Stephan's Friday Picks

• Can Chez Panisse change with the times? Does it need to (NYT)
• Nestle sells half of waters unit to Platinum Equity for $3.4 billion (WSJ)
• Nestle shares tumble as coffee, cocoa prices hit profits (FT)
• McCormick to seek London listing following tie-up with Unilever (WSJ)
• From the archives (2004): Food fighter (NYT Magazine)

 Stephan's Thursday Picks

• Empire plans to drop restrictions on property use amid competition probe (Globe and Mail)
• Chicken thighs are how much? Here's what's driving the latest grocery sticker shock (CBC)
• Inside the Amazon tactics that hiked prices across the internet (The Guardian)
• The fall of America's farm superpower (FT)
• Nestle nears deal to sell stake in €5B Perrier unit (FT)

 Stephan's Wednesday Picks

• Costco gas pumps are so popular they are building standalone stations (WSJ)
• Kraft Heinz to tap Disney magic in effort to build brands (WSJ)
• Rewiring customer experience for the agentic era (McKinsey)
• Coffee drinkers turning to whole beans as prices soar, says Lavazza (FT)
• Diageo chair hunts for drinks 'heavyweights' in board revamp (FT)

 Stephan's Tuesday Picks

• Rise of delivery apps takes a bite out of sales for Big Pizza (FT)
• Domino's leans on delivery apps as pricey launches fall flat (Bloomberg)
• Jersey Mike's, backers, seek up to $1.09 billion in IPO (Bloomberg)
• Is this the Louis Vuitton of lamb (FT)
• Stagnant Germany considers the unthinkable: Sunday shopping (WSJ)

  Stephan's Monday Picks

• Rise of delivery apps takes a bite out of Big Pizza (FT)
• Parasitic outbreak puts Big Lettuce in PR mode (WSJ)
• Conagra's 'show-me' CEO says every product needs to earn its keep (WSJ)
• How brands sneak in cheaper ingredients to protect their profit margins (Bloomberg)
• Why protein is suddenly in everything from Pop-Tarts to Cheerios (Bloomberg)

 Stephan's Friday Picks

• Reinventing a giant: Galen Weston uses the founder mindset in a family empire (YouTube)
• Consumer spending is up, but that signal no longer means what it once did (BCG)
• Adult happy meals lure even high-earning American diners (NYT)
• Metro and FGF enter into a strategic partnership for Premiere Moisson's commercial bakery manufacturing operations (Metro)
• From the archives (2007): Can Galen Weston Jr. save Loblaws (Toronto Life)

 Stephan's Thursday Picks

• In the Hamptons, even the chicken tenders are living fancy (NYT)
• The one thing everyone in America can agree on? Costco (WSJ)
• Danone's $1.2 billion Huel deal faces UK competition probe (WSJ)
• Why some restaurants are increasing the price of fish and chips (CBC)
• Conagra swings to loss, cuts dividend under new CEO (WSJ)

 Stephan's Wednesday Picks

• The future of fierce English mustard is in American hands (Bloomberg)
• FTC says Henkel deal would merge 'Coke and Pepsi' of adhesives (Bloomberg)
• Uber, Delivery Hero in advanced talks over potential takeover (WSJ)
• Credit card holders are using 'friendly fraud' to get back at retailers (Bloomberg)
• Chipotle to sell its Mexican-inspired fast food in Mexico (NYT)

 Stephan's Tuesday Picks

• The anti-Amazon (Phenomenal World)
• Grocery stores lower prices as consumers pare spending (NYT)
• CoverGirl stops chasing Gen Z to focus on middle-aged women (Bloomberg)
• Shein is said to move ahead with preparations for Hong Kong IPO (Bloomberg)
• Maxed-out shoppers embrace 'mini-effect' (Bloomberg)

 Stephan's Monday Picks

• Dates are suddenly on track to become a $55 billion market (Inc)
• Big box retailers have a new strategy of breaking into urban markets (NYT)
• How Aldi is taking on US supermarkets with its $4 almond butter (BBC)
• Why are berries everywhere, in every season? Driscoll's (NYT)
• Michael's goes form 'grandma's store' to unlikely success under Apollo (Bloomberg)

 Stephan's Friday Picks

• Tesco explores sale of European business (FT)
• Why Smucker's $5 billion bet on the Twinkie flopped (WSJ)
• Sven Smit: In an AI world, the fastest learner will win (McKinsey)
• Germans don't love Budweiser. It won't take no for an answer (NYT)
• From the archives (2012): The $1.6 billion flop. Tesco poised to exit the U.S. (WSJ)

 Stephan's Thursday Picks

• More Americans than ever are taking weight-loss drugs (NYT)
• Food and beverages have gone bananas (NYT)
• Wild coffee swings usher in new era of market volatility (Bloomberg)
• Walmart announced price cuts. Trump tried to take credit (NYT)
• White House pressures top US grocers on beef prices (WSJ)

