Stephan's Monday Picks

• CVS was so worried about shoplifting that it stole its own soul (Washington Post)
• Kraft Heinz is planning a breakup (WSJ)
• Ulta Beauty enters UK with retail chain Space NK's acquisition (Reuters)
• Ferrero strikes roughly $3 billion deal for maker of Froot Loops, Frosted Flakes (WSJ)
• The pants cost $20. They explain $86 billion of Costco sales (WSJ)

 Stephan's Friday Picks

• The end of the 'generic' grocery store brand (The Atlantic)
• Loblaw has added dozens of new Canadian suppliers, but expects the Buy Canadian movement to taper off (Globe and Mail)
• E-commerce sellers brace for end of de minimis (WSJ)
• Couche Tard wins access to 7-Eleven owner's confidential financial information (Globe and Mail)
• From the archives (2010): Inside The Bay's scheme to steal the fashion crown from Holts (Toronto Life)

 Stephan's Wednesday Picks

• Walmart bets $6 billion on Mexico even as economy slows (Bloomberg)
• That H&M model showing off a new look might be a digital clone (NYT)
• How Costco's Kirkland Signature brand became a powerhouse (WSJ)
• Ultra luxe food supplier thrives on cravings for snow crab and wagyu (WSJ)
• With Shake Shack in first class, airline food is no longer a joke (Bloomberg)

 Stephan's Monday Picks

• Walmart's antidote to locked-up products: A key on your phone (Bloomberg)
• Spending rebound may be on the way, but consumer sentiment remains low, Canadian Tire CEO says (Globe and Mail)
• Sainsbury's backs guidance on hopes of Argos sales rebound (WSJ)
• A turning point for private brands: How retailers can seize the opportunity (McKinsey)
• Blackstone to take Retail Opportunity Investments private in $4 billion deal (WSJ)

 Stephan's Thursday Picks

• Store brands are filling up more of your shopping cart (WSJ)
• Reimagining the apparel value change amid volatility (McKinsey)
• Hold the French Fries! Paris Olympics chart a new gastronomic course (NYT)
• Points influencers are everywhere. Some deals are too good to be true (Washington Post)
• Food delivery apps rack up $20 billion in losses in fierce battle for diners (FT)

 Stephan's Friday Picks

• Metro alleges Loblaw falsely implicated them in bread price-fixing scheme (Globe and Mail)
• Those Doritos too expensive? More stores are offering their own alternatives (NYT)
• Self-checkout is a failed experiment (The Atlantic)
• Casual dining chains are back (Eater)
• From the archives (2014): Maple Leaf restructuring heats up with sale of Canada Bread (Globe and Mail)

 Stephan's Monday Picks

• Direct-to-consumer in appliances: A strategic growth opportunity (McKinsey)
• Birth, death, and wealth creation (Morgan Stanley)
• Amazon cuts dozens of house brands as it battles costs, regulators (WSJ)
• The triple play: Growth, profit, and sustainability (McKinsey)
• Amazon wants to deliver your next package without the box (WSJ)

Stephan's Thursday Picks

• Barnes & Noble takes page from Amazon with $40-a-year membership program (WSJ)
• Why are Blundstone boots so popular (NYT)
• It's hard to play the market with Bed Bath & Beyond. These meme stock investors are trying (WSJ)
• Walmart CEO Doug McMillon vows to keep private labels priced low to fight inflation (CNBC)
• Want that coffee with olive oil? Starbucks bets Italians will (NYT)

 Stephan's Wednesday Picks

• Loblaw to freeze prices on No Name products until end of January amid spiking inflation (Globe and Mail)
• Secret menus and online order hacks are out of control (Eater)
• Why food keeps getting more expensive (Vox)
• Poland eyes grocer as it takes back control of economy (Bloomberg)
• Kroger-Albertsons merger would create a big player in retail media (WSJ)

 Stephan's Monday Picks

• Strategy making in turbulent times (HBR)
• Why it may be a good time to ditch dairy (Globe and Mail)
• Dollar stores report higher sales as shoppers seek inflation relief (NYT)
• The future of private labels: Towards a smart private label strategy (Science Direct)
• Big beliefs (Collaborative Fund)

