Stephan's Wednesday Picks

• How Starbucks came undone (Slate)
• The year in food (The Atlantic)
• How we'll eat in 2026: More caution, more crunch (NYT)
• How an office romance sparked an overhaul at Nestle (WSJ)
• What it takes to preserve the 355-year-old Hudson's Bay charter (Globe and Mail)

 Stephan's Tuesday Picks

• Strategy & Connoisseurship (Medium)
• Lululemon founder Chip Wilson launches proxy fight for board changes (Globe and Mail)
• Soaring coffee prices are forcing roasters, retailers, and consumers to adapt (Globe and Mail)
• Why a $500 steak dinner only yields a $25 profit (WSJ)
• The United States of Klarna (Bloomberg)

 Stephan's Monday Picks

• Why Sears's last great hope was a promise that never materialized (NYT)
• How Costco won over wine snobs (WSJ)
• Costco earnings show Executive members driving the economy (Quartz)
• Sam's Club is beating Costco at its own game - in China (WSJ)
• Canada's lobster industry caught in a tariff trap (Globe and Mail)

 Stephan's Wednesday Picks

• The battle for The Bay (Toronto Life)
• You know Panettone. Now meet its rarer, even more difficult cousin (NYT)
• Target, Walmart, Whole Foods targeted in botulism suits (Bloomberg)
• Nestle's Nespresso appoints new North American chief executive (Bloomberg)
• From the archives (1979): The bid to buy Hudson's Bay fought (NYT)

 Stephan's Tuesday Picks

• A $600 suckling pig? Wagyu for all? On menus, it's a new gilded age (NYT)
• Jim Beam halts production as whiskey market struggles (NYT)
• Instacart scraps all price tests after customer pushback (WSJ)
• What does Lululemon need: Discipline or inspiration (WSJ)
• Cocoa prices are plunging. Why is chocolate still so expensive (Bloomberg)

 Stephan's Monday Picks

• Tiff Macklem on lessons from the trade war and what risks he sees ahead (Globe and Mail)
• 14-hour shifts and $1 a delivery - but China's army of gig workers keeps growing (WSJ)
• The cracks in Crumbl's cookie empire are showing (Bloomberg)
• Chasing spice and street food in India's pink city (NYT)
• High coffee prices are changing how consumers take their daily brew (Bloomberg)

 Stephan's Friday Picks

• Elliott builds over $1 billion stake in Lululemon (WSJ)
• Walmart's $115 thousand starting pay and better rigs draw women to trucking (Bloomberg)
• The Big Tobacco playbook comes for your Oreos (The Atlantic)
• Luckin Coffee is said to consider bidding for Nestle's Blue Bottle (Bloomberg)
• From the archives (2007): Zen and the art of retailing (Globe and Mail)

 Stephan's Thursday Picks

• Canada reports its biggest ever population decline (Globe and Mail)
• Kraft Heinz picks new CEO ahead of split (WSJ)
• Pepsi worked to keep prices higher to protect Walmart, FTC found (WSJ)
• DoorDash brings grocery shopping to ChatGPT, rivaling Instacart (Bloomberg)
• General Mills says stressed shoppers buying more on sale (Bloomberg)

 Stephan's Wednesday Picks

• Your holiday party food should be a shrimp tower (NYT)
• Sylvain Charlebois: The quiet transformation of Canada's grocery industry (National Post)
• The grocery code of conduct takes effect next month. Its first enforcer has a 'big job' ahead (Globe and Mail)
• The hottest toy of the year is made by a tech startup you've never heard of (WSJ)
• The cult of Kohl's cash (WSJ)

 Stephan's Tuesday Picks

• Roger Martin: Thinking intelligently about corporate purpose (Medium)
• How do skincare dupes compare to luxury brands (BBC)
• Warehouse clubs turn to store brands as shoppers push back on prices (WSJ)
• Australia to ban supermarket price gouging in sweeping competition reforms (Bloomberg)
• Chile's powerful cherry industry strives to satisfy Chinse buyers (Bloomberg)

 Stephan's Monday Picks

• Coca-Cola names next CEO (WSJ)
• Lululemon chief executive Calvin McDonald to depart next month (WSJ)
• As the price of beef soars, restaurants are in 'code red' mode (NYT)
• Canada records surprise trade surplus after seven months of deficits (Globe and Mail)
• Shoppers' treasure hunt is on at TJ Maxx (Bloomberg)

 Stephan's Friday Picks

• Daniel Debow: An AI strategy to build Canadian prosperity (Build Canada)
• Howard Marks: Is it a bubble (Oaktree Capital)
• The AI reckoning. How boards can evolve (McKinsey)
• The 25 most important ideas for 2026 (Derek Thompson)
• From the archives (2011): Roger Martin: Canada's innovation imperative (Institute for Competitiveness and Prosperity)

