Stephan's Wednesday Picks

• The road forward to value creation in consumer products (Bain)
• El Nino threat raises the risk of higher blueberry prices (Bloomberg)
• As Gen Z sips on Yerba Mate, Argentinian farmers are missing out (Bloomberg)
• A Canadian town will no longer reek of fish sauce (Globe and Mail)
• The internet suddenly loves Emeril, years after his TV stardom (NYT)

 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

• Roger Martin: Culture change strategy (Medium)
• Don Don Donki billionaire primes 24-year old heir for retail empire (Bloomberg)
• 2025 Halloween candy trends (NYT)
• Procter & Gamble to focus on innovation, not discounts, to attract wary customers (WSJ)
• How Depop captured the heart of Gen Z (NYT)

 Stephan's Monday Picks

• How new revenue streams are transforming traditional retail (BCG)
• Move over $100 lobster salad, these melons cost $400 (NYT)
• Why Krispy Kreme and McDonald's broke up (WSJ)
• Why beef prices have hit a record (WSJ)
• Gen Z's alcohol consumption is growing in Canada, report says (Globe and Mail)

 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 Wednesday Picks

• Chinese Gen Z's 'emotional spending' fuels big gains for Pop-Mart-crazed investors (Bloomberg)
• The golden age of the fried chicken sandwich (The Atlantic)
• Two million meat sticks a day isn't enough for Chomps' CEO (Bloomberg)
• Why are we so obsessed with Costco (CBC)
• The booming business of returned products (NYT)

 Stephan's Tuesday Picks

• Roger Martin: Stop working for loser strategists (Medium)
• The locker-room mentality for managing Gen Z employees (WSJ)
• Reckitt home care suitors temper valuations amid tariff worries (Bloomberg)
• Luxury confectioner looks to take LVMH-backed Saudi brand global (Bloomberg)
• Amazon wants to keep prices low. One sellers' tariff woes show why it's hard (WSJ)

 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 Thursday Picks

• At a Brooklyn warehouse, robots are reshaping the grocery delivery business (WSJ)
• Ontario to allow sales of fortified wines like port and sherry in convenience stores (CBC
• Gen Z and millennials go to wine bars for the vibes, as well as for the wine (NYT)
• How Walmart's Donna Morris manages the largest work force in America (NYT)
• Couche-Tard sharply raises its offer for 7-Eleven owner to $47 billion (Globe and Mail)

 Stephan's Thursday Picks

• Why millennials and Gen Z-ers fight over socks (Bloomberg)
• Abercrombie won by leaving teens behind. Sibling brand Hollister is taking the opposite approach (WSJ)
• Caisse de depot sells $700 million of Couche-Tard shares back to the company (Globe and Mail)
• Searching for the next hot cooking oil? It could come from algae (WSJ)
• Bank of Canada cuts key rate to 4.5%, tees up additional easing with focus on downside risks (Globe and Mail)

 Stephan's Tuesday Picks

• Roger Martin: Commercial innovation strategy (Medium)
• The paradox at the grocery store (The Atlantic)
• The ugly shoes now worth billions of dollars (WSJ)
• Scammers target grocery stores with bomb threats, seeking Bitcoin and gift cards (WSJ)
• Gen Z discovers cottage cheese (WSJ)

 Stephan's Tuesday Picks

• Roger Martin: Strategy & Competitors (Medium)
• Brands wanted to cut out stores. Not anymore (WSJ)
• Agri-Committee Report #10 (House of Commons)
• Baggu's totes find a Gen Z audience (NYT)
• After Bud Light debacle, AB InBev takes a bow at ad-biz Oscars (WSJ)

 Stephan's Wednesday Picks

• Roger Martin: Segmentation & strategy (Medium)
• The $9 bottle of Trader Joe's sunscreen that ignited a summer war (WSJ)
• How A.G. Lafley made culture change stick (Chief Executive)
• Walmart 'train wreck' profit warning sends shares down 10% (Reuters)
• Gen Z made it big on Depop. Now they're graduating (NYT)

 Stephan's Monday Picks

• How are we possibly still disinfecting things  (The Atlantic)
• Food prices squeeze poorest in rich countries (WSJ)
• Tesco and Heinz reach agreement in price row (BBC)
• Is there any alcohol Gen Z won't drink (Bloomberg)
• Customer service excellence in 2022 (McKinsey)

 Stephan's Thursday Picks

• How Gen Z and millennials are shaping the future of US retail (McKinsey)
• Ocado overtakes Tesco as UKs most valuable retailer (The Guardian)
• How delivery apps ruined grocery shopping (Grub Street)
• Costco CFO juggles managing inventory for products in high, low demand (WSJ)
• Giant Tiger's new CEO on the popularity of discount retailers (Globe and Mail)

Stephan's Friday Picks

• Meet Gen Z: Shaping the future of shopping (McKinsey)
• How the coronavirus altered DTC's relationship with bricks & mortar (Retail Dive)
• The 2% solution: Inside billionaire Robert Smith's bold plan to funnel billions to Black-owned businesses (Forbes)
• Farmers and food groups call on government to regulate grocer fees (Globe and Mail)
• From the archives (2018): How pink salt took over millennial kitchens (The Atlantic)

Stephan's Wednesday Picks

• The war inside 7-Eleven (Bloomberg)
• Generation Z and its implications for companies (McKinsey)
• Diageo trades profit for growth (WSJ)
• 'Bleeding' vegan burger arrives on UK supermarket shelves (The Guardian)
• Amazon selects New York City and Northern Virginia for new headquarters (Amazon)