Stephan's Monday Picks

• Why are we living in the golden age of gut soda (NYT)
• Dollarama to buy Australia's largest discount retailer, The Reject Shop (Globe and Mail)
• Spaghetti science: What pasta reveals about the universe (BBC)
• Denmark considered U.S. one of its closest allies. Now many Danes are refusing to buy American (CBC)
• What Canada's 300% tariff on dairy actually means (Bloomberg)

 Stephan's Friday Picks

• Unlocking Canada's superpower potential (FT)
• Hudson's Bay lenders should not be given control over restructuring, landlords argue (Globe and Mail)
• Peppercorns are the hottest thing on menus across America (Bloomberg)
• There are two kinds of credit cards (The Atlantic)
• From the archives (2008): Metro to dump A&P, Dominion names (CBC)

 Stephan's Thursday Picks

• Dollar Tree is selling Family Dollar for $1 billion (NYT)
• Hudson's Bay managers will get up to $3 million in bonuses, but workers will get no severance (CBC)
• Kroger fights Albertsons suit over failed $24.6 billion deal (Bloomberg)
• Couche-Tard sees strong interest in U.S. stores for Seven & i deal (Bloomberg)
• Coca-Cola sites were among secret targets of EU antitrust raids (Bloomberg)

 Stephan's Wednesday Picks

• America is done pretending about meat (The Atlantic)
• The surprising good news for mall owners: Forever 21's bankruptcy (WSJ)
• Morrisons to close 52 cafes and 17 convenience stores (BBC)
• OECD Economic Outlook, Interim Report, March 2025 (OECD)
• 7-Eleven parent says Couche-Tard is understating potential antitrust risks (Globe and Mail)

 Stephan's Tuesday Picks

• Roger Martin: Will artificial intelligence eradicate practitioners of strategy (Medium)
• Why shoppers abroad are boycotting U.S. goods (NYT)
• DoorDash announces 'buy now, pay later' partnership with Klarna (NYT)
• Thousands of Hudson's Bay employees facing layoffs with company set to liquidate stores (Globe and Mail)
• Fast-er food: A productivity surge at U.S. restaurants (NPR)

 Stephan's Monday Picks

• The Bay's downfall ensnares vendors, suppliers (Globe and Mail)
• Instant coffee is a hit with Gen Z customers looking to cut costs (Bloomberg)
• Coles, Woolworths have little reason to compete: inquiry (Bloomberg)
• Consumers, retailers change tack to counter tariff stresses (WSJ)
• AI will soon take your order at Taco Bell and Pizza Hut (WSJ)

 Stephan's Friday Picks

• Ben & Jerry's accuses parent company Unilever of firing its CEO for political reasons (NYT)
• Are we in an omakase bubble (Globe and Mail)
• P&G takes lead in 95-year rivalry with Unilever (WSJ)
• Trump's 200% alcohol tariff threat shocks European drink firms (Bloomberg) 
• From the archives (2000): Unilever buys Ben & Jerry's, SlimFast, for over $2.5 billion (WSJ)

 Stephan's Thursday Picks

• Hudson's Bay landlord RioCan calls CCAA filing 'disappointing', makes plans for any vacated space (Globe and Mail)
• Hudson's Bay heads back to court as talks with landlords, lenders progress (Globe and Mail)
• Couche-Tard looking at other global acquisition opportunities as pursuit of Seven & i inches forward (Globe and Mail)
• Hudson's Bay shoppers scramble for striped products as company seeks liquidation (Globe and Mail)
• Canada's temporary resident population declines for the first time in three years (Globe and Mail)

 Stephan's Wednesday Picks

• Richard Baker's mastery of real estate deals wasn't enough to save Hudson's Bay (Globe and Mail)
• Danish grocery stores have a new trick for boycotting U.S. products (Fast Company)
• Forever 21 operator files for bankruptcy (NYT)
• Hudson's Bay's demise marks the death of the traditional department store in Canada (CBC)
• A genocidal militia in Sudan controls a key ingredient in Coke and Pepsi (Bloomberg)

 Stephan's Tuesday Picks

• Roger Martin: Developing a powerful playing to win: From pixels to portraits (Medium)
• Hudson's Bay stores could start liquidation sales as early as Tuesday (Globe and Mail)
• Buying Canadian is a matter of pride for shoppers. For major grocery chains, it's an opportunity (CBC)
• Tariffs set off scramble in the supermarket produce aisle (WSJ)
• How America got hooked on H Mart (Bloomberg)

 Stephan's Monday Picks

• Couche-Tard says ready to boost bid if Seven & i engages (Bloomberg)
• The fall of Hudson's Bay Co, a Canadian retail icon (Globe and Mail)
• Pet owners are changing. How will the industry respond (BCG)
• PepsiCo is near $1.5 billion-plus deal for soda brand Poppi (Bloomberg)
• Supply management is the trade barrier Canadian politicians are reticent to tear down (Globe and Mail)

