Many journalists, behavioural scientists and other experts have tried to explain the dip in alcohol sales among Gen Z consumers. Some attribute it to younger demographics having more concern for their health, the cost-of-living crisis, or preferences for marijuana instead. In this article, Editor Amy Simcoe aims to get to the root of the issue, exploring factors like the job market, Gen Z’s drug use and messaging surrounding health and wellness. This article will also explore the companies capitalizing on the ‘mocktail’ trend, and where the adult beverage industry is headed.

Far more than fashion’s biggest night, the Met Gala has become a powerful engine for brand visibility, consumer demand, and cultural influence. The article examines how luxury brands use celebrity partnerships and viral red-carpet moments to generate significant returns, while shaping trends across luxury, resale, and mass-market fashion. Ultimately, the Gala shows how commercial strategy can coexist with fashion’s artistic and philanthropic purpose.

Loneliness has become both a growing social problem and a major business opportunity, creating markets for everything from AI companions and friendship apps to social clubs and wellness spaces. Companies are increasingly treating community as a competitive advantage, recognizing that belonging can build loyalty in ways products alone cannot. Yet this “loneliness economy” raises an important tension: whether businesses are genuinely rebuilding human connection or simply monetizing its absence.

American Eagle and GAP offer two contrasting approaches to capturing Gen Z’s attention in a crowded digital landscape. While American Eagle used calculated controversy and provocative imagery, GAP leaned into inclusivity, cultural relevance, and participation. Both campaigns show how a strong brand identity can turn online conversation into engagement, loyalty, and sales.

Gen Z is shifting the gym industry by treating fitness centres as highly active social hubs and wellness spaces, directly threatening the traditional business model that relies on members paying but staying home. While Planet Fitness faces rising variable costs and strained franchise margins due to this surge, PureGym is thriving by successfully monetizing actual presence through diversified ancillary revenues, personal training, and premium membership tiers

The rise of the viral $20 Hailey Bieber Strawberry Glaze Skin Smoothie at luxury grocery chain Erewhon serves as a case study for how the health and wellness industry has been commodified into a performative status symbol. While these trends project an exclusive aesthetic of wealth and privilege on social media, they simultaneously create massive accessibility gaps for everyday consumers facing food insecurity. Ultimately, this shift highlights a broader societal issue where nutrition and self-care are packaged as premium luxury experiences rather than universal goods

In Queen's Business Review (QBR) Politics and the World section, Editor-in-Chief Jacob Kranjac examines the 2024 U.S. presidential election through the candidacy of Kamala Harris, revealing how gendered media narratives continue to shape political perception and the broader realities faced by women in politics.

In Queen's Business Review (QBR) Strategy portfolio, Editor-in-Chief Jacob Kranjac explores how organizations can prevent “failure to launch,” introducing a community-centered approach to onboarding and examining how connection, shared experiences, and cultural alignment can be leveraged as strategic advantages.

In Queen's Business Review (QBR) Health and Innovation portfolio, Editor-in-Chief Jacob Kranjac revisits Robert Mitchnick’s decade-old article, “The Dinosaurs Are Back,” exploring how the conversation around overpopulation and humanity’s greatest threats has evolved into a more complex and pressing global challenge.

Look down at your pants right now. Between your legs sits a multi-billion dollar company you have never heard of. That tiny piece of metal that keeps your jeans together, your jacket closed, and your suitcase sealed belongs to YKK. Despite being attached to billions of garments around the globe, YKK remains one of the most quiet yet powerful companies in modern manufacturing. In this editorial, Yaren Yurdakul explains how a company unknown to most is found in every home.