 Stephan's Thursday Picks

• Tariffs dent Campbell's soup sales (WSJ)
• Can Jollibee beat American fast food at its own game (The Atlantic)
• Why Costco is the only big retailer to challenge Trump on tariff refunds (Washington Post)
• Home Depot warns that housing pressures will persist next year (Bloomberg)
• Canada's US envoy to step down, Mark Wiseman seen as likely successor (Bloomberg)

 Stephan's Wednesday Picks

• Kroger's CEO wants to cut prices by cutting costs (WSJ)
• PepsiCo plans layoffs as it looks to wrap up Elliott talks (Bloomberg)
• Beauty has never been more cutthroat. Here's how Sephora plans to stay on top (WSJ)
• Magnum Ice Cream hits $9 billion market cap on trading debut (WSJ)
• Same product, same store, but on Instacart, the prices might differ (NYT)

 Stephan's Tuesday Picks

• Roger Martin: A leader's role in fostering AI superpowers (Medium)
• American breakfast cereals are becoming less healthy, study finds (NYT)
• How the dollar-store industry overcharges cash-strapped customers while promising low prices (The Guardian)
• Game theory explains how algorithms can drive up prices (Wired)
• The heist of its culinary crown jewels rocks French village (NYT)

Stephan's Monday Picks

• The end of the lunch bowl era (Bloomberg)
• New York law could set stage for AI regulation's next big battleground (NYT)
• Goodbye price tags, hello dynamic pricing (NYT)
• Why you may not want lower prices as much as you think (Washington Post)
• Economy was on stronger footing heading into trade war, Statscan revisions show (Globe and Mail)

 Stephan's Friday Picks

• EQ Bank to buy PC Financial from Loblaw for $800 million (Globe and Mail)
• Thomson, Weston families win bid for Hudson's Bay charter (Globe and Mail)
• You're on Ozempic? How quaint (The Atlantic)
• Ozempic is changing the way we spend money on time, and the way we eat (Washington Post)
• From the archives (2002): Thomson legacy likely to endure (Globe and Mail)

 Stephan's Thursday Picks

• People are ordering smaller pizzas and fewer toppings. What does that tell us (NYT)
• San Francisco sues food makers over ultra-processed products (WSJ)
• Past forward: The modern rethinking of marketing's core (McKinsey)
• Get ready America, here come China's food and drink stores (NYT)
• Costco joins companies suing for refunds if Trump's tariffs fail (Bloomberg)

 Stephan's Wednesday Picks

• Roger Martin: Diversification can't disappear a strategy problem (Medium)
• Trump's beef price battle meets America's insatiable demand (Bloomberg)
• Does New York need another luxury grocery store (NYT)
• The future of retail: Six disruptions that could shape the next decade (Bain)
• H&M caught in the middle of a fast fashion battle (FT)

 Stephan's Tuesday Picks

• Gen X-ers have money to spend. Why are retailers ignoring them (NYT)
• Here's what's really in a can of chicken soup (WSJ)
• Billionaire Zara heir bets fast fashion empire on upmarket push (Bloomberg)
• Inside Atlanta's first government-funded supermarket (WSJ)
• How Pepsi trounced Coca-Cola in the Middle East (The Economist)

 Stephan's Monday Picks

• Molson Coors accuses former Canadian staff of 'complex' embezzlement scheme (Globe and Mail)
• Michelin honoured the cheesesteak. Not all Philadelphians cheered (NYT)
• Ontario grocers could avoid taking back wine and beer empties under new deal (CBC)
• Shaking up the British sugar tax (Bloomberg)
• Lululemon is having an identity crisis. Its founder blames its CEO (WSJ)

 Stephan's Friday Picks

• The 2025 CEOs of the Year (Globe and Mail)
• Struggles of the world's 'second lung' puts cocoa crops at risk (FT)
• Duane Roberts, father of the frozen burrito, dies at 88 (WSJ)
• UK retailers 'exasperated' as Budget disrupts Christmas season (FT)
• From the archives (2009): Drink up (The New Yorker)

 Stephan's Thursday Picks

• Campbell's defends its ingredients after chicken controversy (WSJ)
• Retail earnings show shoppers resilience, but some stores struggle (NYT)
• Campbell's fires executive behind recording that disparaged its food (WSJ)
• Canadians go 'elbows up' for homegrown wine over Trump's trade war (NYT)
• Walmart is exploring bring ads to Sparky, its new AI shopping agent (WSJ)

 Stephan's Wednesday Picks

• Target needs more than a vibe shift to turn its business around (Bloomberg)
• Couche-Tard surges after earnings beat as CEO signals deal hunt (Bloomberg)
• How Ocado's American dream fell apart (FT)
• Bakers overpower automakers in energy consumption (Globe and Mail)
• Candymakers hard-won deal with Big Sugar shows clout of Washington lobbies (Bloomberg) 

 Stephan's Tuesday Picks

• Roger Martin: Revisiting management systems (Medium)
• Who was the foodie (Yale Review)
• These chocolatiers found a delicious way to help the Amazon (NYT)
• AI ignites the return of Bezos the innovator (WSJ)
• The climate is changing, cows are stressed, and Italy's cheesemakers are worried (NYT)