 Stephan's Wednesday Picks

• Bath & Body Works is on a quest for the next billion dollar scent (NYT)
• Walmart lowers prices of thousands of items, including beef and Coca-Cola (WSJ)
• Seven & i's former supermarket unit may acquire more under Bain (Bloomberg)
• Limited construction of new retail space in Canada is giving landlord RioCan an edge (Globe and Mail)
• Inside the food truck mafia wreaking havoc around the National Mall (Washingtonian)

 Stephan's Tuesday Picks

• Roger Martin: When less is more (Substack)
• South Africa's grocery war shifts from search to AI conversation (Bloomberg)
• Consumers shun mid-sized packs amid price squeeze, Nestle says (WSJ)
• Liquor stocks are priced for a Big Tobacco moment (WSJ)
• Ocado paves way for exit of CEO Tim Steiner after succession clash (FT)

 Stephan's Monday Picks

• The pursuit of hungriness: 250 years of American food innovation (NYT)
• Nestle to change KitKat recipe in Europe to make it crispier (Bloomberg)
• California bans 'sell by' labels, hoping to cut food waste (NYT)
• What Big Food did to ice cream (Medium)
• Big brewers are making outsized bets on tiny cans of beer (WSJ)

 Stephan's Friday Picks

• America's most talented nepo baby has two Michelin stars to prove it (GQ)
• The State of Grocery in North America (McKinsey)
• Tom Colicchio's final service (Esquire)
• In new luxury kitchens, everything is hidden (NYT)
• From the archives (2018): Paul Bocuse, celebrated French chef, dies at 91 (NYT)

 Stephan's Tuesday Picks

• The art, science, and technology of geopolitical scenario planning (McKinsey)
• In a soft housing market, appliance and home furnishing retailers are collapsing. Customers are paying the price (Globe and Mail)
• Starbucks Korea to close all stores early for history training (Bloomberg)
• China summons Sam's Club over food safety concerns (FT)
• Bath & Body Works' strategy to win more young customers (WSJ)

 Stephan's Monday Picks

• Weight-loss drugs cut UK food bills by £780 million, study shows (Bloomberg)
• The latest snack innovations are basically just Creamsicles and Chex Mix (Bloomberg)
• Why your summer tomatoes cost so much (Bloomberg)
• The 70-year-old marriage between McDonald's and Coke has some issues (WSJ)
• Being honest about low inventory can pay off for retailers (WSJ)

 Stephan's Friday Picks

• Bordeaux wine was the toast of the world. Now even the locals don't drink it (NYT)
• How Saskatchewan's global reputation as a major commodities exporter laid the groundwork for Canada to diversify trade (Globe and Mail)
• El Nino slams into a global economy unprepared for more chaos (Bloomberg)
• Peru extends halt on anchovy fishing as El Nino threat looms (Bloomberg)
• From the archives (2012): Charting the rise of the king of retail (NYT)

 Stephan's Thursday Picks

• Ottawa has struggled to increase food competition. Will the new food strategy help (CBC)
• Smucker plans to lower coffee prices next year as costs drop (Bloomberg)
• It's not just food. Our whole world is 'ultraprocessed' (NYT)
• Fruit is too sweet (The Atlantic)
• Ben & Jerry's co-founder says brand is being 'destroyed' by Magnum (Bloomberg)

 Stephan's Wednesday Picks

• Starbucks can double its store count outside of the US, CEO says (Bloomberg)
• UK turns to chicken as demand surges (FT)
• Innovating human-centered luxury experiences in the luxury age (McKinsey)
• Beef prices hit record in May as screwworm impact looms (Bloomberg)
• Artificial chocolate will show what really shapes global trade (FT)

 Stephan's Tuesday Picks

• Chinese buyers will wait five hours for this conveyor belt sushi (Bloomberg)
• Nestle's longtime PE partner drops out of bidding for Perrier (Bloomberg)
• Amazon to raise $14 billion in record-setting Canadian corporate bond offering (Globe and Mail)
• Australian pharmacy group pulls out of $10B talks to buy Boots (FT)
• Amazon's trucking push sparks new slide in transport stocks (Bloomberg)

Stephan's Monday Picks

• Your budget is killing your strategy - and four ways to fix it (McKinsey)
• This restaurant stopped charging for food. Profits went up (NYT)
• J.M. Smucker expects sales to fall this year (WSJ)
• Driverless trucks are here - and they're delivering bags of Doritos (WSJ)
• Extreme heat risks losses for Indian suppliers to Uniqlo, Tesco (Bloomberg) 

 Stephan's Friday Picks

• Campbell's sales fall on continued weak demand for snacks (WSJ)
• Plan to tighten healthy food rules provokes backlash from UK industry (FT)
• Walmart tells workers that AI will improve their jobs, not steal them (FT)
• Daughter of Mrs. Fields starts her own bakery brand (NYT)
• From the archives (1999): Campbell's devises new strategy in hopes of reheating soup sales (WSJ)

