Natick

The quickly changing retail landscape took a new hit with the closure of a Sam's Club in Worcester in January and the impending closure of Toys “R” Us in Auburn, Leominster, Northborough, Millbury and Framingham.

Canadian leisurewear company Roots is opening two new stores, both of which will be the first in Massachusetts, including one in the Natick Mall.

In Central Massachusetts, more electric car charging stations are popping up, and they're being used far more than ever.

Minnesota medical device manufacturer Cogentix Medical, which operates a 24,000-square-foot manufacturing facility in Westborough, has been purchased by a Toronto company for $214 million.

Pittsburgh-based Dick's Sporting Goods is ending sales of assault-style rifles and will no longer sell any firearm to anyone under 21, including at its Massachusetts stores.

Framingham international healthcare and life science firm Alira Health has acquired a contract research company just down the street.

Despite a hefty tax bill due to new tax laws, Natick-based electronics manufacturer Cognex reported a record year in 2017, including revenues of $748 million, a 44 percent increase from 2016.

A three-month WBJ investigation into 75 prominent Central Massachusetts business organizations found women comprise a disproportionately low percentage of senior executives and board seats.

A new report from researchers at UMass Dartmouth paints a detailed picture of a MetroWest region richer and better educated than the state as a whole, and an area fast-growing and diversifying.

An industrial building in Framingham has been sold to a real estate investment firm for nearly $4.9 million