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PLEASANTON, Calif. — Safeway on Wednesday announced that it has entered into an agreement to sell its Canadian operations through a sale of the net assets of Canada Safeway Limited to Sobeys, a Canadian food retailer and wholly-owned subsidiary of Empire Company Limited, for $5.7 billion in cash plus the assumption of certain liabilities. 

DEERFIELD, Ill. — The deal that paired Walgreens and Alliance Boots with wholesaler AmerisourceBergen has received the required regulatory clearances, the companies announced Friday. 

The regulatory clearances permit both Walgreens and Alliance Boots the purchase of up to 7% of the fully diluted equity of AmerisourceBergen in the open market, and the exercise of two warrants for 16% in the aggregate of the fully diluted equity of AmerisourceBergen in 2016 and 2017. 

PLEASANTON, Calif. — Safeway on Tuesday announced that its board of directors approved an increase to its regular quarterly cash dividend from $0.175 per share to $0.20 per share, reflecting a 14% increase. 

The board also declared a cash dividend of $0.20 per share payable on July 11, 2013 to stockholders of record at the close of business on June 20, 2013.

TORONTO — Shoppers Drug Mart opened in late 2012 its revamped BeautyBoutique in the Bayview Village store in Toronto. The space, which is just over 4,000 sq. ft., offers shoppers an upscale beauty experience with brands that weren't previously available in a BeautyBoutique, but had been available at its Murale store.

The new format also features play stations, where shoppers can touch and feel the cosmetic lines, and fragrance-testing stations so customers can try before they buy.

VALLEY FORGE, Pa. — AmerisourceBergen's base of 3,452 independently owned Good Neighbor Pharmacies will be another benefactor out of the wholesaler's blockbuster agreement with Walgreens and Alliance Boots, AmerisourceBergen CEO, president, director and chairman Steven Collis told analysts during a conference call Thursday.

To the skepticism of many, Walgreens last year made a big global splash with its two-step merger deal with Alliance Boots across the pond. But with the announcement that the co-joined Walgreens/Alliance Boots had signed a 10-year distribution deal with wholesaler AmerisourceBergen, that included an equity stake to boot, well, it seemed that many analysts on Wall Street finally got it.

NEW YORK — There may be a new metric to track retail success or failure, according to a Motley Fool article posted Wednesday — employees per thousand square feet. The metric helps draw a correlation between service and sales productivity. 

NEW YORK — Mad Money's Jim Cramer tabbed Safeway over Whole Foods in an interview with The Street published Tuesday.

NEW YORK — Driven by the need for consumers to have access to convenient, cost-effective and quality healthcare services, the number of walk-in health clinics has been on the rise across the country in recent years, and according to a Reuters report, private equity firms are helping to fuel the expansion.

In recent years, at least a dozen private equity firms have invested millions of dollars into urgent care clinics and several private equity executives reportedly told Reuters that they are eager for more acquisitions.

ROCHESTER, N.Y. — Bausch + Lomb on Friday announced that it has filed a registration statement with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission to take the company public. The number of shares to be offered and the price range for the proposed offering have not yet been determined, the company stated. 

The proposed IPO could raise as much as $1.5 billion and is expected to value Bausch & Lomb at about $9 billion to $10 billion, Reuters reported earlier in March.

NEW YORK — Jim Cramer on Wednesday shared his bullishness on CVS Caremark stock with viewers during the “Lightening Round” portion of his "Mad Money" investment advice program on CNBC.

When asked by a caller whether she should buy CVS Caremark stock, Cramer enthusiastically replied, “I think that’s a great idea. Buy. Buy. Buy!”

SEATTLE — A growing beauty brand led by a former executive from Starbucks has secured more than $10 million in financing from a Silicon Valley venture capital firm.

Julep Beauty, founded by Jane Park, said it received $10.3 million in Series B financing from Andreessen Horowitz, led by former Netscape co-founder Marc Andreessen. Maveron — the venture capital firm co-founded by investor Dan Levitan and Starbucks chairman and CEO Howard Schultz — participated in the funding.