 Stephan's Thursday Picks

• Asda chair on how his turnaround will hold off Aldi threat (The Guardian)
• Canned, frozen juice from concentrate coming back to Canadian shelves (CBC)
• McDonald's bets on fancier chicken, airier restaurants to keep luring customers (Bloomberg)
• Boots in talks with Weston family over $10bn sale as owners look to ditch IPO plan (FT)
• US races to contain deadly screwworm threat to cattle supply (Bloomberg)

 Stephan's Wednesday Picks

• Why your next great meal may be at a gas station (WSJ)
• The hottest snacks on the market are ... dates (NYT)
• What are dot cakes, the internet's latest obsession (NYT)
• Why Canadians are paying more for chicken at the checkout lane (Globe and Mail)
• Why protein is running out as food companies put it in everything (Bloomberg)

 Stephan's Tuesday Picks

• Americans on GLP-1s are overwhelming retailers with their nonstop returns (WSJ)
• Now you can get a Subway sandwich with your Walmart delivery (WSJ)
• Bernstein sours on packaged food stocks as inflation, GLP-1 bite (Bloomberg)
• The wellness industry finds its next target: New moms (Bloomberg)
• G7 fertilizers seek joint fertilizer action as war roils supplies (Bloomberg)

 Stephan's Monday Picks

• How ADEO is preparing for retail's next wave (McKinsey)
• PEI fisheries brace for hardship as two diseases devastate the province's oyster industry (Globe and Mail)
• Competition for soon-to-expire food has Montreal food banks struggling (CBC)
• Why Berkshire Hathaway went window shopping with Macy's (WSJ)
• America's farms depend more than ever on troubled visa programs (NYT)

 Stephan's Friday Picks

• Why Amazon has struggled to crack India (Bloomberg)
• Walmart CEO points to high fuel prices as 'stress point' (Bloomberg)
  
• America's 'other economy' tells a different growth story (FT)
• Nestle buys out Yfood in new CEO's first purchase (Bloomberg)
• From the archives (2006): The hermit kings (Globe and Mail)

 Stephan's Thursday Picks

• Whey protein is running out as food companies put it in everything (Bloomberg)
• Unilever CFO defends food deal saying staff 'not paying to be lazy' (FT)
• Dollar General says pinched customers are buying less food (Bloomberg)
• General Mills sells Haagen-Dazs stores in China (FT)
• What Trump delivered for Amazon (Bloomberg)

 Stephan's Wednesday Picks

• Unilever CFO Srinivas Phatak on how to perform and transform (BCG)
• When times are tough, people eat more beans. It's happening again now (NPR)
• Being creative requires taking risks (Escaping Flatland)
• Whole Foods CEO wants to put a banana in your Amazon box (Bloomberg)
• Prized by 'MAHA influencers' and chefs alike, craft flour is on the rise (NYT)

 Stephan's Tuesday Picks

• Roger Martin: Strategy, anomalies, and scientific revolutions (Substack)
• Can Lululemon fend off its younger, hotter rivals (Globe and Mail)
• Why the industry is obsessed with gimmicky flavours (Bloomberg)
• Dates double in sales as consumers move away from ultra-processed snacks (The Guardian)
• From sardinemaxxing to skincare, here's why tinned fish is the new 'it' product (CBC)

 Stephan's Monday Picks

• Unilever to build new U.S. research facility (WSJ)
• Men are spraying themselves 100 times in new fragrance frenzy (Bloomberg)
• Retail stock surge with US shoppers surprising Wall Street (Bloomberg)
• Americans spent $2.4 billion on Korean beauty last year. It's about to get even better (WSJ)
• Did Trump take tomato? Here's what's behind the latest grocery price shock (CBC)

 Stephan's Friday Picks

• Bank of Canada warns of low-hire, low-fire job market that complicates rate decisions (Globe and Mail)
• It's such a mess shopping for reasonably priced menswear (Bloomberg)
• Lidl overtakes Morrisons to become fifth largest supermarket in UK (The Guardian)
• Americans are about to pay even more at the grocery store (Bloomberg)
• From the archives (2014): A dozen things I've learned from Jim Sinegal (25iq)

 Stephan's Thursday Picks

• How Barnes & Noble became private equity's most radical retail experiment (Bloomberg)
• Lululemon settles dispute with founder (WSJ)
• For ailing Lululemon, going private might not be a stretch (FT)
• He invented the Basque cheesecake. He prefers chocolate (NYT)
• Swiggy CEO vows to stay out of Amazon-Walmart spending war (Bloomberg)

 Stephan's Wednesday Picks

• The ice-cold civil war between Diet Coke and Coke Zero drinkers (WSJ)
• Trump's tariffs have devastated coffee exports (Globe and Mail)
• America can't produce enough honey (Bloomberg)
• Ozempic maker cuts prices as generic versions hit shelves (Globe and Mail)
• How Canada's agriculture sector is getting its global swagger back (Globe and Mail)

