Retail

Jo-Ann Fabric and Craft Stores is partnering with FabricTraditions, a leading producer of printed fabrics for the home sewing industry, to bring the Creating New Traditions collection of fabrics made entirely in the United States to all Jo-Ann stores nationwide and Joann.com.

FabricTraditions will donate a portion of sales to The National Military Family Foundation.

Dallas — Davaco, a provider of high-volume programs and implementation services for global brands, announced that the company’s Canadian offices have relocated to a new space in Woodbridge, Ontario.

Effective immediately, Davaco Canada will operate its divisional office at 100 Marycroft Avenue, Unit # 4, Woodbridge, Ontario, L4L 5Y5.

According to founder/CEO Rick Davis, DAVACO’s new office space provides enhancements that further support its clients’ brand initiatives in Canada.

White Plains, N.Y. — Overall online shopping rose 8% during the week before Valentine's Day compared to the same period in 2013. Growth was particularly strong in the categories of gifts (up 20%), apparel (up 17%) and health and beauty (up 15%), and department stores (34%) compared to the previous year.

Rakuten has acquired Viber, a pioneering messaging and VoIP company, for $900 million.

Viber has a global user base of 300 million registered users. The acquisition will enable Rakuten to penetrate new markets with multiple digital content offerings, in combination with its e-commerce and financial services platforms.

Los Angeles, Calif. — Westwood Financial Corp., a national owner-operator of shopping centers, has completed remodeling work at North Park Plaza shopping center in Phoenix, Ariz. Safeway anchors the center. Regional and national tenants include Frazee Paint, Peter Piper Pizza, Subway and Great Clips.

Improvements to the 101,361-sq.-ft. center include a new façade, covering columns with stone, refreshed landscaping and a two-tone paint color scheme.

Deerfield Park, Ill. — Walgreens is now offering daily testing for cholesterol, blood glucose and body composition at nearly 200 stores in California. Each test also includes a free blood pressure reading and personal consultation with a Walgreens pharmacist.

Mars Advertising has made changes to its team of shopper marketing experts in an effort to capitalize on a year during which the company expanded its portfolio of high profile clients and reported “solid” growth.

St. Louis — Build-A-Bear Workshop swing to a profit in the fourth quarter as net income rose to $5.4 million, compared to a loss of $36.5 million a year earlier.

Consolidated net retail sales for the quarter totaled $106.3 million, while operating 28 fewer stores at quarter’s end compared to $116.1 million in the year ago period.

Same-store sales decreased 2.2%, including a 2.8% decline in North America and a 0.1% decline in Europe.