Staples Inc.

Profits at Staples, which is on the verge of buying its chief rival in the retail office supply market, fell 38.5 percent in its most recent quarter amid weaker sales, the Framingham-based company announced Wednesday.

Office supply giant Staples of Framingham said Thursday it has completed the acquisition of Makr — an iOS app that enables people to design and print one-of-a-kind materials — and its parent company Happy; both based in Brooklyn, N.Y.

Framingham-based Staples Inc. is acquiring Accolade Promotion Group (APG), a Canadian distributor of promotional products.

Taking Stock, a new feature in the Worcester Business Journal, will be published quarterly to highlight the market performance of public companies that are either based or that have a significant presence in Central Massachusetts.

Administrative assistants are seeing increasing workloads, according to a survey by Framingham-based Staples.

The majority of small business leaders, 87 percent, are optimistic about the year ahead, according to a recent Staples' small business survey conducted online by Research Now.

Framingham-based Staples Inc. saw a steep decline in earnings per share in the fourth quarter of 2014 along with weaker sales. And the office supplies retailer expects sales to continue falling in the first quarter of 2015.

Staples Inc. has approved a 12-cent quarterly dividend that the Framingham-based office supplies retailer will give April 16 to its shareholders of record as of March 27, the company announced Wednesday.

Staples has partnered with financial technology firm Lendio to deliver lending services to small businesses, according to a company statement released Wednesday. The service, which will be known as 'Staples Business Loans powered by Lendio',” will deliver more than 20 different funding options to small businesses looking for capital, according to Staples.

Framingham-based Staples Inc. announced Feb. 3 that it was purchasing its chief rival, Office Depot, for $6.3...