 Stephan's Monday Picks

• Addressing Canada's productivity gap. A journey towards global leadership (McKinsey)
• Are Ocado's robots just too fancy (The Guardian)
• Asda to raise £568M in store sell-off as sales continue to fall off (The Guardian)
• How Fuscia Dunlop became a Sichuan food hero (The Guardian)
• Canada's shoppers want value certainty, not coupons (BCG)

 Stephan's Friday Picks

• The State of Fashion 2026 (McKinsey)
• The AI-first retailer (BCG)
• The quiet kingmaker slipping beauty brands into your hotel shower (Bloomberg)
• New York's bodegas are here to stay (NYT)
• From the archives (2014): Mike Duke leaves Walmart bigger, growing slowly (WSJ)

 Stephan's Thursday Picks

• What will it take to get retailers to kill the music (WSJ)
• Kroger to close delivery centers, take $2.6 billion hit (Bloomberg)
• Panera plans to spend millions on better sandwiches and better stores (WSJ)
• AB InBev nears $700 million deal for party punch maker BeatBox (WSJ)
• Jeff Bezos creates AI startup where he will be co-chief executive (NYT)

 Stephan's Wednesday Picks

• Thomson and Weston families submit $18 billion joint bid for Hudson's Bay charter (Globe and Mail)
• Kroger expands partnership with DoorDash, Instacart, Uber Eats (WSJ)
• Aldi effect sweeps supermarkets as US embraces private label (FT)
• Pop Mart's Labubu risks Beanie Baby-style collapse, analyst says (Bloomberg)
• Protein has gone mainstream. But how much do you actually need (Globe and Mail)

 Stephan's Tuesday Picks

• Roger Martin: How strategy choice can make something out of very little (Medium)
• Americans just can't get enough beef (Bloomberg)
• The fast-food industry is trying to lure in Gen Z customers. Is the meal deal helping (CBC)
• Walgreens cuts pay for store workers after $10 billion buyout (Bloomberg)
• Michael Mauboussin: Capital Allocation (Morgan Stanley)

 Stephan's Monday Picks

• Walmart CEO Doug McMillon, who parried Amazon, will retire (NYT)
• Walmart's CEO makes way for fellow he guided for new tech era (Bloomberg)
• Who is John Furner? Meet the Walmart insider named new CEO (WSJ)
• How Ruby Liu's contentious play for Hudson's Bay stores fell apart (Globe and Mail)
• Ikea's first non-Swedish CEO vows to preserve its Swedish roots (Bloomberg)

 Stephan's Friday Picks

• How Dyson went from fancy vacuum maker to beauty titan (Bloomberg)
• As beef prices skyrocket across North America, stakeholders uncertain about future (Globe and Mail)
• Red Bull faces EU antitrust probe (WSJ)
• Federal investigation probes grocery store investigation in Halifax (CBC)
• From the archives (2021): 'Invention' review: James Dyson's dilemma (WSJ)

 Stephan's Thursday Picks

• How an $11 billion beauty company built a suburban empire (Bloomberg)
• Discount grocery stores gaining momentum in Quebec (CBC)
• Some Canadian shoppers have switched back to U.S products, Loblaw CEO says (Globe and Mail)
• Why Build-a-Bear has been on a Nvidia-like run (Bloomberg)
• Amazon's new Echo show design is overshadowed by need for more video (Bloomberg)

 Stephan's Wednesday Picks

• Fermented Foods: A $61 billion gut-health boom lures entrepreneurs, 'kimchi-curious' (WSJ)
• Dave Lewis gets another turnaround challenge at Diageo (Bloomberg)
• Will retailers really deny premium credit cards (Bloomberg)
• Agenda for growth: Turning AI promise into impact (McKinsey)
• A crescent-shaped dessert that's a symbol of hospitality (NYT)

 Stephan's Tuesday Picks

• Roger Martin: What has changed the most for strategy (Medium)
• Burger King strikes joint venture to double its presence in China (WSJ)
• Glass skin and snail mucin: South Korea's journey to global beauty player (NYT)
• Italian pasta is poised to disappear from American grocery shelves (WSJ)
• Private label food maker Treehouse to go private in $1.17 billion deal (WSJ)

 Stephan's Monday Picks

• Target mandates worker smiles, friendliness to boost sales (Bloomberg)
• Pizza Hut's parent says struggling chain may go up for sale (NYT)
• Ontario to ban exclusivity deals between insurers, pharmacies (Globe and Mail)
• Facing Trump's tariffs, Swiss farmers find themselves with too much milk (NYT) 
• Discount chain takes aim at 7-Eleven in Japan with $2 Tonkatsu (Bloomberg)

 Stephan's Friday Picks

• Transforming procurement for an AI-driven world (McKinsey)
• Primark could be split out from AB Foods' other operations, company says (Reuters)
• Amazon tests Whole Foods store that sells Kraft Mac & Cheese (Bloomberg)
• Canadian Tire profit falls on restructuring costs amid upbeat discretionary spending (Globe and Mail)
• From the archives (2015): Primark throws its hat in the U.S. ring (WSJ)

