Stephan's Tuesday Picks

• It's the hottest brand of the summer - and it's popping up everywhere (WSJ)
• The next generation of drinkers is breaking up with bubbly booze (Bloomberg)
• France's sacred food culture faces existential crisis (Bloomberg)
• Schwartz's deli in Montreal opts for local black cherry soda as US tariffs bite (Globe and Mail)
• Starbucks refreshed its menu. Chai fans are losing their minds (WSJ)

 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 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 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: The hidden where-to-play element in strategy (Medium)
• Green toothpaste tubes and the new antitrust battleground (Bloomberg)
• Luxury discounting on the rise after years of price increases bite (FT)
• How a $3 grocery bag become an international status symbol (WSJ)
• Dutch Bros is out-Starbucksing its rivals with the sugariest drinks (Bloomberg)

 Stephan's Friday Picks

• The Nordic diet can help you sleep better and live longer (National Geographic)
• How a good old-fashioned boycott got Canadians to trade Kentucky bourbon for Canadian whisky (CBC)
• Ocado ends exclusivity terms after setbacks to Kroger deal (Bloomberg)
• Fast fashion, delivery apps tap India's next billion customers (Bloomberg)
• From the archives (1993): Starbucks to taste New York at last (NYT)

 Stephan's Wednesday Picks

• How Starbucks came undone (Slate)
• The year in food (The Atlantic)
• How we'll eat in 2026: More caution, more crunch (NYT)
• How an office romance sparked an overhaul at Nestle (WSJ)
• What it takes to preserve the 355-year-old Hudson's Bay charter (Globe and Mail)

 Stephan's Tuesday Picks

• Roger Martin: Revisiting my definition of strategy (Medium)
• Why America's fridges are overflowing with sauce (Bloomberg)
• GenAI gives retailers an edge over suppliers (BCG)
• Starbucks' roller coaster week of job costs and store closures (WSJ)
• Craft breweries struggle as sales and appetites wane (NYT)

 Stephan's Thursday Picks

• Is America ready for Japanese-style 7-Eleven's (NYT)
• Why 7-Eleven and other convenience stores in Japan are so special (NYT)
• AB Foods slumps as Primark owner bemoans challenging environment (Bloomberg)
• The Starbucks turnaround that has baristas and customers steamed (NYT)
• Soon, even your Starbucks latte can come with protein. Is this trend healthy, or just good business (CBC)

 Stephan's Friday Picks

• Ralph Lauren's vintage man of mystery (NYT)
• Weston family to buy the Hudson's Bay charter to donate to museum in $12.5 million deal (Globe and Mail)
• Starbucks abandons mobile order, pickup-only stores (WSJ)
• When NASA got caught up in the cola wars (NYT)
• From the archive (2017): This secretive billionaire makes the cheese for Pizza Hut, Domino's, and Papa John's (Forbes)

 Stephan's Friday Picks

• America's protein obsession is transforming the dairy industry (NYT)
• The truth about salt and sodium levels in restaurant food (Grub Street)
• Starbucks employees to return to the office four days a week - or take a payout (CNBC)
• Trump says Coca-Cola to use cane sugar in Coke (WSJ)
• From the archives (1959): The making - and selling - of Coca-Cola (The New Yorker)

 Stephan's Thursday Picks

• How Starbucks' CEO plans to tame the rush-hour free for all (Bloomberg)
• Couche-Tard abandons $46 billion bid to buy 7-Eleven owner (Bloomberg)
• Goodles thinks mac and cheese shouldn't be adults' secret meal anymore (WSJ)
• The quest for a hangover free buzz (Bloomberg)
• Manitoba woman files proposed class action against Loblaw over alleged underweight meat sales (CBC)

 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 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 Friday Picks

• Hudson's Bay to begin clearance at six stores originally left out of liquidation (Globe and Mail)
• Nestle sales get boost from coffee, chocolate price hikes (WSJ)
• Starbucks opens its first 3D-printed store. Is it cheaper than the real thing (Fast Company)
• Unilever confident for 2025 amid turnaround plan, ice cream spinoff (WSJ)
• From the archives (2008): Woolworths: The rise and fall of a department store empire (The Guardian)

 Stephan's Friday Picks

• The latest overhaul of Starbucks - by the numbers (WSJ)
• Why it's hard to buy Canadian when shopping online (Globe and Mail)
• Shoppers are skimping on cigarettes, Doritos, and Twinkies (WSJ)
• Empire's U.S. product sales dropping during trade war, CEO says (Globe and Mail)
• From the archives (2014): Sobeys' Marc Poulin: The shrewd negotiator at the heart of Canada's grocery wars (Globe and Mail)

 Stephan's Friday Picks

• Canadian Tire launches new $2 billion investment plan (Globe and Mail)
• Kroger gives upbeat outlook while questions swirl around CEO (Bloomberg)
• Starbucks CEO tells workers to step it up after layoffs (WSJ)
• Walmart asks Chinese suppliers for major price cuts on Trump tariffs (Bloomberg)
• From the archives (2022): Canadian Tire spending $3.4 billion over four years to expand products, bolster operations (Globe and Mail)

 Stephan's Tuesday Picks

• Trump says 'no room left' for talks, confirms 25% tariffs on Canada, Mexico to take effect Tuesday (Globe and Mail) 
• Roger Martin: Starbucks and strategic entropy (Medium)
• Seven & i shares fall amid report it may reject buyout offer (Bloomberg)
• Pink gold (Globe and Mail)
• Sycamore nears acquisition of Walgreens Boots Alliance (Bloomberg)

 Stephan's Thursday Picks

• Starbucks reports weak earnings as it tries to woo back customers (NYT)
• The buy, wear, return days for shoppers could be over now that retailers and tech are catching on (Globe and Mail)
• Seeking new foods, scientists look to bacteria, algae, and more (Undark)
• Why some Heinz ketchup bottles still say 'Product of USA' (CBC)
• CVS knows you hate those locked cabinets (NYT)