Stephan's Monday Picks

• Impossible Foods wants to put plant-based burgers on European menus this year (Bloomberg)
• The value seeking customer (Deloitte)
• Matcha is having a moment - and it's putting pressure on Japan's tea industry (CBC)
• Unilever to buy Dr. Squatch in $1.5 billion deal (Reuters)
• The 33-year old meat heir feeding America's protein obsession (WSJ)

 Stephan's Friday Picks

• The worst sandwich is back (The Atlantic)
• Couche-Tard cagey about likelihood of 7-Eleven takeover (Globe and Mail)
• Ruby Liu lacks 'foundational experience' to run former HBC stores, Cadillac Fairview CEO says (Globe and Mail)
• Mars' $36 billion deal hit by full scale EU probe (Bloomberg)
• From the archives (2022): Mars CEO Grant Reid to retire, hand reins to pet-care unit chief (WSJ)

 Stephan's Thursday Picks

• Do we need another green revolution (The New Yorker)
• General Mills' outlook misses on consumer pullback (Bloomberg)
• Target explores factory direct shipping model used by Temu (Bloomberg)
• Walmart looks to speed up delivery by opening 'dark stores' closed to public (Bloomberg)
• After a bruising year, casual dining chains try to stage a comeback (WSJ)

 Stephan's Wednesday Picks

• At Amazon's biggest data center, everything is supersized for AI (NYT)
• New York's Indian food is more creative than ever (The Cut)
• It's Indian mango season, and the cutthroat selling frenzy is on (NYT)
• A look at Jeff Bezos' expansive wealth (WSJ)
• Why customers prefer wider drinking glasses (WSJ)

 Stephan's Tuesday Picks

• Roger Martin: The evolution of the strategic choice structuring process (Medium)
• The path towards a metabolic health revolution (McKinsey)
• Can Walmart shed its discount vibe? Its new home office offers a clue (NYT)
• A new meatpacking plant's novel approach to attracting American workers (WSJ)
• Tariffs test Sam's Club strategy of keeping prices as low as possible (WSJ)

 Stephan's Monday Picks

• Big Grocery wants Ontario to lift ban on 'private label' wine, beer (CBC)
• The fast food gimmick that became an unlikely muse for chefs (NYT)
• The $10 billion delivery empire built on Shein and TikTok orders (Rest of World)
• Amazon rebuilt Alexa using a 'staggering amount' of AI tools (Wired)
• Home Depot bid kicks off battle for $5 billion building products company (WSJ)

 Stephan's Friday Picks

• Why rice is poised to survive better in a warming world (Bloomberg)
• What is a 'fridge cigarette' (NYT)
• Canada's population growth slows to a crawl after moves to curb immigration (Globe and Mail)
• Hudson's Bay to change its name, landlords express 'concern' over lease deal (Globe and Mail)
• From the archives (2011): Diet Coke wins battle in cola wars (WSJ)

 Stephan's Thursday Picks

• Is food really better in Europe (The Cut)
• How AI and automation can transform the consumer enterprise (McKinsey)
• Inside Walgreens' $90 billion meltdown (Fortune)
• Message from Andy Jassy: Some thoughts on generative AI (Amazon)
• Kellanova slumps on reports EU regulators to probe Mars deal (Bloomberg)

 Stephan's Wednesday Picks

• The aisle-prowling Albertsons CEO taking on Kroger (WSJ)
• Can Lububu, this ugly elf, make China cool (NYT)
• Kraft Heinz is ditching artificial dyes (WSJ)
• Swiss chocolate dynasty doubles down on private equity (Bloomberg)
• Chobani CEO says food system needs immigration to function (WSJ)

 Stephan's Tuesday Picks

• Roger Martin: Influenceability, society, and strategy (Medium)
• A town's single largest taxpayer is also its biggest headache (NYT)
• Global food companies are struggling to deliver methane progress (Bloomberg)
• As alternative meats lose favor, Impossible Foods sets sights on flexitarians (WSJ)
• America's last mall king is still in charge (WSJ)