 Stephan's Thursday Picks

• Budget 2025: Carney earmarks $89.7 billion in new spending to counter U.S. protectionism (Globe and Mail)
• Coca-Cola injects 'holidays are coming' ads with an upgraded dose of AI (WSJ)
• Shein's Paris store debut triggers explosive backlash (Globe and Mail)
• The real reason food prices jump every November and February (Agri-Food Analytics Lab)
• Burger King braces for the demise of the penny (WSJ)

 Stephan's Wednesday Picks

• Martha Stewart transformed the dinner party. Was that a good thing (NYT)
• KFC's plan to catch up in the fried chicken wars (Bloomberg)
• Thieves in Guelph stole $80,000 worth of whipped cream (Toronto Life)
• The perfect grocery list-making app doesn't exist (The Verge)
• Overcoming status quo bias in the age of transformation (McKinsey)

 Stephan's Tuesday Picks

• Roger Martin: Why the 'how-to-win' strategy choice is so hard (Medium)
• Kimberly-Clark to buy Tylenol maker Kenvue for more than $40 billion (WSJ)
• Chipotle's big bet on young consumers is unraveling (WSJ)
• World gone crazy for protein is a boon for dairy (Bloomberg)
• Why the future of coffee doesn't belong to Starbucks (WSJ)

 Stephan's Monday Picks

• Tesco meal deal highlights enduring threat to BOE's inflation goal (Bloomberg)
• The Amazonification of Whole Foods is finally here - bring on the Doritos (WSJ)
• Colgate-Palmolive boosts promotions to offsite price hikes (WSJ)
• Why AI is a double-edged sword for retailers (FT)
• Amazon's big spending reignites an AI stock rally (NYT)

 Stephan's Friday Picks

• Mondelez trims outlook as high cocoa prices erode performance (Bloomberg)
• The innovation that's killing restaurant culture (The Atlantic)
• How Nestle's CFO sharpens focus across a global portfolio (McKinsey)
• Hershey warns of weak Halloween sales, nudges up outlook (Bloomberg)
• From the archives (2019): Hershey's CEO knows how to get Americans to indulge (NYT)

 Stephan's Thursday Picks

• The agentic commerce opportunity (McKinsey)
• What we can learn from Loblaw's failed No Name stores (Globe and Mail)
• Bad news for Ruby Liu and her Bay 2.0 master plan (Toronto Life)
• Whole Foods, MAHA, and the battle over healthy eating in America (NYT)
• Restaurants are embracing restraint, with smaller menus, and diners are eating it up (Globe and Mail)

 Stephan's Wednesday Picks

• Pumpkin spice lattes, a U.S. fall favourite, divides Europe (NYT)
• Going down the junk food rabbit hole (NYT)
• Amazon to lay off up to 30,000 corporate workers (WSJ)
• Keurig Dr Pepper turns to private capital to back $18 billion deal (WSJ)
• Oxford Properties, RioCan in showdown over future of Bay store at Toronto's Yorkdale mall (Globe and Mail)

 Stephan's Tuesday Picks

• Roger Martin: Culture change strategy (Medium)
• Don Don Donki billionaire primes 24-year old heir for retail empire (Bloomberg)
• 2025 Halloween candy trends (NYT)
• Procter & Gamble to focus on innovation, not discounts, to attract wary customers (WSJ)
• How Depop captured the heart of Gen Z (NYT)

Stephan's Monday Picks

• Deforestation is imperiling coffee cultivation, report finds (NYT)
• Japanese convenience stores are hiring robots run by workers in the Philippines (Rest of World)
• Target to slash corporate workforce after quarters of stagnant sales (WSJ)
• P&G slashes tariff impact by 50% as earnings beat estimates (Bloomberg)
• Cargill taps AI to get more meat off bone as US herd slumps (Bloomberg)

 Stephan's Friday Picks

• Can the golden age of Costco last (The New Yorker)
• Why everything from soap to perfume smells like food now (Bloomberg)
• All dressed chips were a Canadian secret. Now they have a rare shot at U.S. stardom (The Star) 
• Lidl sees profit rise in UK as discounter reaches 1,000 stores (Bloomberg)
• From the archives (2023): The complete history and strategy of Costco (Acquired)

 Stephan's Thursday Picks

• Canada's inflation rate quickens to 2.4% ahead of BoC rate decision (Globe and Mail)
• US government shutdown delays Unilever's Magnum ice cream spin-off (Reuters)
• Food inflation is going up. And there's nothing anyone can do about it (Globe and Mail)
• Reckitt Benckiser logs higher sales as consumers spend on self care (WSJ)
• Walmart reorganizes merchandising team, with focus on technology (Bloomberg)

