Events

Scottsdale, Ariz. -- Massage Envy announced Thursday the signing of a multi-unit Regional Developer agreement with Sol Glastein for the development of 11 new centers in Pittsburgh, Western Pennsylvania and Morgantown, W.V.

Glastein has been a Massage Envy franchisee since 2006 and currently operates two centers in New Jersey.

In 2010, Massage Envy opened 43 locations, bringing the total number of locations to more than 650 units operating in 43 states.
 

Columbus, Ohio -- Multiple news sources reported late Monday that discounter Big Lots is exploring its options, including a potential sale. No reports have yet been confirmed by the retailer.

According to Bloomberg, which cited an unnamed source, Big Lots is exploring a possible sale of the company after receiving interest from buyout firms. Big Lots has a total enterprise value of $2.6 billion, according to Capital IQ.

CHICAGO  -- Element14, a collaborative engineering community and electronics store for design engineers and electronics enthusiasts, announced that Jeri Ellsworth has joined its "ask an expert" panel to further promote the exchange of ideas among professionals, enthusiasts, and DIYers alike within the community. Ellsworth is also offering the element14 community early access to her latest video tutorial, which looks at designing a circuit that triggers sound effects, music and mechanical animation through motion.

New York City -- Crate and Barrel, along with Finnish textile and design company Marimekko, said Friday they are extending their longtime collaboration to roll out more than 20 shop-in-shops in Crate and Barrel stores across the United States and Canada over the next three years.

The launch kicks off this spring with four new shop-in-shop locations: New York (Madison Avenue), Chicago, Los Angeles and San Francisco. In addition, a Marimekko e-commerce 'shop' will be added to the Crate and Barrel website later this season, according to both companies.

Target director of owned brands Annie Zipfel is among those slated to participate in the fourth annual Network of Executive Women Multicultural Work force conference to be held March 1 to 3. With a theme of “Building Competencies, Growing Business,” the event will focus on the advantages of developing culturally competent organizations.

MINNEAPOLIS -- Best Buy announced that through Feb. 12 it is offering customers its buy back program for free. To promote the offer, Best Buy has launched a multi-media campaign that began with its Super Bowl spot featuring Ozzy and Sharon Osbourne and Justin Bieber.

KRONBERG, Germany  -- Braun celebrated its 90-year company anniversary on Feb. 1. Founded by Max Braun in 1921, Braun today is a globally successful brand and the world market leader in the foil shaver, epilator and handblender segments, according to the company.