Retail

Proposed restrictions on free samples of e-cigarettes for adults would harm retailers' ability help smokers quit, "vaping" advocates argued Thursday to the attorney general's office.

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.

Carol Meyrowitz will take over as the board chair of Framingham-based TJX Companies as founder Ben Cammarata prepares to retire after nearly 40 years with the company.

Gasoline prices are continuing their wrong-way turn in Massachusetts. AAA Northeast’s survey of prices Monday found that...

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

The White City Shopping Center in Shrewsbury has been sold to an Illinois real estate company for $97 million.

The U.S. Census Bureau said Tuesday that advance estimates of U.S. retail and food sales for March were $441.4 billion, up by 0.9 percent from the previous month, and 1.3 percent higher than in March 2014.

The Walgreens drugstore chain plans to close 200 stores across the United States, and in Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands, the company said Thursday.

It was persona non grata when it floated plans to open in Boston in 2012, but Chik-fil-A has had little trouble growing its New England footprint with new locations in MetroWest. The Framingham Planning Board approved plans last week for the privately-held fast food franchise, to build a restaurant between routes 9 and 30, adjacent to Kohl's. Sandwiched between the two roads in the Shoppers' World plaza, construction is expected to begin this summer with an opening planned for early 2016, according to company spokeswoman Brenda Morrow.

Stockholders in Framingham-based TJX Cos. will see a 20-percent increase in dividends in two months as the parent of off-price retailers T.J. Maxx, HomeGoods and Marshalls continues to grow revenue and profits.