 Stephan's Tuesday Picks

• The paradox at the heart of American meat consumption (Vox)
• Experimental drug yields dramatic weight loss (NYT)
• Why the dream of the feel-good millennial brand didn't last (WSJ)
• Khloe Kardashian popcorn takes off after winning coveted Starbucks display (Bloomberg)
• Japanese retailer pioneer who transformed 7-Eleven dies at 93 (WSJ)

 Stephan's Monday Picks

• How Super C is reshaping grocery in Quebec (Canadian Grocer)
• Kroger plans biggest price cuts in years to take on Walmart, Costco (Bloomberg)
• PepsiCo to raise prices on small chip bags over higher US costs (Bloomberg)
• Morrisons planning to close 100 stores in the next few months (BBC)
• In India, you can get milk faster than it takes to make coffee (WSJ)

 Stephan's Friday Picks

• Walmart sees signs at gas pump that consumers are stressed (WSJ)
• What comes after Peru's food revolution (Bloomberg)
• The world has officially reached peak bagel (WSJ)
• AI could transform economy, but no evidence yet of widespread job losses, Bank of Canada says (Globe and Mail)
• From the archives (2000): Craig Claiborne, 79, Times food critic and editor, is dead (NYT)

 Stephan's Thursday Picks

• Trump cuts to grocery subsidies bite US food companies (FT)
• Target reports largest sales gain in years (WSJ)
• Calls for 'no seed oil' push companies to order up on butter and beef tallow (NYT)
• UK Treasury pushes supermarkets to cap prices (FT)
• Celebrating 50 years of great American wines (NYT)

 Stephan's Wednesday Picks

• How Walmart is taking over empty drugstores to speed up deliveries (FT)
• Nestle's CHF 2.5 billion transform to boost efficiency, cut costs, and fuel growth (BCG)
• Why Gen Z's love 'boy kibble' and these other food trends (WSJ)
• Andy Jassy is rewriting Amazon's playbook for the AI age (Bloomberg)
• Court rules Coles misled shoppers with its Down Down discount campaign (The Guardian)

 Stephan's Tuesday Picks

• GLP-1 users are taking a bite out of restaurants (WSJ)
• Why are life is now on subscriptions (NYT)
• The shoppers redefining how to save money on groceries (NPR)
• The world is awash in bourbon. That's a problem for big booze (WSJ)
• Do you have a mango dealer (FT)

 Stephan's Friday Picks

• I want to live like Costco people (Taste)
• Why Spirit Airlines failed where European budget carriers thrived (The New Yorker)
• The slopification of lunch (Esquire)
• From the archives (2016): How Americans pretend to love 'ethnic food' (Washington Post)

 Stephan's Thursday Picks

• Ambani's cola war with Coke, Pepsi spurs fridge bonanza in India (Bloomberg)
• Potato chip bags are going black and white because of the Iran war (WSJ)
• Retailers are making expensive bets that shoppers still want to go to stores (NYT)
• Dunkin' returns to Canada after ten years, with plans for hundreds of locations (Globe and Mail)
• Walmart lays off or relocates 1,000 workers (WSJ)

 Stephan's Wednesday Picks

• The race to automate the last mile of grocery deliveries (BCG)
• Resetting expectations: Canada's economy in a lower-immigration era (CD Howe Institute)
• Salmon farms on land take aim at a $19 billion industry (Bloomberg)
• Food prices rise to highest in three years on Iran war costs (Bloomberg)
• Italian gelato is getting weird and not everyone likes it (Bloomberg)

 Stephan's Tuesday Picks

• Why beef prices won't drop anytime soon (Bloomberg)
• As AI upends shopping, retailers tailor their pitches to chatbots (Globe and Mail)
• Frozen TV dinners get a high-protein makeover for the GLP-1 era (Bloomberg)
• No whey, a cottage cheese shortage! Demand surges amid protein craze (CBC)
• What India's Diet Coke shortage means for the U.S. (The Atlantic)

 Stephan's Monday Picks

• The last days of Butter Ridge (NYT)
• Americans will do anything to get Indian mangoes (WSJ)
• Derek Thompson: Why your best ideas aren't original (Substack)
• UK supermarkets as competition watchdog to rein in Aldi and Lidl (FT)
• Big Loblaw stretches its tentacles, on track to become Canada's biggest landlord (Globe and Mail)

 Stephan's Friday Picks

• The Nortena burrito takes New York (The New Yorker)
• Doris Fisher, co-founder of the Gap, dies at 94 (NYT)
• Kraft Heinz CEO pushes value: Consumers are literally running out of money (WSJ)
• Will AB Foods' split from Primark unlock its potential (The Grocer)
• From the archives (2007): Michelin sprinkles stars on Tokyo (FT)

 Stephan's Thursday Picks

• Loblaw 'fighting back' against price hikes and seeing strength in discounted sales (Globe and Mail)
• The invisible force making food less nutritious (Washington Post)
• Thai food in America enters an adventurous era (Bloomberg)
• Is China decoupling on food (FT)
• AI in shopping. Transforming the retail ecosystem (McKinsey)