 Stephan's Monday Picks

• Winning the battle for customer attention (McKinsey)
• State of the Consumer 2025 (McKinsey)
• Howard Schultz backs Brian Niccol's turnaround approach (WSJ)
• Couche Tard sees 'clear path' to Seven & i deal with US stores divestment (Bloomberg)
• Amazon draws Whole Foods closer in grocery business reorganization (Bloomberg)

 Stephan's Friday Picks

• How Pakistan fell in love with sushi (The Guardian)
• Walmart and Amazon are exploring issuing their own stablecoins (WSJ)
• Tesco beats estimates on own brand growth (Bloomberg)
• Big tech is dealing flat design a death blow (Bloomberg)
• From the archives (1974): Cooking with Julia Child (The New Yorker)

 Stephan's Thursday Picks

• ICE raids have sent Latino shoppers into hiding and big brands are hurting (WSJ)
• An interview with Ligaya Mishan and Tejal Rao (NYT)
• Do US consumers care about sustainable packaging in 2025 (McKinsey)
• State of Beauty 2025 (McKinsey)
• Dollarama beats estimates with first quarter profit, sales growth (Globe and Mail)

 Stephan's Wednesday Picks

• She built a cult baby food brand. Then RFK Jr. came calling (NYT)
• America's hottest chicken chain started with $900 - and just sold for $1 billion (WSJ)
• The secret to success with transformational M&A? It's the people (McKinsey)
• Kimberley Clark strikes a deal for its international tissue business (WSJ)
• Shop slow, spend more: The retailers hoping more customers linger (WSJ)

 Stephan's Tuesday Picks

• Roger Martin: Innovation-driven change (Medium)
• The evolution of commerce media: Navigating a new era in advertising (McKinsey)
• Starbucks reshuffles leadership in bid to accelerate turnaround (Bloomberg)
• Walmart CFO says shoppers remain focused on food, essentials (Bloomberg)
• That's bananas! Why it might be harder or pricier to find some brands in grocery stores (CBC)

Stephan's Monday Picks

• H&M billionaire quietly moves brand towards private ownership (Bloomberg)
• Walmart goes big with drone delivery expansion (Wired)
• Hudson's Bay stores close in Canada (NYT)
• When they stop selling your favourite thing (NYT)
• How a hazelnut spread became a sticking point in Franco-Algerian relations (The New Yorker)

 Stephan's Friday Picks

• Gen Z doesn't want to start a bar tab (NYT)
• Court approves Canadian Tire's $30 million acquisition of Hudson's Bay assets (Globe and Mail)
• P&G plans to cut over 15% of office jobs over the next two years (Bloomberg)
• Lawsuit accuses Popeyes of selling 'unsafe' chicken on Ontario restaurants (Globe and Mail)
• From the archives (2021): Pellet ice is the good ice (The New Yorker)

 Stephan's Thursday Picks

• A food reckoning is coming (The Atlantic)
• As cash fades, small retailers embrace efforts to rein in swipe fees (NYT)
• Hudson's Bay demise leaves large swath of empty real estate in its wake (Globe and Mail)
• Consumers are financing their groceries. What does that say about the economy (NYT)
• Retailers, ducking trade war curve balls, stick to their plans (WSJ)

 Stephan's Wednesday Picks

• How AI is changing how chefs cook (NYT)
• DoorDash CEO Tony Xu is taking on the role of industry consolidator (CNBC)
• Soaring costs expose a trans-Atlantic chocolate divide (WSJ)
• Amazon hit by German warning over price controls on marketplace (Bloomberg)
• The $2 trillion global wellness market gets a millennial and Gen Z glow-up (McKinsey)

 Stephan's Tuesday Picks

• Roger Martin: Thinking more strategically about where to play (Medium)
• Building a destination for pet parents (McKinsey)
• Meet the pastry chef known as the 'Scone Master' (Globe and Mail)
• Life's ancient bottleneck (Quillette)
• Snack maker sues Aldi grocery chain over look-alike product packaging (NYT)

Stephan's Monday Picks

• Inside the final days of Hudson's Bay (Globe and Mail)
• The plan that could have saved Hudson's Bay as we know it (Globe and Mail)
• She always felt like an outsider. Now it's this CEO's superpower (WSJ)
• Aldi owners holding talks about possible merger (Bloomberg)
  
• Retailers flex their vocabulary to war of potential tariff-driven price hikes (WSJ)