Some of the best learning happens when you read stories about real people and real companies. Read them for ideas, for lessons, and inspiration. This week’s stories and strategies from real life are about Telus, Primark, Redshift Sports, Haggen, and Stetson.

From John Izzo: Consistency Drives Success at Telus

“The Canadian telecom giant transformed its business by adopting a clear, stable approach to strategy and culture.”

From the Economist: Faster, cheaper fashion

“A rapidly rising, super-cheap Irish clothes retailer prepares to conquer America. Rivals should be fearful.”

From Diane Mastrull: Former engineers going for solutions to biking challenges

“Three thirtysomething guys with mechanical- engineering degrees had well-paying jobs working in nuclear reactors, infant strollers, and the V-22 Osprey. They left them to tinker with bicycles. No small leap of faith, one acknowledged”

From David Merrefield: Haggen’s Big Buy

“It’s a far more unusual situation when a small company buys a big slice of a much bigger company, especially when that slice requires a lot of rehabilitation work. Yet that’s just what happened when Haggen, the operator of just 18 supermarkets in Washington state and Oregon, bought an astounding 146 supermarkets from the combined Safeway-Albertsons company.”

From Kim Bhasin: Stetson Looks to Hipsters to Move Beyond the Cowboy Hat

“Kajimoto is chief executive officer of Stetson Worldwide, the scrappy remainder of a hat kingdom that once served as both a paragon of American manufacturing and the frontier culture represented by such movie stars as John Wayne and Roy Rogers. Those days are long gone: As cattle jobs faded, Western shows vanished, and fashion trends changed, Stetson has struggled to survive. While the privately held company doesn’t release revenue numbers, it acknowledges the need to diversify its clientele to stay relevant. Under Kajimoto, who took over in 2012, the company is trying to attract a new kind of customer — more hipster than rancher.”

Thanks to Smartbrief on Leadership for pointing me to this story.