News Briefs

Tax refunds are offering consumers some much needed relief this year.

More than half (52%) of consumers say they are using tax return money to pay bills or reduce debt this year, according to a recent survey from coupon platform RetailMeNot. The remaining 41% plan to put it into savings.

A quarter (24%) of the survey respondents said they planned to use their refund to cover everyday expenses, while 17% said they planned to use it towards travel or experiences, and another 17% planned to invest the money. Make a large purchase (14%) and treat themselves (13%) were also popular uses for tax returns among consumers.

Most (40%) of those surveyed planned to file on their own using tax software, while 31% planned to work with a tax professional. Fifteen percent said they would use free filing tools.

[READ MORE: Survey: Consumers trading down, consolidating trips because of fuel costs]

“When more than half of consumers are putting their refund toward debt before anything else, that’s a pressure story,” said Stephanie Carls, retail insights expert at RetailMeNot. “Costs haven’t come down. Budgets are still tight. For a lot of people, a refund is the first real breathing room they’ve had all year."

RetailMeNot’s Seasonal Survey was fielded in January 2026 among 1,148 adults.

There's been a change in leadership at one of the country's leading intimate apparel brands.

Wacoal America, part of Wacoal International Corp., said that CEO Mitchell Kauffman will retire, effective immediately, following six years of leadership and a distinguished 40-year career in the intimate apparel industry. James Wheatley, who has served as president of Wacoal America for the past year, was named president and CEO. 

The transition comes at a pivotal moment for the brand. Wacoal America recently completed its acquisition of direct-to-consumer plus-size intimates brand Glamorise, The company has also opened new retail locations in Columbus, Ohio, and Hilton Head, S.C., with further expansion planned.

In addition, Wacoal said it is launching a newly redesigned website that signals a broader brand evolution, “one centered on meeting women where they are, serving them across all life stages, and deepening the fit education and inclusive access that have long set the brand apart.”   

Wheatley brings nearly four decades of retail and intimate apparel experience to his expanded role. He spent 13 years with JCPenney before moving into the intimate apparel industry, where he has built his career over the past 26 years. His background includes leadership roles at Vanity Fair and Maidenform, followed by his six-year tenure as VP of sales at Wacoal America.

"We are entering a moment of real change in retail and our industry, and I see it as an opportunity to lead," Wheatley said. "I am deeply committed to the culture Mitch and his predecessors have built here, and equally committed to pushing Wacoal America forward into what comes next."

Kauffman, who joined Wacoal America in 2016, will remain on board as an advisor to support the transition and new initiatives.

Walmart is tapping into the excitement surrounding the upcoming release of the highly anticipated sequel to "The Devil Wears Prada" movie, "The Devil  Wears Prada 2," on May 1. 

The discount giant is introducing “The Devil Wears Prade Scoop Collection,” a limited-time, collaborative fashion line inspired by "the enduring style influence of The Devil Wears Prada." The collection is now available for exclusive online pre-order from the Walmart Scoop private-label fashion-forward apparel brand.

[READ MORE: Walmart revives fashion brand as private label]

The full assortment will launch Monday, April 20, online and in Walmart stores (with apparel and belts available in nearly 500 stores and footwear available in nearly 200 stores). Prices range from $16 to $54 for items, including tailored blazers and suiting pants, coordinated denim sets, structured dresses, red pumps and statement belts. Select pieces draw inspiration from visual elements from the “The Devil Wears Prada” film, including a fluid trench in red and blue tones.

“The ‘Devil Wears Prada’ Scoop collection brings together the confidence, polish and fashion influence customers love with the incredible value they expect from Walmart,” said Ryan Waymire, senior VP, women’s fashion, Walmart U.S. "Through our exclusive Scoop brand, we’re able to deliver a limited-time collection that feels stylish, versatile and culturally relevant — making incredible style more accessible for customers everywhere."

Other exclusive fashion collaborations Walmart has engaged in during the past several years include the Elton John eyewear brand and Love & Sport, a fashion-forward activewear brand created in partnership with fashion designer Michelle Smith and fitness superstar Stacey Griffith 

Headquartered in Bentonville, Ark., Walmart operates more than 10,750 stores and numerous e-commerce websites in 19 countries. 

North America’s largest travel center operator has named a new finance chief.

