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)