 Stephan's Monday Picks

• The Great Resignation has arrived in Canada (Globe and Mail)
• Why aren't more Canadians switching jobs (Globe and Mail)
• Purina's Fancy Feast opens NYC restaurant for humans (Grub Street)
• How Costco invented Kirkland Signature (CNN)
• Why 'box fatigue' may be hitting the apparel industry (CNBC)

 Stephan's Wednesday Picks

• Amazon has been slashing its private label selection amid weak sales (WSJ)
• Nobody wants to go to the office on Fridays (Washington Post)
• Eye popping price increases for staples like milk and eggs leave some in the U.S. with few options (CBC)
• France faces a mustard shortage (NYT)
• Amazon secretly funds new US coalition opposing tech regulation (Bloomberg)

 Stephan's Friday Picks

• Fast, cheap, and out of control. Inside Shein's rise (Wired)
• When you live in remote Alaska, your Doordash order comes by plane (Food & Wine)
• Makers of Dawn dish soap, Heinz Ketchup, Clorox, boost defenses against store brand rivals (Reuters)
• Quebec maple syrup company Bernard & Fils aims to tap into global market with Bain Capital's takeover (Globe and Mail)
• From the archives (2000): The tire queen gets a flat (Globe and Mail)

 Stephan's Wednesday Picks

• 2022 Trust Barometer (Edelman)
• The store brand groceries you actually want (WSJ)
• Unilever pursues Glaxo and Pfizer consumer health venture (NYT)
• Keurig Canada fined $3 million for misleading claims over coffee pod recycling (CBC)
• Trucking companies lose drivers as new border vaccine mandate comes into effect (Globe and Mail)

 Stephan's Tuesday Picks

• Roger Martin: It's time to accept that marketing and strategy are one discipline (Medium)
• Supermarkets' revival skips the top private label brand (WSJ)
• China's Ant explores way for Jack Ma to exit (Reuters)
• Walmart invests in autonomous car startup Cruise (Bloomberg)
• Canadian Tire and Loblaw pay out millions in bonuses to top executives after COVID-19 sales boom (Globe and Mail)

 Stephan's Friday Picks

• The joylessness of cooking (The New Yorker)
• Federal watchdog voices 'concern' over big grocers removal of $2 wage bonus (Financial Post)
• Empire reinstates bonus pay for workers in lockdown regions (Globe and Mail)
• John Pecman: Let the market manage food delivery pricing (C.D. Howe Institute)
• From the archives (1992): The names game  (Maclean's)

 Stephan's Tuesday Picks

• Strategy as problem-solving (Medium)
• Nestle buys U.S. meal delivery group Freshly (Reuters)
• New online bookshop unites indies to rival Amazon (The Guardian)
• France to close supermarket bookshelves to quell shopkeeper ire (Bloomberg)
• Turning private labels into powerhouse brands (McKinsey)

Stephan's Tuesday Picks

• Our ghost-kitchen future (The New Yorker)
• Why the American consumer has future options - maybe for good (WSJ)
• Vegan Mexican food is taking Southern California by storm (LA Times)
• Amazon private labels and antitrust (Margins)
• Lululemon to buy Mirror, a fitness startup, for $500 million (NYT)

Stephan's Monday Picks

• Amazon's new competitive advantage: Putting its own products first (Propublica)
• Can rivals take advantage of Amazon pandemic woes. It isn't easy (WSJ)
• Tofu goes mainstream in U.S. thanks to Big Meat's COVID crisis (Bloomberg)
• Nestle weighs sale of water unit in push towards sustainability (NYT)
• DoorDash nears deal to secure funding at $15B valuation (WSJ)

Stephan's Thursday Picks

• KKR in talks to take majority stake in Coty's hair-care business (WSJ)
• The restaurants transforming into grocery stores (The New Yorker)
• The private brand imperative for grocery (BCG)
• Why chicken is plentiful during the pandemic while beef is not (Bloomberg)
• Canadian malls collect just 15 percent of May rent from tenants (Globe and Mail)