Acton

The Auburn Mall Sears and The Mall at Whitney Field Sears in Leominster will be closed by February of next year as Sears, now owned by Illinois holding company Transformco, sheds over 40% of its Sears and Kmart locations around the country.

A church has bought a four-acre commercial site on Routes 2A/119 in Acton for more than $1.5 million to accommodate its growing membership.

An Acton maker of ice skate sharpening equipment is the fastest-growing private company in New England on Inc. magazine's new ranking.

Insulet reported a major improvement in its second quarter earnings report, sending its stock price skyrocketing.

Acton maker of hair drug tests Psychemedics reported both revenue and profit declines in the second quarter and through the first six months of the year due to what it says is growth in jobs not requiring drug tests.

Dressbarn is the latest retail casualty, and the company's seven Central Massachusetts locations will add to the latest storefronts to close across the area.

April's unemployment rate was down from 3.0% in March to 2.9% in April, which is the lowest rate since December 2000, according to state officials.

VERC Enterprises, a convenience and gasoline station operator headquartered in Duxbury, has acquired a new station in Westminster.

Fresh off its move to Central Massachusetts, Acton insulin pump manufacturer Insulet Corp. said Thursday its first quarter revenue rose 29%.

Acton drug test manufacturer Psychemedics Corp. has begun marketing a hair test to detect fentanyl, a powerful opioid gaining a reputation for its role in drug overdoses.