In a LinkedIn post, Pilot Company announced the addition of Jeremy Osterstock as its new CFO. He joins Pilot from ExxonMobil, where he spent more than 20 years in various positions over the course of two stints. 

Most recently, Osterstock served for the last two years as the CFO for Upstream, ExxonMobil’s business division focused on exploring for and producing crude oil and natural gas. According to the oil and gas giant, Upstream accounts for roughly 70% of the company's revenue.

Osterstock will replace CFO Joe Lillo, who joined Pilot in 2023 and played a key role in guiding Pilot’s finance organization through the Berkshire Hathaway transition in early 2024, according to the company. Lillo will remain with Pilot as interim controller during the transition before pursuing new opportunities.

“Jeremy is known for his focus on developing people, building strong teams and creating long‑term value,” said Pilot Company in the post. “His leadership and passion for working collaboratively and supporting organizations through growth and change will continue to help strengthen Pilot for the future.”

[READ MORE: Pilot to standardize store operations on AI-enabled POS platform]

Headquartered in Knoxville, Tenn., Pilot Company is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Berkshire Hathaway Inc. operating nearly 900 locations through its Pilot and Flying J banners in 44 states and five Canadian provinces. 

Amazon wants to make it easier for consumers to discover adoptable dogs and cats based on their lifestyle and preferences.

Partnering with pet product brand PetArmor and national animal welfare organization Best Friends Animal Society, Amazon has launched its first-ever pet adoption solution. The tool processes natural language queries like, "I need a low-energy dog good for apartments," and returns personalized recommendations from Best Friends centers nationwide.

The adoption hub uses natural language processing to interpret text-based queries before searching Best Friends' database of adoptable pets at its centers in Houston, Los Angeles, New York City, Northwest Arkansas, Salt Lake City, and the Best Friends Animal Sanctuary in Kanab, Utah, using predefined filters. 

When users submit prompts describing their ideal pet, the AI analyzes factors including temperament, energy level, living situation compatibility, and household composition, and returns matches with profiles from Best Friends, including photos and direct navigation to the organization’s website to complete adoption applications.

In addition, Amazon Ads created personalized, animated videos showing how featured pets could thrive in home environments. Based on pet profiles from Best Friends, the AI-generated content transforms the static profiles into video narratives designed to help potential adopters visualize life with that pet.

As part of this initiative, in February 2026 Amazon constructed a custom dog park and “catio” at Glen Rose Animal Control in Texas.

[READ MORE: Amazon Pet Day returns in May]

"The best part of working on this was aligning everything around one question: 'how do we help more of our country’s adoptable pets in shelters find the healthy, happy homes they deserve?'" said Lauren Anderson, U.S. head of Amazon Ads Brand Innovation Lab. "That North Star drove every decision – the AI matching tool, the generative videos, the shelter spaces. It's a true full-funnel campaign on a worthy mission."

Image: Ermolaev Alexander

A Midwest convenience giant has been added to one of the largest stock market indexes.

Casey’s General Stores has joined to the S&P 500, which tracks the performance of the largest publicly-traded companies in the United States. It marks the first time the retailer has been included in the S&P 500 going public in 1983.

Casey’s is on track to open at least 80 stores in fiscal 2026, through a mix of merger and acquisition activity and new store construction, bringing its three-year strategic plan period total to approximately 500 stores. 

“Being added to the S&P 500 marks a significant milestone that reflects the enduring strength of our business,” said president and CEO Darren Rebelez, who has led Casey’s since 2019. “We remain committed to disciplined growth, delivering exceptional experiences to our guests and creating long-term value for our shareholders.”

In its most recent financial quarter, Casey's reported net income of $130.1 million, with earnings per share of $3.49, for the quarter ended Jan. 31, up 49.3% from $87.1 million and earnings per share of $3.49 in the year-ago period. Total revenue rose slightly year over year to $3.92 billion from $3.9 billion. For the quarter, total fuel gallons sold increased 2.3% compared to the prior year due to a store count increase as well as growth in same-store gallons sales.

[READ MORE: Sheetz to enter Indiana; plans 100 stores over 10 years]

Headquartered in Ankeny, Iowa, Casey’s operates more than 2,900 convenience stores nationwide. It is the third-largest convenience store retailer and the fifth-largest pizza chain in the United States.