 Stephan's Wednesday Picks

• Magnum's mini ice creams ease fears of weight-loss drugs (FT)
• ACCC vs Woolworths may have exposed the 'magic' of supermarket discounts - but how will it change the way we shop (The Guardian)
• Lululemon's new CEO is already on the hot seat - and she hasn't even started yet (WSJ)
• Two NJ malls separated by just four miles - and very different fates (Bloomberg)
• Tesco argues equal pay claim disregards 'economic reality' (FT)

 Stephan's Tuesday Picks

• Unilever sales lifted by Dove soap, rebound in Brazil (Bloomberg)
• Hershey beats expectations, buoyed by charging higher prices (Bloomberg)
• Hershey CEO on making luxury chocolate accessible - and battling Ozempic breath (WSJ)
• Walmart expands local products in bid to boost sales, traffic (Bloomberg)
• Colgate-Palmolive sales rise on international growth (WSJ)

 Stephan's Monday Picks

• The State of Grocery Retail Europe 2025 (McKinsey)
• Ottawa announces $6 billion to boost skilled trades, smaller deficit projection of $66.9 billion (Globe and Mail)
• Health Canada approves generic Ozempic from Apotex as patients and insurers seek savings (Globe and Mail)
• The day the food noise died (NYT)
• New weight loss drugs like Ozempic can also erase people's love of food (Globe and Mail)

 Stephan's Friday Picks

• What I learned about billionaires at Jeff Bezos' private retreat (The Atlantic)
• The Japanese designers changing menswear (NYT)
• How the Walkman, Game Boy, Liquid Death, and Pokemon became surprise hits (HBR)
• Why do the top sushi restaurants leave us so bored, and so broke (NYT)
• From the archives (2025): The great French Fry mystery (Toronto Life)

 Stephan's Thursday Picks

• Skinny sodas and mini cans: How Coke's new CEO is sizing up customers (WSJ)
• Lululemon says its founder has advised rivals Alo and Vuori (Bloomberg)
• Target mandates relocation for 150 office workers (Bloomberg)
• Brands look beyond search engines as customer habits shift (FT)
• Kimberley-Clark sees $170 million hit with oil at $100 a barrel (Bloomberg)

 Stephan's Wednesday Picks

• Roger Martin: Strategic stuckness (Substack)
• Home Depot courts contractors as US economy weighs on DIY set (FT)
• AB Foods to spin off Primark (FT)
• Starbucks says its sales rebound is gaining momentum (WSJ)
• Mondelez reports developing market growth offsetting U.S, Europe weakness (WSJ)

 Stephan's Tuesday Picks

• How agentic AI is transforming retail merchandising (BCG)
• IHOP, Cracker Barrel, and Red Lobster cash in on catering (NYT)
  
• The humble bean gets a high-end glow-up (Bloomberg)
• Why it's time for Canada to consider a national fertilizer strategy (Globe and Mail)
• What happens when AI runs a store in San Francisco (NYT)

 Stephan's Monday Picks

• Sam's Club launches one-hour US delivery with shoppers in on-demand phase (FT)
• Best Buy CEO Corrie Barry steps down after years of tepid growth (WSJ)
• Danone sales rise as yogurt, water outweigh formula recalls (Bloomberg)
• Wagyu used to signify quality beef. What are you paying for today (NYT)
• Who killed the Florida orange (Slate)

 Stephan's Friday Picks

• Metro delays raising food prices as customers turn to discount stores (Globe and Mail)
• How Chobani turned Greek yogurt into an American staple (Bloomberg)
• AB Foods to spin off Primark (FT)
• How Nestle's pioneering China businesses fell into disarray (FT)
• From the archives (2000): Can Amazon make it (Bloomberg)

 Stephan's Thursday Picks

• Why McCormick thinks flavouring food is better than making it (WSJ)
• How big brands can spot the next big thing (BCG)
• Protein is hotter than ever. So why is the owner of Quest and Atkins on a cold streak (WSJ)
• Pistachio prices hit eight-year high on war in major grower Iran (Bloomberg)
• Walmart challenges Amazon on same-day delivery using stores as warehouses (FT)

 Stephan's Wednesday Picks

• The coming global food crisis (FT)
• Gwyneth Paltrow is bringing her takeout business to New York City (WSJ)
• How retailers can improve operating margins to drive shareholder returns (BCG)
• OpenTable won over the wrong customers, then changed course (Bloomberg)
• Skimp on yogurt, splurge on skydiving: The rise of the frugal rich (WSJ)

 Stephan's Tuesday Picks

• Unilever hikes prices of Hellmann's mayonnaise as suppliers try to offset rising fuel costs (Globe and Mail)
• Chocolate makers look to cut down on cocoa after price volatility (WSJ)
• Teen's death prompts push to ban energy drink sales in Quebec to youths under 16 (CBC)
• Weight-loss drugs and Mars bars: Novo Nordisk's comeback bid (FT)
• IMF sees Canada's fiscal position as strongest in G7 (Bloomberg)