 Stephan's Wednesday Picks

• The hidden way using a rewards card can cost you more (Washington Post)
• The Loyalty Trap (Vanderbilt Policy Accelerator)
• Can you trademark peanut butter and jelly. Smuckers says yes (NYT)
• Walmart creates roles to lead drone and autonomous delivery tech (Bloomberg)
• Amazon plans to replace more than half a million jobs with robots (NYT)

 Stephan's Tuesday Picks

• MAHA sets up fight over saturated fat (NYT)
• Avoiding ultra-processed foods is completely unrealistic (The Atlantic)
• How America got hooked on ultra-processed food (NYT)
• Strawberries in the sky are the future of food (Bloomberg)
• Amazon delivery firms are bailing amid rising costs, meager profit (Bloomberg)

 Stephan's Monday Picks

• Walmart, once a byword for low pay, becomes a case study on how to treat workers (WSJ) 
• I tracked Amazon's Prime Day prices. We've been played (Washington Post)
• What Hamburger Helper knows and GDP misses (Daily Economy)
• The return of Tescopoly? How Britain's biggest retailer dominates everyday life (The Guardian)
• Potato chip flavours are going wild (Globe and Mail)

 Stephan's Friday Picks

• How CPGs can rethink costs to regain performance (McKinsey)
• Nestle to slash 16,000 jobs in price-cutting push (NYT)
• Canadian Tire to bring back the Hudson's Bay blanket (Globe and Mail)
• IKEA's yearslong price-cutting bonanza is coming to an end (WSJ)
• From the archives (2017): How big business got Brazil hooked on junk food (NYT)

 Stephan's Thursday Picks

• For Uniqlo's founder, conquering America is personal (NYT)
• The matcha market cracks under pressure (NYT)
• Soon you'll be able to shop Walmart on ChatGPT. Here's why it matters (WSJ)
• Canadian Tire reports breach of e-commerce database involving customer info (Globe and Mail)
• Protein is showing up in Doritos, Waffles, and now even Pop Tarts (Bloomberg) 

 Stephan's Wednesday Picks

• Roger Martin: Functional strategy (Medium)
• Is Kansas City still the barbecue capital of America (NYT)
• The incredible growing refrigerator (NYT)
• Restaurants are bringing the heat as spicy dishes attract trend-chasing customers (CBC)
• What it takes to build or remake a world-class team (McKinsey)

 Stephan's Tuesday Picks

• Buldak's spicy ramen is riding TikTok fame to the top (Bloomberg)
• How Dick's Sporting Goods loyalty program helped spur a $13 billion boom (Bloomberg)
• The protein bar king and the battle for the holy grail of fat substitutes (Men's Health)
• Agentic commerce is redefining retail - here's how to respond (BCG)
• If an energy drink drank an energy drink, you'd get a Celsuis (NYT)

 Stephan's Friday Picks

• PepsiCo urgently overhauling portfolio amid activist fight (Bloomberg)
• Lay's chips are getting a makeover for the MAHA era (WSJ)
• How generations of selecting breeding created miserable chickens (Bloomberg)
• In food label fight, Europeans debate how the sausage gets made (NYT)
• From the archives (2017): Don't call it pink chocolate (Bloomberg)

 Stephan's Thursday Picks

• Why everyone is talking about food inflation (FT)
• Canadian companies serve growing appetites for eating local (Globe and Mail)
• Nestle bows out of imitative to reduce dairy's climate impact (Bloomberg)
• Amazon Pharmacy to launch electronic kiosks for prescriptions at One Medical locations (Reuters)
• N.B. seafood processor fined record $1 million for breaking temporary worker program rules (Globe and Mail)

 Stephan's Wednesday Picks

• Startups are eating Big Food's lunch (WSJ)
• It's time to rethink the workplace meeting (Globe and Mail)
• Sharpie found a way to make pens more cheaply - by manufacturing them in the US (WSJ)
• Why did Walmart just buy a shopping mall (NYT)
• We need to worry more about Canada's economic growth (Globe and Mail)

 Stephan's Tuesday Picks

• Roger Martin: Revisiting my definition of strategy (Medium)
• Why America's fridges are overflowing with sauce (Bloomberg)
• GenAI gives retailers an edge over suppliers (BCG)
• Starbucks' roller coaster week of job costs and store closures (WSJ)
• Craft breweries struggle as sales and appetites wane (NYT)

 Stephan's Monday Picks

• Amazon launches brand aimed at deal-conscious shoppers (Bloomberg)
• Loblaw piloted ultra hard discount stores in Ontario. A year later, most are closing down (CBC)
• The latest little luxury: Fancier, fattier butter (Bloomberg)
• Meet Costco's newest customers - young people on the hunt for deals and trending products (CBC)
• The chocolate world's biggest supplier faces a shakeup (Bloomberg)

 Stephan's Friday Picks

• Ottawa weighs greater retail access for U.S. dairy industry (Globe and Mail)
• The rise of drive-through U.S. coffee chains with a need for speed (FT) 
• Amazon's stock appeal hit by intensifying cloud competition (Bloomberg)
• Walmart steps up automation with labour-saving sensors (FT)
• From the archives (2017): The many failings of Canada's supply management system are government's problem, not farmers (Globe and Mail)

