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Target Corp. is the central player in a drama that even Hollywood wouldn’t dream    A Florida man has been charged with plotting to bomb Target stores along the East Coast — an attempt to cheapen the company’s stock.  

Despite an earlier report to the contrary, Walmart is not combining its online and store buying functions.   Reuters had reported that the discounter was combining its online and store buying operations as it moves to make itself more competitive with Amazon. The report was picked up by numerous media outlets.   Based on information from Walmart, however, the chain is not merging the stores and walmart.com buying teams. The two will continue to operate as two separate teams.  

These are tough times for outdoor/sporting goods retailers.   Gander Mountain is reportedly considering filing Chapter11 bankruptcy protection, according to Reuters.    Founded in 1960, Gander Mountain specializes in fishing, camping and hunting gear and accessories, and bills itself as “America’s firearms superstore.”   

The Trump brand at retail has taken another hit.    Sears and Kmart this week removed 31 Trump Home items from their e-commerce sites, Reuters reported, to focus on more profitable products. Neither Sears nor Kmart carried the products in their brick-and-mortar stores.  

Sears Holding Corp.’s chairman and CEO Eddie Lampert and the company's board settled a lawsuit alleging that the chief executive benefited from a spin-off deal.   The lawsuit was brought on behalf of Sears and against Lampert, other Sears directors and Seritage Growth Properties, the real estate investment trust established to acquire 235 of the struggling chain’s best stores, reported Reuters.  

Eastern Outfitters, the parent company of Eastern Mountain Sports and Bob’s Stores, has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection.     The company listed assets and liabilities in the range of $100 million to $500 million in its filing        British sporting goods retailer Sports Direct International has engaged in extensive talks with Eastern Outfitters to become a stalking-horse bidder in a bankruptcy auction, Reuters reported.    

To tap growing global demand among shoppers in Australia and New Zealand, Alibaba opened its new international office in Melbourne.   On Saturday, Feb. 4, the e-commerce giant opened its new headquarters as a means of extending its reach — and product availability — to shoppers across the two countries, Reuters reported.   

Starbucks is further evolving its digital customer experience.    Staring Monday, Jan. 30, Starbucks is launching a beta test for a voice messaging service that enables guests to place and pre-pay for their food and beverage orders “on command” via the Starbucks mobile iOS app and the Amazon Alexa platform. The new “My Starbucks barista” feature is an extension of Starbucks Mobile Order & Pay service, which allows customers to order and pay for their items before arriving at their store.  

Finish Line is cutting its losses related to its specialty running gear unit.   The sportswear retailer has sold its JackRabbit specialty running store division to CriticalPoint Capital LLC, a Los Angeles-based private investment firm.   

A new acquisition by Alibaba positions the company to accelerate the accessibility of global financial services.   Ant Financial Services Group, Alibaba’s e-payment arm and the parent company of Alipay, is purchasing money transfer firm MoneyGram for approximately $880 million, according to Business Insider.