 Stephan's Monday Picks

• CBC investigation finds Loblaw, Sobeys overcharging for underweight meat - again (CBC)
• Spice up your cooking skills with help from your phone (NYT)
• PepsiCo's snack business starts to rebound after price cuts (Bloomberg)
• First Capital REIT acquired by Choice and KingSett for $5.2 billion after turnaround (Globe and Mail)
• Quince's best-kept secret isn't its cheap cashmere and couches (Bloomberg)

Stephan's Friday Picks

• State of Food and Beverage: The choices CPG leaders can make to renew growth (McKinsey) 
• The US small town coffee shop that created a viral drink (The Guardian)
• Unilever bets big on gummies as next frontier of wellness (Bloomberg)
• The $40 half chicken that ruffled Brooklyn (NYT)
• From the archives (2015): Unilever must aim not to spread itself too thinly (FT)

 Stephan's Thursday Picks

• Food insecurity in focus (Globe and Mail)
• Israeli startup makes world's first lab-grown chocolate bar (FT)
• Big money is betting on bagels (NYT)
• Kimberly-Clark details structure, leadership team following Kenvue deal (WSJ)
• The battle over refreshers heats up as McDonald's enters the mix (NYT)

 Stephan's Wednesday Picks

• Food influencing gets a feel good refresh (NYT)
• Can food actually be medicine? These doctors say yes (NYT)
• Conagra replacing CEO after 60% stock slide (Bloomberg)
• Unilever's $45 billion food deal spreads fear among brand loyalists (Bloomberg)
• Mamdani plans to open city-owned grocery store in East Harlem (NYT)

 Stephan's Tuesday Picks

• A must for the new food craze? Be 'social media gorgeous' (NYT)
• Maple Leaf among suppliers introducing fuel surcharges set to put pressure on grocery prices (Globe and Mail)
• The AI transformation manifesto (McKinsey)
• Middle East conflict weights on global food prices (Bloomberg)
• McDonald's to add energy drinks, crafted sodas to menus (WSJ)

 Stephan's Monday Picks

• CEO Andy Jassy's 2025 Letter to Shareholders (Amazon)
• Top Canadian grocers downgraded as Scotiabank flags increased competition (Bloomberg)
• How war in the Middle East paralyzed an Asian food giant (NYT)
• Unilever acquires vitamin gummies brand Gruns in wellness push (FT)
• Aldi and Lidl rivalry heats up in race for UK discount shoppers (Bloomberg)

 Stephan's Friday Picks

• Sam Altman may control the future - can he be trusted (The New Yorker)
• The Yankees new 'fried chicken dessert' a major hit with fans (The Athletic)
• Why are people injecting themselves with peptides (The New Yorker)
• She knows your next favourite snack before you do (NYT)
• Endo dreams of sushi: A trip around Japan with one of the world's best chefs (The Guardian)

 Stephan's Thursday Picks

• Why McCormick's $65 billion deal for Unilever might actually work out (WSJ)
• Growth in the era of intentional shoppers: Beyond omnichannel grocery in Latin America (McKinsey)
• Aritzia shares soar as most in nearly a year on strong spring collection sales (Bloomberg)
• Uniqlo is coming for middle America (Bloomberg)
• The next Competition Bureau leader must embrace a Canada Strong mindset (Globe and Mail)

 Stephan's Wednesday Picks

• Doritos at $7 a bag ended up costing PepsiCo billions (Bloomberg)
• Burger King enters next phase of turnaround plan with president Tom Curtis leading the way (Globe and Mail)
• Once Sweden's top company, H&M struggling to sell its rebound story (Bloomberg)
• Food security expert urges Canada to invest in agriculture, not just military capabilities (Globe and Mail)
• A visual guide to the Gulf fertilizer blockade (The Guardian)

 Stephan's Tuesday Picks

• Jamie Dimon's Letter to Shareholders (JP Morgan Chase)
• Red Lobster set to bring back endless shrimp that drove it into bankruptcy (Bloomberg)
• The Walmart billionaires next door (Fortune)
• The dogma of meat (NYT)
• Stefano Pessina vows to regain 'all the value' lost at his Boots empire (FT)

 Stephan's Monday Picks

• Spice maker McCormick's rise from a Baltimore cellar to a global food power (WSJ)
  
• How Nelson Peltz chalked up another break-up at Unilever (FT)
• The retailer that welcomes returns (WSJ)
• Secrets of the 'granny shelf' - a supermarket gold mine (FT)
• Teens sick of their phones are mallmaxxing (Bloomberg)

 Stephan's Thursday Picks

• Bain & Company unveils its 10th annual Insurgent Brands list (Bain)
• The brigade systems helps restaurants succeed. Does it also lead to abuse (NYT)
• The CEO's value test: Think like an activist, deliver like a leader (BCG)
• How Campbell's is investing in leadership - and driving growth and innovation along the way (McKinsey)
• From the archives (2025): Insurgent brands steal the spotlight in 2025 (Bain)