 Stephan's Thursday Picks

• McDonald's quest to reclaim biggest restaurant title starts in Texas (Bloomberg)
• DoorDash unveils Dot, its autonomous robot built to deliver your food (TechCrunch)
• Tesco's edge in UK grocery wars in the spotlight after 40% rally (Bloomberg)
• In nod to MAHA, Walmart ditches dyes, other artificial ingredients in food brands (WSJ)
• Maple Leaf Foods spins off its pork business to focus on high-protein goods (Globe and Mail)

 Stephan's Wednesday Picks

• 'Struggle meals' and Hamburger Helper are trending because food is so expensive (CBC)
• Uber sees non-takeout deliveries becoming a $12.5 billion business (Bloomberg)
• The world's 50 best restaurants in North America (NYT)
• As unemployment rises, the promise of a grocery store job lures hundreds (CBC)
• Chinese retailer Miniso jumps on collectible toys train spinoff (WSJ)

 Stephan's Tuesday Picks

• Roger Martin: A primer on strategic choice chartering (Medium)
• Who still eats sugary cereal (NYT)
• The mystery of Mamadou, a delivery guy who became a superhero (WSJ)
• Costco says giving shoppers an extra hour is paying off (WSJ)
• Forget Labubus: We're collecting semi-cured gel nail strips (NYT)

 Stephan's Monday Picks

• Zeynep Ton: Costco's Jim Senegal on building a company that will endure (HBR)
• The science policy behind Brazil's agricultural triumph (Beyond Imitation)
• Soaring soybean demand pushes farmers deeper into the Amazon (Bloomberg)
• Meet the migrant workers Canada depends on to harvest their crops (Globe and Mail)
• Walmart CEO issues wake-up call: AI is going to change literally every job (WSJ)

 Stephan's Friday Picks

• Cocoa's historic crunch is easing further as harvests pick up (Bloomberg)
• How Niagara's Pearl Morissette became just the 2nd restaurant in Canada with two Michelin stars (CBC)
• Nestle is said to tap Morgan Stanley for vitamin business review (Bloomberg)
• Restaurants under pressure as Canadians dine out less to save more (Globe and Mail)
• From the archives (2021): Nestle expands in vitamins with $5.75 billion Nature's Bounty deal (WSJ)

 Stephan's Thursday Picks

• Walmart adds home delivery for Ozempic, other refrigerated drugs (Bloomberg)
• Amazon plans to shut UK grocery stores (WSJ)
• Sushi is bigger than ever in America. Here's the reason (NYT)
• Population growth slows to near zero, driven by temporary resident outflow (Globe and Mail)
• U.S. targets Canadian mushroom growers with anti-dumping investigation (Globe and Mail)

 Stephan's Wednesday Picks

• As Ikea's iconic meatball turns 40, the company looks ahead to its plant-based future (Globe and Mail)
• From potential to performance: Using gen AI to conduct outside-in diligence (McKinsey)
• Keurig Dr Pepper slumps as deal risk spurs rare sell call (Bloomberg)
• Saks in talks to sell 49% of Bergdorf Goodman for about $1 billion (WSJ)
• A city built on Corn Flakes pins hopes on new Kellogg owner (WSJ)

 Stephan's Tuesday Picks

• Roger Martin: Technocrats vs strategists (Medium)
• How AI agents are transforming consumer goods (BCG)
• After seedless grapes, now for the pitless cherry (Bloomberg)
• Is Amazon Prime too hard to cancel? A jury will decide (WSJ)
• What's behind the endless breakup-merger cycle (Wharton)

Stephan's Monday Picks

• General Mills cites cautious shopper in reiterating outlook (Bloomberg)
• Why restaurant diners are paying more everywhere (NYT)
• Tamgotchis are back as the pocket-sized pets ride a wave of nostalgia (Globe and Mail)
• Driving successful volume-led growth in consumer markets (BCG)
• Global economic profit bounces back to an all-time high (McKinsey)

 Stephan's Friday Picks

• Inter Ikea names new CEO, who pledges to keep price cutting plan (Bloomberg)
• Nestle's new CEO tries to move past scandal and weak management (Bloomberg)
• New owner plots comeback for tween retailer Claire's (WSJ)
• Dollarama named 'Canada's Costco' as Bernstein rates outperform (Bloomberg)
• From the archives (2016): Ikea forever (NYT)

 Stephan's Thursday Picks

• Ditching ultra-processed foods can be hard. Here's where to start (WSJ)
• One year of agentic AI: Six lessons from the people doing the work (McKinsey)
• That single use coffee cup could be on the way out (WSJ)
• You're probably wearing too much deodorant (The Atlantic)
• Ben & Jerry's co-founder quits after 47 years, cites loss of independence under Unilever (WSJ)

