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 Tuesday Picks

• Roger Martin: Heroic modes and strategy (Medium)
• Humble Hershey's gets a marketing makeover (WSJ)
• There are 29,000 people on a waitlist for beans - and it's not for the fiber (WSJ)
• Florida heads for smallest orange crop in nearly a century (Bloomberg)
• Cocoa gets cheaper but chocolate makers still holding back (Bloomberg)

 Stephan's Monday Picks

• The impact of AI in retail merchandising (McKinsey)
• Walmart names new U.S. chief, group heads ahead of CEO change (Bloomberg)
• Beyond Meat tests protein beverage in bid for much-needed growth (WSJ)
• Consumers are feeling squeezed. Here's how CPG companies can adapt (BCG)
• Sauce of deals? Century-old Japanese brand gets taste for M&A (FT)

 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 Wednesday Picks

• Gourmet Magazine is back It's not exactly sanctioned (NYT)
• Former Neiman Marcus chief is picked to lead Saks through bankruptcy (WSJ)
• Shopify embraces agentic AI with Google, Microsoft partnerships (Globe and Mail)
• Daily Bread to cut off Scarborough food bank after reporting financial concerns to police (CBC)
• Ozempic users actually spend more dining out. Smart restaurants are adapting (Bloomberg)

 Stephan's Tuesday Picks

• Roger Martin: Strategy and opportunistic holdup (Medium)
• Target's stores become an ICE battleground in hometown Minneapolis (WSJ)
• Amazon is planning Walmart-style big-box store near Chicago (Bloomberg)
• Lululemon sees quarterly profit at high end after strong holiday sales (WSJ)
• Walmart expanding drone delivery to hundreds more stores (WSJ)