 Stephan's Wednesday Picks

• Where might the war with Iran hit your grocery bill? Start with raspberries (NYT)
• How successful retailers prosper in tough times (HBR)
• Unilever to combine foods business with McCormick (WSJ)
• McCain's ownership flaws were identified decades ago - now a second generation is feuding all over again (Globe and Mail)
• Hershey's growth strategy leans into salty, better for you snacks (WSJ)

 Stephan's Tuesday Picks

• Roger Martin: First mover advantages versus pioneering costs (Substack)
• Unilever nears deal to create $60 billion food giant with McCormick (WSJ)
• Food giants were finally starting to cut prices - then the war began (FT)
• Amazon's rural delivery push slams into Walmart (Bloomberg)
• Nestle pushes ahead of €5B Perrier and San Pellegrino deal (FT)

 Stephan's Monday Picks

• He was supposed to break up Kraft and Heinz. Then he changed his mind (NYT)
• Why Kraft Heinz's CEO decided not to split up the company (WSJ)
• Food megamergers hardly ever work. Could McCormick-Unilever be different (WSJ)
• The global food crisis unleashed by the war (FT)
• Dutch retailer Action targets US market by 100-store rollout by 2028 (Bloomberg)

 Stephan's Friday Picks

• Larry Fink's annual chairman's letter to investors (BlackRock)
• Kraft Heinz to invest $250 million in Montreal factory to boost capacity amid increased demand (Globe and Mail)
• The corporate strategy function in an AI-first world (BCG)
• Dollar General falls after naming CEO (Bloomberg)
• From the archives (1996): The science of shopping (The New Yorker)

 Stephan's Thursday Picks

• How Amazon is bringing fast delivery to rural America (WSJ)
• Commerce media at an inflection point (McKinsey)
• Red Lobster's last gasp (Bloomberg)
• Danone to buy protein shake maker for $1.2 billion (WSJ)
• Vertical farming tried to compete with open field farming. It's not going well (NYT)

 Stephan's Wednesday Picks

• Target plans to tighten dress code rules for store employees (Bloomberg)
• McCormick to go all in on mayo with potential Unilever deal (Bloomberg)
• Why mayo and soap no longer mix for Unilever (WSJ)
• Fast food's math problem: Making burgers cheap with beef at records (WSJ)
• Project 'Buff Baby' transformed a Huggies diaper. Not it could change the way we shop (WSJ)

 Stephan's Tuesday Picks

• Store traffic expected to rise across U.S. Circle K stores despite surging gasoline prices, Couche-Tard CEO says (Globe and Mail)
• Unilever in talks to separate food business and combine it with McCormick (WSJ)
• Snack brands jockey to invent the next hit chip (Bloomberg)
• Blank Street bets on bigger storefronts (Bloomberg)
• Topo Chico might be hard to get this summer (Texas Monthly)

 Stephan's Monday Picks

• Walmart wins patents to give algorithms more sway over prices (FT)
• Unilever, Kraft Heinz held talks over food merger uniting ketchup and mayo (FT)
• Artificial intelligence is coming for sommeliers (NYT)
• Canada's first butter bar is coming to Port Credit (Toronto Life)
• Macy's CEO points to E-shaped economy, signaling consumer shift (WSJ)

Stephan's Friday Picks

• Canada reports first annual population decline on record (Globe and Mail)
• Restaurants are struggling as Americans drink less (NYT)
• How Danone is reinventing FMCG operations (McKinsey)
• Looking for rotisserie chicken heaven? It's in Montreal (NYT)
• From the archives (2020): Nothing compares to yuzu (The New Yorker)

 Stephan's Thursday Picks

• Kraft Heinz puts focus on struggling brands after ditching split (Bloomberg)
• Lululemon scrambles to revive yoga pants empire amid fight with founder (NYT)
• Unilever considers potential separation of food assets (Bloomberg)
• Amazon plans drastic cut in packages sent via already struggling postal service (WSJ)
• General Mills posts lower sales, profit amid turnaround (WSJ)

 Stephan's Wednesday Picks

• Target's tech chief has a big role to play in the retailer's turnaround (WSJ)
• JD.com's European push pits Chinese retailer against Amazon (Bloomberg)
• Pop Mart bets on new toys as Labubu mania fades (Bloomberg)
• Big bargains and 'white knuckle' buying: Inside the rise of TJ Maxx (FT)
• Amazon launches 1-hour delivery in hundreds of U.S. cities (WSJ)

 Stephan's Tuesday Picks

• Roger Martin: Becoming an EI augmented enterprise (Substack)
• The dark side of Japan's convenience stores (FT)
• How Jeff Bezos upended The Washington Post (NYT)
• South Korea fell hard for this dessert, but that was so last month (NYT)
• JBS beef plant workers begin industry's largest strike in years (WSJ)

