Framingham

Framingham-based office supply retailer Staples Inc. ended its fourth quarter with a slight uptick in revenue but a big drop in profits, related mainly to store closures and restructurings.

Two Central Massachusetts companies are among 25 in the state to receive tax incentives from the Massachusetts Life Sciences Center (MLSC) in 2013.

Framingham-based off-price clothing and home fashions retailer TJX Corp. ended its 2013 fiscal year with an additional $2.7 billion in sales, an increase of 11.6 percent compared to last year.

Rory McIlroy, the number-one ranked golfer in the world, has signed on with Framingham-based Bose Corp. as a global brand ambassador, the company announced.

Framingham-based HeartWare International, which makes heart pumps and other devices for patients suffering from advanced heart failure, saw its revenue climb 42 percent to $32.7 million in its fourth quarter ended Dec. 31.

Two publicly traded office supplies retailers that hold the number two and three spots in the market behind Framingham-based Staples Inc. have agreed to combine in an all-stock merger, they announced this morning.

Energy services provider Amersco Inc. of Framingham lowered its revenue and profit expectations for 2012 today, citing storm-related weather delays in the fourth quarter of last year and challenges in the solar market.

Framingham State University has converted its fuel oil power plant to a natural gas system, which it says will result in a reduction in its carbon footprint of up to 30 percent.

Framingham-based Ameresco Inc. has purchased the assets of Ennovate Corp., a Colorado-based energy services company.

Sales for Framingham-based TJX Cos. Inc. continued to climb in January, coming in ahead of the company's expectations.