 Stephan's Wednesday Picks

• Son of DavidsTea founder calls for leadership overhaul, accusing company of poor governance (Globe and Mail)
• August inflation rate ticks up to 1.9%, rising less than expected (Globe and Mail)
• What's the Lububu craze all about? And how long can it last (Bloomberg)
• The grilled chicken chain joining the crispy poultry frenzy. Sort of (WSJ)
• Jack Ma returns with a vengeance to 'Make Alibaba Great Again' (Bloomberg)

Stephan's Tuesday Picks

• Faux science in strategy (Medium)
• Aldi to invest £1.6 billion to fuel UK expansion (Bloomberg)
• It's not you. It's the food (NYT)
• UK food makers seek relief from inflation seen nearing 6% (Bloomberg)
• Sainsbury's ends talks with JD.com over selling Argos unit (Bloomberg)

 Stephan's Monday Picks

• If Pepsi wants to win, it has to play Coke's game (WSJ)
• This startup turns almond waste into organic fertilizer (Bloomberg)
• California wants to ban 'forever chemicals' in pans. These chefs say don't do it (NYT)
• Jaba Juice made from khat takes off in Kenya (Bloomberg)
• Beef prices are at a record high. The winner: cattle ranchers (WSJ)

 Stephan's Friday Picks

• RH CEO says furniture sellers will 'go bankrupt' without discounts (Bloomberg)
• Costco denies it sold knockoffs of Lululemon's trademarked clothes (Globe and Mail)
• Kroger rises after lifting outlook on healthy grocery demand (Bloomberg)
• Crispr offers new hope of treating diabetes (Wired)
• From the archives (2009): Bonnie of The Bay (Maclean's)

 Stephan's Thursday Picks

• Is America ready for Japanese-style 7-Eleven's (NYT)
• Why 7-Eleven and other convenience stores in Japan are so special (NYT)
• AB Foods slumps as Primark owner bemoans challenging environment (Bloomberg)
• The Starbucks turnaround that has baristas and customers steamed (NYT)
• Soon, even your Starbucks latte can come with protein. Is this trend healthy, or just good business (CBC)

 Stephan's Wednesday Picks

• Woolworths, Coles face $511 million hit after underpaying staff (Bloomberg)
• Patagonia changed the apparel business. Can it change food too (NYT)
• PepsiCo CEO's tall order: Win over investor calling for strategy reset (WSJ)
• New 'Got Milk' campaign tries to build on dairy milk comeback (WSJ)
• Walmart to open shops in in South Africa in push to win locals (Bloomberg)

 Stephan's Tuesday Picks

• Roger Martin: Strategic nihilism (Medium)
• The Kelce brothers' Garage Beer company is now worth $200 million (WSJ)
• Carlos Abrams-Rivera, the Kraft Heinz CEO dealing with America's lost appetite (FT)
• Amazon pares back free shipping perk on Prime membership (NYT)
• It's not just you: Household product scents are getting stronger (Bloomberg)

 Stephan's Monday Picks

• Restaurants near you are struggling - with one red-hot, surprising exception (Slate)
• Why is everything spicy now (The Atlantic)
• Strawberry picking is thankless work. That's what makes it worth watching (NYT)
• J. Crew survived bankruptcy. Next up: Cultural relevance (Bloomberg)
• Amazon's big bet on groceries isn't a knockout blow for rivals (WSJ)

 Stephan's Friday Picks

• M&A in consumer health has its own formula (BCG)
• Krispy Kreme bets on big box stores to stay fresh (NYT)
• Taco Bell's not so secret sauce: An endless stream of new stuff (Bloomberg)
• How pubs won Gen Z over (FT)
• From the archives (2015): Kraft, Heinz to merge, forming food giant (WSJ)

 Stephan's Thursday Picks

• What declining cardboard box sales tells us about the U.S. economy (Bloomberg)
• Online shopping may never be the same (The Atlantic)
• Here's what happens when you round up farmworkers (NYT)
• Woolworths struggles to win back 'price trust' from customers (The Guardian)
• Keurig Dr Pepper to acquire Peet's in $18 billion deal (WSJ)

 Stephan's Wednesday Picks

• Roger Martin: The future of the middle class depends on frontline service jobs (Medium)
• Aldi wants to conquer the American grocery store landscape (WSJ)
• Kraft Heinz is splitting into two companies (WSJ)
• A flurry of deals is changing who owns your breakfast (Bloomberg)
• Luxury fashion seller Ssense to seek protection after clash with creditors (Bloomberg)

 Stephan's Tuesday Picks

• The global lobster rush might break the industry (Bloomberg)
• The self-importance of luxury dining (The Atlantic)
• Welcome to the fast food industry's crispy chicken summer (WSJ)
• If you'll pay $800 for a credit card, you're in demand (NYT)
• A2 Milk to buy New Zealand formula plant to target China growth (Bloomberg)