 Stephan's Monday Picks

• Weston family funding launch of a national digital media startup, sources say (Globe and Mail)
• Who's really ordering all that DoorDash (The Argument)
• Empire reports third-quarter loss amid shift in e-commerce strategy (Globe and Mail)
• Japan loses its thirst for vending machines (FT)
• The dieting myth that won't die (The Atlantic)

 Stephan's Friday Picks

• Target boycott over DEI charges winding down (WSJ)
• Coffee prices stay at record highs despite drop in market for beans (Bloomberg)
• The highly exclusive way that everyone is shopping now (The Atlantic)
• Rene Redzepi steps down at Noma amid allegations of past abuse (NYT)
• From the archives (1997): What price the Snapple debacle (Bloomberg)

 Stephan's Thursday Picks

• Amazon wins court order blocking Perplexity AI shopping bots (Bloomberg)
• The suburb that won't sleep (NYT)
• In Canada's major cities, fertility rates are in steep decline. What happened? (Globe and Mail)
• Walmart-backed Flipkart said to plan to invite banks to pitch for IPO in April (Bloomberg)
• Campbell's cuts outlook as snack sales fall (WSJ)

 Stephan's Wednesday Picks

• A growth formula for the home and hygiene market (McKinsey)
• A $1,000 dog grooming session? The wellness industry is booming (NYT)
• The new food fad sweeping Korea (FT)
• Graza's new mayo is the latest buzzy condiment to launch (Fast Company)
• Liquor hasn't led to an explosion in alcohol sales, as some feared (Globe and Mail)

 Stephan's Tuesday Picks

• How Swig turned dirty soda into a national obsession (Bloomberg)
• Luckin coffee backer Centurium is said to be in advanced talks for Blue Bottle (Bloomberg)
• Iran conflict sparks global rush for critical fertilizers (Bloomberg)
• Why dinner never gets easier (The Atlantic)
• War in the Middle East threatens global food production (WSJ)

Stephan's Monday Picks

• Parisians have given into the lunch salad (NYT)
• The allure of 'slop bowls' fades as consumers tighten spending (NYT)
• A new generation of mall rats has arrived (WSJ)
• We got hooked on fast, free shipping. Now retailers are taking it away (WSJ)
• Kroger's new CEO will focus on price, customer experiences (Bloomberg)

Stephan's Friday Picks

• Pizza Hut takes fans on a trip to its past (NYT)
• Can Reese's have too many pieces (FT)
• Target accelerates in-store investments as part of turnaround strategy (WSJ)
• Inside the unraveling of seafood magnate John Risley's billion dollar empire (Globe and Mail)
• From the archives (2019): How Target became the model in U.S. retail (Bloomberg)

 Stephan's Thursday Picks

• He's Reese's biggest advocate - and Hershey's biggest headache (WSJ)
• Are European supermarkets actually better and cheaper than American (Washington Post)
• Target's new CEO has a $6 billion plan to turn the tide (WSJ)
• B&M tries to win back Britain's discount shoppers (FT)
• The 13-second video that supercharged the McDonald's - Burger King rivalry (WSJ)

 Stephan's Wednesday Picks

• Another eating craze is straining supplies (Bloomberg)
• Bosses ditch 'peanut butter pay' in favor of giving big raises to top talent (Bloomberg)
• Chocolate kept in anti-theft boxes as shops warn it's being stolen to order (BBC)
• Iconic retailer Roots could be for sale as it launches strategic review (Globe and Mail)
• State of grocery retail MENA 2026: Managing the growth paradox (McKinsey)

 Stephan's Tuesday Picks

• Jimmy Pattison taps a tax whiz to run his empire (Bloomberg)
• Consumer packaged goods: Reigniting growth with portfolio realignment (McKinsey)
• America's love of ube is straining supply in the Philippines (Bloomberg)
• Strategy's biggest blind spot: Erosion of competitive advantage (McKinsey)
• American's can't quit steak, no matter the cost (Bloomberg)

 Stephan's Monday Picks

• Greg Abel's Letter to Shareholders (Berkshire Hathaway)
• The newest front in America's supermarket wars is ... Kentucky? (WSJ)
• The third-largest coffee chain in the U.S. sells very little hot coffee (WSJ)
• Ocado plans to cut 1,000 jobs and restructure technology unit (FT)
• Meat snack maker Archer gets $100 million loan as demand from women grows (Bloomberg)

 Stephan's Friday Picks

• Saks owner says he saved department stores. Never mind the bankruptcy (NYT)
• The protein bar delusion (The Atlantic)
  
• The billionaires behind Japan's cultural icons (Bloomberg)
• Will Americans get over their fear of eating animal blood (NYT)
• From the archives (2002): Power steer (NYT)

 Stephan's Thursday Picks

• Amazon takes the #1 spot on the Fortune 500, ending Walmart's 13-year run (Fortune)
• Loblaw misses quarterly revenue estimates as Canadians tighten household budgets (Globe and Mail)
• Made in Canada: Snack attack (Globe and Mail)
• Keurig Dr Pepper sales rise on higher prices (WSJ)
• Home Depot profit falls as home improvement downturn continues (WSJ)