The official motor oil for the NBA is expanding its alliance with the league, signed in 2016, by inking multi-year pacts with three teams — the Boston Celtics, Charlotte Hornets (which will host the 2019 All-Star Game) and Houston Rockets. The last deal includes the Toyota Center and multi-media marketing support at the local level, as well as a national sweepstakes offering tickets to the 2018 NBA Finals.

L.L. Bean announced that it will no longer sell guns or ammunition to anyone under 21 years of age. The Maine-based outdoors retailer posted the announcement to its Twitter account in response to a customer who asked the company to consider the restriction. Bean joins a growing number of retailers upping the minimum age for gun purchases, following last month’s deadly Florida school shooting.

Some of the biggest brands in the U.S. -- including Nike, Acer and Expedia -- say they were unaware that they were running ads on the YouTube channel's for far-right website InfoWars, founded by conspiracy theorist Alex Jones, until CNN contacted them. The brands say they've suspended the ads. YouTube reprimanded the site and Jones for violating its community guidelines after a video posted claimed student anti-gun activists were actors.

Georgia lawmakers approved a bill that strips out a tax break proposal highly coveted by Delta Air Lines — the most stinging punishment that America’s pro-gun forces have leveled so far on one of the many corporations recalibrating their positions on firearms. Georgia Republicans killed the $50-million sales tax exemption perk as retribution for Delta’s decision to end a discount for NRA members.

Burberry shares rose steadily on the London Stock Exchange after the brand announced that Riccardo Tisci would replace Christopher Bailey as its chief creative officer, effective March 12.  Retailers and analysts applauded the appointment, which will mark the reunion of Burberry CEO Marco Gobbetti and Tisci. The two previously worked together at Givenchy, where the former served as CEO and the latter its couturier.

Shoppers streamed into Best Buy during the all-important holiday season, driving up sales and showing that the electronics seller is more than holding its own against e-commerce giant Amazon. Sales at stores open at least a year surged 9% in 2017's fourth quarter — a major improvement over Q4 2016, which saw sales slip 0.7%.

Kroger's Fred Meyer banner will stop selling guns to buyers under 21 in the 43 stores in which firearms are sold. Kroger also said that it had stopped selling assault-style rifles in Fred Meyer stores in Oregon, Washington and Idaho several years ago, and would no longer accept any special orders of those weapons in Alaska. "Recent events demonstrate the need for additional action on the part of responsible gun retailers,” the retailer said. 

Nike will launch a new sneaker destination for women, called Nike Unlaced, featuring a curated selection of sneakers offering an expanded range of sizes, innovative performance styles, and "iconic collaborations." It will launch online on March 27, and in brick-and-mortar this summer. The destination is part of a series of initiatives aimed at women. The expanded unisex sizing, for instance, will enable women to shop classic Jordan lines, including Nike Air Force 1 and Air Max.

The growing popularity of voice-search assistants poses a threat to the biggest makers of household staples. Unlike in stores or online, where an array of brands get plenty of exposure, voice-search assistants like Amazon’s Alexa often steer shoppers to a single product -- usually selected by an algorithm, with no input from the sellers. In the next five years, half of web searches will be conducted via voice.

Blade and France’s Airbus Helicopters are fast-tracking expansion plans. The partnership — along with Airbus’ $15 million cash infusion in Blade — will allow the New York aviation company to bring helicopter-hailing service to both Dallas and an overseas country to be selected within 90 days, the companies said in a statement on Wednesday.