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)

 Stephan's Wednesday Picks

• Online shopping could be AI's next victim (Bloomberg)
• Retailers court Gen Z with splurges that look good on TikTok (Bloomberg)
• Teens have doused themselves in Axe for decades. Even Axe is over it (WSJ)
• Starbucks needs you to buy an afternoon refresher (WSJ)
• Packaged foods producers turn to price cuts as sales stagnate (FT)

 Stephan's Tuesday Picks

• Danone sales rise on high-protein, medical nutrition demand (Bloomberg)
• How Paris' working class dining experience is reshaping restaurant experiences in France (The Conversation)
• Egg prices collapse as once-empty shop shelves now overstuffed (Bloomberg)
• There's a reason American kids are such picky eaters (NYT)
• Walgreens cuts hundreds of jobs after private equity buyout (Bloomberg)

 Stephan's Monday Picks

• Nestle unveils ice cream disposals, stresses fast formula recall (Bloomberg)
• Primark's fast fashion crown slips with shoppers lured to Shein (Bloomberg)
• The problems piling up at fast fashion giant Shein (FT)
• Some Reese's treats drop the milk chocolate. Mr. Reese disapproves (NYT)
• Etsy sells Depop, a secondhand clothing app popular with Gen Z, to eBay (NYT)

 Stephan's Friday Picks

• Food companies simply can't get enough of the word 'simply' (Bloomberg)
• The beef industry has a message for consumers: Get used to high prices (WSJ)
• Walmart cites worrying economic indicators in cautious forecast (Bloomberg)
• Amazon is now Amazon's biggest company. It's 17-year journey to surpass Walmart (WSJ)
• From the archives (1997): Michael Mauboussin: Competitive Advantage Period: The Neglected value driver (First Boston)

 Stephan's Thursday Picks

• Food companies sink as executives warn of consumer stress (Bloomberg)
• General Mills cuts outlook due to weak consumer sentiment (WSJ)
• Home Depot gets stricter on bonuses amid housing market freeze (Bloomberg)
• US restaurants downsize meals to counter anti-obesity drugs and affordability crisis (FT)
• Carrefour drops in disappointing sales, overseas pullback (Bloomberg)

 Stephan's Wednesday Picks

• What CPG companies can learn from disruptor brands (McKinsey)
• Seattle's gig worker law was supposed to boost wages. It did at first, until orders dropped (NPR)
• Cocoa's boom and bust is re-writing long-held rules of the market (Bloomberg)
• Uber targets $1 billion boost with 2026 European expansion (Reuters)
• How blockbuster films and bingeworthy streaming hits slipped into our showers (WSJ)

 Stephan's Tuesday Picks

• Loblaw introducing ChatGPT integration (Globe and Mail)
• The challenges of a weight-loss economy (FT)
• Even Dollar Tree is going after rich customers now (Bloomberg)
• Farmers made a fortune on durian. Now it is piling up (NYT)
• Couche-Tard unveils new back-to-basics strategy to boost growth (Globe and Mail)

 Stephan's Friday Picks

• The booming business of luxury grocery stores (WSJ)
• How Jeff Bezos brought down the Washington Post (The New Yorker)
• Canada's food price misery has company south of the border (TD)
• McDonald's says its value campaign is paying off (WSJ)
• From the archives (2009): Food fighter (The New Yorker)

 Stephan's Thursday Picks

• Kraft Heinz pauses plan to split into two companies (WSJ)
• Fibermaxxing is a diet trend even nutritionists can love (Bloomberg)
• Toys 'R' Us filling leaves a slew of creditors in its wake (Globe and Mail)
• The HBR interview with outgoing Walmart CEO Doug McMillon (HBR)
• Coca-Cola is sticking with its pricing plan, CEO says (WSJ)

Stephan's Wednesday Picks

• Target to lay off 500 workers as new CEO shakes up leadership team (WSJ)
• Pizza supreme (Slate)
• Red Lobster CEO says seafood chain needs to get smaller (WSJ)
• What fast food's downturn in the US says about the economy (FT)
• Coca-Cola rises on higher volume, prices (WSJ)

 Stephan's Tuesday Picks

• The Utah mom who got the world hooked on 'dirty soda' (WSJ)
• Tainted baby milk hits billionaire clan's empire (Bloomberg)
• Ferrero wants to conquer America's breakfast tables (Bloomberg)
• Kroger names Greg Foran as its next CEO (WSJ)
• Italian olive oil farmers say flood of imports is causing price collapse (FT)

 Stephan's Monday Picks

• 3G Capital: Built to own (Colossus)
• America has reached peak sauce, and some people won't leave home without it (Washington Post)
• New Nestle boss plots overhaul to reignite growth (FT)
• Hershey's outlook tops estimates on price hikes, new items (Bloomberg)
• Snack inflation is biting Canadians harder than Americans (Globe and Mail)

 Stephan's Friday Picks

• The expensive decision Walmart's CEO made that changed everything (WSJ)
• Why is there a martini on every menu right now (Bloomberg)
• How food delivery is reshaping mealtime (NYT)
• How specialty retail is getting its groove back (BCG)
• From the archives (2019): Uber Eats opens up about the future of food delivery in Canada (Globe and Mail)

 Stephan's Thursday Picks

• Let them eat goo (NYT)
• Food and drink companies suffer as US shopper sentiment sinks (FT)
• Nestle adds Deutsche Bank for water business stake sale (Bloomberg)
• Walmart's new CEO asks workers to air paint points in first memo (Bloomberg)
• Target's new CEO acknowledges 'lack of trust' with shoppers (Bloomberg)

