News

New York – Through its Barnes & Noble Education subsidiary, Barnes & Noble Inc. is expanding its college bookstore business before spinning it off later this year. Barnes & Noble Education is investing, through its college business, Barnes & Noble College, in Flashnotes Inc., an online marketplace for college students to sell and buy study materials.

Both companies will also enter into a strategic alliance agreement that will enable Barnes & Noble College to promote Flashnotes.com at partner schools and on digital platforms.

Before Barnes & Noble Inc. spins off its Education division later this year, it is expanding the business by investing in a website where students buy and sell their notes from class. (Correction: An earlier version of this story stated that Barnes & Noble was buying Flashnotes.com.)

Barnes & Noble and Flashnotes.com will also enter into a strategic alliance agreement that will enable Barnes & Noble Colege to promote Flashnotes at partner schools and on digital platforms.

Atlanta – UPS wants to take on your problems. The company has unveiled a new positioning message, United Problem Solvers, which communicates the company’s capabilities to solve problems for all customers.

PetSmart’s investors have officially approved a buyout of the company by a private equity firm, setting up a payout to stockholders of $83 per share.

In December, PetSmart announced it accepted a bid on the company for $8.7 billion. The company expects the transaction to close on March 11. The buyout means PetSmart will become a private company.

Cincinnati -- Macy announced the completion of its previously announced acquisition of beauty products and spa services retailer Bluemercury, for $210 million in cash.

The biggest news at the International Home and Housewares Show didn’t involve a new product introduction, but rather an information sharing arrangement between The NPD Group and Nielsen that will help retailers and supplier make sense of the market.

Los Angeles -- Ron Johnson is sweet on teen fave Nasty Gal. The online edgy- fashion retailer recently closed $16 million in funding to support its growth. The round was led by former Apple retail chief and Penney CEO Ron Johnson, who also joined the company’s board.

Ross Stores is less than two months into its new fiscal year and already the company is halfway home on its 2015 new store growth plan and asserting its long term potential.

Ross confirmed that since the beginning of its fiscal year on Feb. 1, it opened 32 Ross Dress for Less stores and five dd’s Discounts stores in 15 states.

The company’s full year plan disclosed when fourth quarter results were released on Feb. 26, calls for 70 Ross stores and 20 dd’s Discounts stores.