 Stephan's Friday Picks

• Fifteen of the CNE's wacky new foods, ranked from best to worst (Toronto Life)
• 8 new restaurant memoirs that stir the pot (WSJ)
• The calculus of value (Oaktree Capital)
• The forgotten history (and slippery science) of canola oil (Eater)
• From the archives (2013): Tough turnaround job awaits new Rona CEO Sawyer (Globe and Mail)

 Stephan's Thursday Picks

• Why gloomy consumers keep spending (BCG)
• AB Foods to buy rival Hovis in UK bread combination (Bloomberg)
• The revenge of millennial cringe (The New Yorker)
• Spinning textile waste into value (BCG)
• How product operating model is transforming consumer product companies (Bain)

 Stephan's Wednesday Picks

• Carlsberg falls after CEO warns of weak consumer spending (Bloomberg)
• Are samosa's unhealthy? Some Indians find official advice hard to swallow (NYT)
• There's money to be made from 'MAHA'. Food companies want in (NYT)
• Canola industry asks Ottawa to curtail vegetable oil imports after China imposes new trade restrictions (Globe and Mail)
• Amazon has tried to crack Walmart's grocery empire for decades, with limited success. A massive same-day grocery expansion could change that (Fortune)

 Stephan's Tuesday Picks

• Inside the automated warehouse where robots are packing your groceries (The Verge)
• JD.com's revenue climbs after foray into food delivery (Bloomberg)
• Bag charms selling for $1,000 are retail's next little luxury (Bloomberg)
• The U.S. alcohol industry is reeling from Canada's booze boycott (WSJ)
• Ulta Beauty, Target to end partnership (WSJ)

 Stephan's Monday Picks

• World food prices at two-year high on rising meat and edible oils, FAO says (Reuters)
• The social media trend machine is spitting out weirder and weirder results (Bloomberg)
• Data monetization in the age of Gen AI (McKinsey)
• Trump tariffs and jabs push Canadians to exit Florida enclave (Bloomberg)
• Simons is a rare success story during tough times for department stores (Globe and Mail)

 Stephan's Friday Picks

• Corporate divestitures: Considering stranded costs (McKinsey)
• The innovation edge for retailers (BCG)
• The top 20 food trends of the past 20 years (Eater)
• Different kinds of smart (Collaborative Fund)
• From the archives (2013): Portugal billionaire sells lollipops, champagne in Poland (Bloomberg)

 Stephan's Thursday Picks

• The AI-first consumer products company (BCG)
• Canada's lobster industry is on a roll. But we can't take the good times for granted (Globe and Mail)
• Can cosmetic acupuncture be the new botox (NYT)
• How Warby Parker has kept the price of glasses at $95 for 15 years (WSJ)
• The one feat of leadership Patagonia's founder couldn't pull off (Bloomberg)

 Stephan's Wednesday Picks

• The age of AI (Globe and Mail)
• How doodles have become a billion dollar businsess (Bloomberg)
• Nicotine is hot. Beer is not. What vice stocks say about America's guilty pleasures (WSJ)
• Why the minibar vanished. How hotels maximize profit from your stay (WSJ)
• Where new India tariffs could hit. Your kitchen cabinet (NYT)

 Stephan's Tuesday Picks

• Costco customers shocked after someone drained all the funds from their gift cards (CBC)
• Gen Z wants what you don't want. How to profit from Y2K's comeback (Globe and Mail)
• Prepare to pay more for your morning coffee, mocha, or matcha latte (Globe and Mail)
• Ozempic is shrinking appetites. Restaurants are shrinking their food (NYT)
• Sweetgreen nixes fries that sought to 'redefine' fast food (Bloomberg)

 Stephan's Monday Picks

• The man who would save fro-yo (NYT)
• American consumers are getting thrifty again (WSJ)
• For London's blockbuster Indian restaurants, New York is next (NYT)
• The robots are taking over your food delivery (WSJ)
• M&Ms owner turns to gene editing in bid to secure cocoa supply (Bloomberg)

 Stephan's Friday Picks

• Meat is back at Eleven Madison Park, after four vegan years (NYT)
• Is it cake or is it salad (NYT)
• The South African businessman who turned Le Creuset into commercial gold (WSJ)
• Starbucks struggles to find a new identity in cutthroat China (Bloomberg)
• From the archives (2022): What's on Will Guidara's plate (WSJ)

 Stephan's Thursday Picks

• The brutal trade-off that will decide the future of food (Vox)
• How the right operating model can fix a strategy that falls short (McKinsey)
• Amazon to offer same-day grocery delivery in 2,300 cities (Bloomberg)
• Walmart expands 10% employee discount to groceries (WSJ)
• Metro's third quarter results fall short of estimates as Buy Canadian trend begins to lose steam (Globe and Mail)

 Stephan's Wednesday Picks

• Forget back to office, let's focus on back to the restaurant (Globe and Mail)
• The Home Depot doubles down on data science (Wired)
• American orange juice exports to Canada get squeezed (Globe and Mail)
• U.S. inflation held steady at 2.7% in July (WSJ)
• China escalates Canada trade spat with more levies (Bloomberg)