 Stephan's Wednesday Picks

• The new key to restaurant success? A simple but clever model (NYT)
• MPs agree to fast-track GST credit bill through Commons (Globe and Mail)
• PepsiCo to cut prices for Doritos and other snacks (WSJ)
• What happened to hype brands (FT)
• Walmart joins tech giants with $1 trillion market valuation (NYT)

 Stephan's Tuesday Picks

• Roger Martin: Fixing strategy (Medium)
• Lululemon blames customers again after see-through leggings fiasco (Bloomberg)
• America's convenience store conundrum (The Atlantic)
• With generic Ozempic coming to Canada, the race is on (Globe and Mail)
• Nestle's chief is in turnaround mode. He drinks eight cups of coffee a day (NYT)

 Stephan's Monday Picks

• Can department stores be fun again (NYT)
• Saks has to look luxury to sell luxury (Bloomberg)
• How chatbots might reshape retail (FT)
• Walmart's new CEO takes over with $1 trillion valuation within reach (Bloomberg)
• So long, frozen juice from concentrate. The once-popular canned drink leaves shelves this year (CBC)

 Stephan's Friday Picks

• Amazon to lay off around 16,000 corporate employees (WSJ)
• Amazon still doesn't understand brick-and-mortar retail (Bloomberg)
• Ocado's Canadian partner closes warehouse in fresh setback (Bloomberg)
• Costco is sued over preservatives in its $5 rotisserie chicken (NYT)
• From the archives (2018): The British future of grocery e-commerce is coming to Canada (Globe and Mail)

 Stephan's Thursday Picks

• Goodwill thrives as Americans stretch their wallets (NYT)
• Americans travel the world only to end up at Costco (WSJ)
• How food inflation is making Canadians miserable (Globe and Mail)
• How the world's largest franchise restaurant operator uses AI (McKinsey)
• Starbucks says turnaround 'ahead of schedule' as sales rebound (NYT)

 Stephan's Wednesday Picks

• Amazon to shut down all Amazon Go and Amazon Frsh stores (WSJ)
• Carney unveils hike to GST credit, other measures targeting affordability (Globe and Mail)
• Daniel Kretinsky launches 'friendly' takeover bid for Fnac Darty (FT)
• BMO to replace Air Miles with Blue Rewards as Shell leaves program for Scene+ (Globe and Mail)
• What Starbucks CEO says has changed, and what he says is next on his list (WSJ)

 Stephan's Tuesday Picks

• Roger Martin: Becoming an effective strategy-led CEO advisor (Medium)
• As grocery prices soar, this German grocery store is conquering America (Washington Post)
• How grocery giants control who can sell food in your neighbourhood (CBC)
• Nestle's new baby formula woes challenge CEO's revamp plan (Bloomberg)
• AI tries product development (WSJ)

 Stephan's Monday Picks

• Gen Z rejects 'radioactive' diet sodas for zero sugar ones (Bloomberg)
• The government wants you to kick your diet soda habit (WSJ)
• Berkshire Hathaway considers selling $7.7B stake in Kraft Heinz (FT)
• Multiple Toys 'R' Us locations are closing, landlords say they are owed unpaid rent (Globe and Mail)
• P&G rises following assurances U.S. sales are bouncing back (Bloomberg)

 Stephan's Friday Picks

• McKinsey challenges graduates to use AI chatbot in recruitment overhaul (FT)
• The Americans who are going a whole month without buying anything (WSJ)
• P&G rises following assurances US sales are bouncing back (Bloomberg)
• Smithfield Foods to buy Nathan's Famous (WSJ)
• From the archives (2009): Closing the book on Gourmet (NYT)

 Stephan's Thursday Picks

• Can a $1,699 Espresso machine help Walmart challenge Amazon (WSJ)
• Grocery prices are high, and economic morale is low (CBC)
• Amazon joins the big-box league with its largest-ever store (WSJ)
• Red Bull boosts can sales at fastest pace since pandemic (Bloomberg)
• Can water sommeliers convince us to pay more for premium H2O (Bloomberg)

 Stephan's Wednesday Picks

• The grocery store at the center of San Francisco's latest housing battle (WSJ)
• Why the world has started stockpiling food again (FT)
• Drinks maker left with lake of unsold spirits as demand drops (FT)
• After Saks's collapse - a bitter rift with Amazon (WSJ)
• Walmart expands its gear selection in bid to lure musicians (Bloomberg)

 Stephan's Tuesday Picks

• Roger Martin: Heroic modes and strategy (Medium)
• Humble Hershey's gets a marketing makeover (WSJ)
• There are 29,000 people on a waitlist for beans - and it's not for the fiber (WSJ)
• Florida heads for smallest orange crop in nearly a century (Bloomberg)
• Cocoa gets cheaper but chocolate makers still holding back (Bloomberg)

 Stephan's Monday Picks

• The impact of AI in retail merchandising (McKinsey)
• Walmart names new U.S. chief, group heads ahead of CEO change (Bloomberg)
• Beyond Meat tests protein beverage in bid for much-needed growth (WSJ)
• Consumers are feeling squeezed. Here's how CPG companies can adapt (BCG)
• Sauce of deals? Century-old Japanese brand gets taste for M&A (FT)