Mergers & Acquisitions

Sports Authority Inc., which is preparing to file for bankruptcy, has discussed selling stores and intellectual property to rival chain Dick’s Sporting Goods Inc. and other parties, according to two people familiar with the situation. The Dick’s transaction is one of several options being considered, said one of the people, who asked not to be identified…

Jet.com, an online retail startup challenging Amazon.com, is doing a little shopping of its own. On Monday, the company announced that it had made its first acquisition with the purchase of Omaha, Neb.-based Hayneedle, a home goods e-commerce company. Terms of the deal weren't disclosed.

Alibaba disclosed in an SEC filing late Friday that it acquired nearly 33 million shares of Groupon in the fourth quarter. That works out to about a 5.6 percent stake. This makes Alibaba the fourth-largest owner of Groupon. Shares of Groupon soared more than 40 percent in midday trading. That follows a nearly 30 percent…

DSW Inc. agreed to buy online shoe retailer Ebuys Inc. for an up-front payment of $62.5 million, in a bid to expand its online presence and grow its business abroad. Ebuys, the parent of retail sites ShoeMetro and ApparelSave, is also eligible for additional payments based on its future performance. DSW sells shoes and accessories with 469…

Kroger keeps growing and growing. Not counting acquisitions, Kroger has notched a stunning 12 straight years of growing sales at its nearly 2,800 stores. But now, thanks to its financial strength, the Cincinnati-based supermarket giant is growing increasingly by taking over rivals too. This week, Kroger was named as a potential suitor for struggling upscale grocer…

The European Commission said on Wednesday that it had signed off on a $6.3 billion merger of Staples and Office Depot after the companies agreed to sell some of Office Depot’s operations in Europe to ease competition concerns. The approval comes just over two months after the Federal Trade Commission in the United States sued to…

Honest Company, the consumer products retailer from Jessica Alba that started by selling diapers online, is working with bankers on an IPO, according to a source familiar with the process. Whether the company makes it out into the public market, and how investors value it along the way, will likely be a barometer for what…

Pat Catan's Craft Centers, the family-run crafts and decor retailer, has been acquired by the Michaels Companies Inc., the largest arts and crafts retailer in North America, for $150 million. Michaels said Lamrite West, the name of the company Pat Catanzarite founded in 1954 to supply craft supplies, window displays and decorations to Cleveland department stores…

Lowe's is expanding its footprint in Canada with a $2.3 billion acquisition of the home improvement retailer Rona. It's Lowe's second run for the company. Lowe's made a $1.9 billion bid for Rona in 2012, but that deal never went through. Chairman and CEO Robert Niblock said in a written statement Wednesday that the acquisition gives Lowe's…

CVS Health is about to undertake its biggest expansion in years: the drugstore operator has opened the first of the pharmacies it's taking over from Target. Last summer, the two companies announced that Target would sell its 1,672 pharmacies to CVS for $1.9 billion, a deal that closed in December. Those CVS “stores-within-a-store,” beginning with a…