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 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 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 Friday Picks

• Inside the mad dash to save Saks, America's last luxury retailer (WSJ)
• What does the Saks bankruptcy mean for customers (NYT)
• Bargain grocer Aldi seizes the moment in an era of higher prices (Washington Post)
• Manitoba won't increase the price of 1L cartons of milk: premier (CBC)
• From the archives (2004): Consider the lobster (Gourmet)

 Stephan's Thursday Picks

• The reinvention of America's shopping malls (FT)
• How the MAHA era is changing grocery aisles (WSJ)
• Saks files for bankruptcy as department stores fight for survival (NYT)
• McDonald's lowering value meal prices as cash-strapped customers cut back (Globe and Mail)
• Google bets on AI-based shopping with new AI agents for retailers (WSJ)

 Stephan's Monday Picks

• Eric Schlosser: We still live in a fast food nation (The Guardian)
• Do you want your food made by an AI robot (Bloomberg)
• Saks closes in on bankruptcy financing package (WSJ)
• Singapore opens world's tallest vertical farm (WSJ)
• Rise of AI chatbots for online shopping boosts analyst hopes for Shopify's growth (Globe and Mail)

 Stephan's Wednesday Picks

• Ikea battles Amazon and Temu as market shifts bring pain (Bloomberg)
• America is falling out of love with pizza (WSJ)
• Claire's enters UK insolvency as Modella blames high street pain (Bloomberg)
• AB InBev buys back $3 billion stake in U.S. metal container facility to boost supply security(WSJ)
• Ford vows to ban Crown Royal from LCBO after plant shutdown (Globe and Mail)

 Stephan's Monday Picks

• The cult of Costco (The Atlantic)
• 2025 was the year of the rotisserie chicken (NYT)
• How Japanese scallops became a pawn in diplomatic tensions with China (NYT)
• How Kraft Heinz lost its lock on mac and cheese - and American shoppers (WSJ)
• Saks CEO steps down ahead of expected bankruptcy filing (WSJ)

 Stephan's Wednesday Picks

• Roger Martin: The future of the middle class depends on frontline service jobs (Medium)
• Aldi wants to conquer the American grocery store landscape (WSJ)
• Kraft Heinz is splitting into two companies (WSJ)
• A flurry of deals is changing who owns your breakfast (Bloomberg)
• Luxury fashion seller Ssense to seek protection after clash with creditors (Bloomberg)

 Stephan's Wednesday Picks

• Buffett's Kraft Heinz bet marks rare flop as company weighs breakup (Bloomberg)
• U.S. dairy industry presses Canada for changes to quota (Globe and Mail)
• Hudson's Bay Co. heads to court to fight motion to cut off Ruby Liu lease deal (Globe and Mail)
• Food banks are running out of food exactly when more Americans will need them (WSJ)
• Shoppers are slowly turning away from plastic packaging (WSJ)

Stephan's Monday Picks

• H&M billionaire quietly moves brand towards private ownership (Bloomberg)
• Walmart goes big with drone delivery expansion (Wired)
• Hudson's Bay stores close in Canada (NYT)
• When they stop selling your favourite thing (NYT)
• How a hazelnut spread became a sticking point in Franco-Algerian relations (The New Yorker)

Stephan's Monday Picks

• Inside the final days of Hudson's Bay (Globe and Mail)
• The plan that could have saved Hudson's Bay as we know it (Globe and Mail)
• She always felt like an outsider. Now it's this CEO's superpower (WSJ)
• Aldi owners holding talks about possible merger (Bloomberg)
  
• Retailers flex their vocabulary to war of potential tariff-driven price hikes (WSJ)

 Stephan's Wednesday Picks

• Inside the test kitchens helping restaurants navigate the trade war (Bloomberg)
• Canadian Tire will acquire trove of Hudson's Bay assets, but not Zellers (Globe and Mail)
• Meituan, JD.com's food delivery war worsens $100 billion rout (Bloomberg)
• Robert F Kennedy Jr's battle with Big Food (FT)
• More than 8,300 Hudson's Bay employees will be out of a job next week (Globe and Mail)

 Stephan's Friday Picks

• Walmart becomes biggest retailer yet to pass through tariff price increases (WSJ)
• Walmart is prepping to meet its next customer: The next AI shopping agent (WSJ)
• Canadian Tire to buy Hudson's Bay stripe design, other intellectual property (Globe and Mail)
• Dick's Sporting Goods to buy Foot Locker for $2.4 billion (WSJ)
• From the archives (2010): Canadian Tire going back to the basics (Globe and Mail)

 Stephan's Thursday Picks

• Hudson's Bay to choose a new owner in the next two to three weeks, court told (Globe and Mail)
• Woolworths is cutting prices. Expect more supermarket competition but not an all-out price war (The Guardian)
• Why America's 'beautiful beef' is a sore point for Europe (NYT)
• The new way bosses talk about workers (WSJ)
• Buying misfit fruits and vegetables can help reduce your grocery bill. And there's an app for that (Globe and Mail)

 Stephan's Monday Picks

• The demise of outdoor dining isn't really what anyone wants. How did we end up here (Slate)
• From $10 toothpaste squeezers to 'recession blonde' hair, women's beauty trends are a pulse on the economy (Globe and Mail)
• Why Marcella Hazan is still teaching us how to cook Italian (NYT)
• Hudson's Bay seeks to repay as much as $165 million in senior debt with cash from liquidation sales (Globe and Mail)
• The secret to high-performing strategy teams (BCG)

 Stephan's Monday Picks

• The fall of Hudson's Bay: How Richard Baker presided over the failure of a retail icon (Globe and Mail)
• Empire CEO Michael Medline to retire in May 2026 (Globe and Mail)
• Once shunned by Japanese customers, Korean rice now flies off the shelves (NYT)
• My matcha-dusted, lemon-scented, tahini-drizzled adventures in flavormaxxing (NYT)
• Mountain Equipment Co. finds buyer with textile executive set to gain control (Globe and Mail)

 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 Thursday Picks

• Amazon and Walmart sellers hoard goods in Canada to avoid tariffs (FT)
• Could strawberries grow in Canada year-round? An Ontario greenhouse is trying (Globe and Mail)
• Danone sales rise as consumers seek healthier products (Bloomberg)
• Hudson's Bay leases draw interest from bidders (Globe and Mail)
• Frank and Oak to close all stores, sell intellectual property (Globe and Mail)

 Stephan's Wednesday Picks

• Albertsons sales grow on boost from pharmacy business (WSJ)
• A scientist is paid to study maple syrup. He's also paid to promote it (NYT)
• At China's wholesale hub, U.S. orders have suddenly halted. One example: socks (WSJ)
• HBC employees could use disability benefits with company's court restructuring (Globe and Mail)
• The colourful cult of Le Creuset (NYT)