Amazon's $3,000 signing bonuses irk workers who got $10 coupons (Bloomberg)

 Stephan's Tuesday Picks

• Strategy as a practice (Medium)
• Amazon primes for another happy holiday and prosperous New Year (Bain)
• Your next favourite restaurant might not be a restaurant (Bloomberg)
• Coupon-clipping fades into history as Covid-19 accelerates digital shift (WSJ)
• Loblaw tests driverless technology in delivery network (Globe and Mail)

Stephan's Monday Picks

• America just can't get enough Lysol (Bloomberg)
• Instalment payment services for online shopping come to Canada (CBC)
• Panic buying returns on Covid jump (Bloomberg)
• Retailers cut back on choices (WSJ)
• Heather Reisman: Canadian bookstores are essential, now more than ever (Globe and Mail)

 Stephan's Friday Picks

• Chewy is having a great 2020 as pet care surges during the pandemic (Bloomberg)
• Will the pandemic reshape landmark high streets across Canada (Globe and Mail)
• Virus cases rise, but hazard pay for retail workers doesn't (NYT)
• TJX launches online platform as Coronavirus persists (WSJ)
• From the archives (1985): The fall of Black's Dominion (Maclean's)

 Stephan's Thursday Picks

• The rise and rise of Amazon during the pandemic (The Guardian)
• Kind Bars to be acquired by Mars (NYT)
• How Covid-19 sparked an unlikely startup boom for brands (Bloomberg)
• The rise and fall of getting things done (The New Yorker)
• Metro shifting e-commerce strategy to home delivery (Globe and Mail)

 Stephan's Wednesday Picks

• Strategic choice chartering (Medium)
• Home Depot to buy back HD Supply in $8 billion deal (Reuters)
• Amazon jumps into the pharmacy business with online prescription fulfillment (CNBC)
• How the Netherlands became a plant-based protein powerhouse (Fast Company)
• Kraft Heinz to bring ketchup production back to Canada after six years(Globe and Mail)

 Stephan's Tuesday Picks

• Walmart retreats around globe to focus on e-commerce (WSJ)
• From laudable list to how to really win (Medium)
• Retailers are pushing their employees to become Tik Tok influencers (Modern Retail)
• Winning over the holiday consumer (BCG)
• Retail chains shed stores, but it isn't good for business (WSJ)

 Stephan's Monday Picks

• The future of McDonald's in in the drive-thru lane (Wired)
• On Alibaba's Singles' Day in China, couriers clamor for more (NYT)
• Walmart adding 'pop-up' centers for online holiday sales (WSJ)
• Grocery shoppers trade up as Covid cases rise (CNBC)
• The big lessons from history (Collaborative Fund)

 Stephan's Friday Picks

• A new Ulta beauty experience is coming to Target (Target)
• Can Supreme survive its acquisition by VF (Quartz)
• HBC staves off eviction in one legal fight with landlords (Globe and Mail)
• Masayoshi Son pulled Softbank back from the brink. This time he had help (WSJ)
• From the archives (2011): Where Wal-Mart failed, Aldi succeeds (NYT)

 Stephan's Thursday Picks

• How Allbirds became Silicon Valley's favourite sneaker (WSJ)
• Adidas bet on the rebirth of Reebok. Has it paid off? (Bloomberg)
• UK sales of scented candles soar as Covid restrictions tighten (The Guardian)
• Chipotle to open its first digital-only restaurant as online orders soar (CNBC)
• Alibaba sees $56-billion of sales as Singles Day shopping event gets into full swing (Globe and Mail)

 Stephan's Wednesday Picks

• Automats make a comeback in COVID-19 pandemic (WSJ)
• Amazon charged with antitrust violations by European regulators (NYT)
• Beyond Meat plunges as pantry loading ends (Bloomberg)
• McDonald's unveils McPlant line (CNBC)
• Premium Brands, coalition of Mi'kmaq First Nations acquire Clearwater Seafoods (Globe and Mail)

 Stephan's Tuesday Picks

• Restaurants defend dining rooms as COVID-19 spreads (WSJ)
• The future of U.S. grocery: Maintaining the momentum (Bain)
• The pandemic's hottest accessory: nightguards (Globe and Mail)
• Smaller is big in new e-commerce warehouses (WSJ)
• VF soars most in 33 years after $2.1 billion Supreme deal (Bloomberg)

 Stephan's Monday Picks

• Petco says it's filed confidentially for U.S. IPO (Bloomberg)
• Uber sees 'fundamental shift' in food delivery demand (BBC)
• How an Eataly executive spends his Sundays (NYT)
• What's fueling the sudden surge in international grocery stores in Moncton (CBC)
• Canadian Tire takes 'cautious approach' to holiday promotions to help manage store traffic amid pandemic (Globe and Mail)

 Stephan's Friday Picks

• Unifor expands Loblaw battle beyond Newfoundland (Globe and Mail)
• Fast Food's bet on breakfast goes bust during pandemic (WSJ)
• Aphria to buy beer maker Sweetwater for $300 million (Globe and Mail)
• Supermarkets get new looks as shoppers adapt to pandemic (WSJ)
• From the archives (1981): The controversy over infant formula (NYT)

 Stephan's Thursday Picks

• Comcast, Walmart in talks to develop smart TVs (WSJ)
• Marks & Spencer boosted by Ocado revenue (Bloomberg)
• French shopkeepers revolt against orders to close (NYT)
• AB Foods says Covid won't prompt Primark online rethink (Reuters)
• The decade of VC funding that shaped e-commerce and DTC brands (Retail Dive)

 Stephan's Wednesday Picks

• Walmart scraps plan to have robots scan shelves (WSJ)
• Ikea says second round of lockdowns will have less impact on its business (FT)
• Are scenarios limiting your pandemic recovery strategy (McKinsey)
• Ocado raises profit target as online grocery demand expands (Bloomberg)
• Clorox books record sales jump on disinfectant demand (WSJ)

 Stephan's Tuesday Picks

• Strategy as problem-solving (Medium)
• Nestle buys U.S. meal delivery group Freshly (Reuters)
• New online bookshop unites indies to rival Amazon (The Guardian)
• France to close supermarket bookshelves to quell shopkeeper ire (Bloomberg)
• Turning private labels into powerhouse brands (McKinsey)

 Stephan's Monday Picks

• Classic toys are making a comeback during the pandemic (Washington Post)
• In luxury market, being Amazon is still a burden (WSJ)
• How Yeti survived a pandemic while selling $300 coolers (Medium)
• Private equity group bets $11 billion that Dunkin and Arby's go together (NYT)
• Kraft Heinz signals the great grocery boom isn't over (WSJ)