 Stephan's Friday Picks

• The latest overhaul of Starbucks - by the numbers (WSJ)
• Why it's hard to buy Canadian when shopping online (Globe and Mail)
• Shoppers are skimping on cigarettes, Doritos, and Twinkies (WSJ)
• Empire's U.S. product sales dropping during trade war, CEO says (Globe and Mail)
• From the archives (2014): Sobeys' Marc Poulin: The shrewd negotiator at the heart of Canada's grocery wars (Globe and Mail)

 Stephan's Thursday Picks

• Hudson's Bay creditor protection leaves Indigenous business owner in limbo over unpaid bills (Globe and Mail)
• Expert says language on labels leave a lot of room for guesswork about how Canadian a product is (CBC)
• The rush is on for Oregon truffles (NYT)
• Walmart faces heat for Beijing from Beijing after demand for price cuts (Bloomberg)
• People are paying up for this $39 yogurt that went viral on TikTok (Fast Company)

 Stephan's Wednesday Picks

• Is anything really on sale when everything is on sale (Slate)
• How retailers are coping with retaliatory tariffs on imports (Globe and Mail)
• Unilever to speed up sale of food brands, CEO says (WSJ)
• Kennedy rattles food brands with vow to rid food of artificial dyes (NYT)
• The gift card industry is booming - and so is organized crime and related fraud (CBC)

 Stephan's Tuesday Picks

• Roger Martin: Management tasks, responsibilities, practices, and playing to win (Medium)
• Why Canadian grocery shoppers are seeing discounts, despite tariffs (Globe and Mail)
• Kroger seeks to shuffle supply chain, sidestep tariffs (WSJ)
• More CEOs are getting fired. Blame FOMO boards (Bloomberg)
• Food beyond sustenance: A conversation with Mars' Shaid Shah (McKinsey)

 Stephan's Monday Picks

• Hudson's Bay granted creditor protection to restructure its business (Globe and Mail)
• Hudson's Bay anticipates closing about half its 80 stores in restructuring plan (Globe and Mail) 
• Walgreens seals $10 billion take private deal with Sycamore (WSJ)
• Walgreens goes from $100 billion health giant to private equity salvage project (WSJ)
• Couche-Tard holds talks for US shops sale in Seven & i deal (Bloomberg)

 Stephan's Friday Picks

• Canadian Tire launches new $2 billion investment plan (Globe and Mail)
• Kroger gives upbeat outlook while questions swirl around CEO (Bloomberg)
• Starbucks CEO tells workers to step it up after layoffs (WSJ)
• Walmart asks Chinese suppliers for major price cuts on Trump tariffs (Bloomberg)
• From the archives (2022): Canadian Tire spending $3.4 billion over four years to expand products, bolster operations (Globe and Mail)

 Stephan's Thursday Picks

• McDonald's gives its restaurants an AI makeover (WSJ)
• Bain is said to be near a deal to buy Seven & i's supermarket assets (Bloomberg)
• KKR, Walmart to sell Japan supermarket Seiyu for $2.5 billion (WSJ)
• Tariffs add a new shock to food supply chains (NYT)
• How Mondelez will sell America on Sour Patch Kids that glow under a blacklight (WSJ)

 Stephan's Wednesday Picks

• Monster shrugs off Alani Nu popularity, saying it will hit growth cap (Bloomberg)
• Forget McDonald's. This Chinese fast food chain is now the world's biggest (WSJ)
• The global matcha boom is driving a shortage in Japan (Bloomberg)
• Mountain Equipment Co. faces lawsuit over unpaid bills (Globe and Mail)
• Walmart wants to be something for everyone in a divided America (Bloomberg)

 Stephan's Tuesday Picks

• Trump says 'no room left' for talks, confirms 25% tariffs on Canada, Mexico to take effect Tuesday (Globe and Mail) 
• Roger Martin: Starbucks and strategic entropy (Medium)
• Seven & i shares fall amid report it may reject buyout offer (Bloomberg)
• Pink gold (Globe and Mail)
• Sycamore nears acquisition of Walgreens Boots Alliance (Bloomberg)

 Stephan's Monday Picks

• Couche-Tard eyes friendly takeover talks with Seven & i after white knight bid derailed (Globe and Mail)
• How much should an egg really cost (The Atlantic)
• PayPal needs help from its oldest friends - consumers (WSJ)
• What does it take to quit shopping? Mute, delete, and unsubscribe (NYT)
• How to escape Trump's trade trap? Put food first (Globe and Mail)