Target is reportedly getting hit with a 40-day boycott by some consumers.
Atlanta-based Rev. Jamal Bryant has urged consumers to avoid spending money at the retailer for the entirety of Lent, the New York Post reported.
Lent began Wednesday and will run through April 17.
The 40-day boycott is in response to a recent move by Target to scale back its diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) policies, according to the outlet.
FOX Business reached out to Target for comment.
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The retailer said in late January that it was altering its DEI efforts, including stopping external diversity-focused surveys and renaming its “Supplier Diversity” team the “Supplier Engagement,” FOX Business reported at the time. The company also said it was concluding its three-year DEI goals and ending its Racial Equity Action and Change (REACH) initiatives in 2025, as planned.
“We remain focused on driving our business by creating a sense of belonging for our team, guests and communities through a commitment to inclusion,” Target Chief Community Impact and Equity Officer Kiera Fernandez said in a message to employees at the time. “Belonging for all is an essential part of our team and culture, helping fuel consumer relevance and business results.”
Bryant said in an interview with CNN that members of the Black community “spend upwards of $12 million dollars a day, and so we would expect some loyalty, some decency and some camaraderie” from the retailer.
He said he was “asking people to divest from Target because they have turned their back on our community,” the outlet reported.
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The move has reportedly raised concern among some minority business owners.
Beautiful Curly Me said on social media that “they will cancel us from their shelves and make us buy back the products they already purchased from us” if consumers don’t buy its dolls at Target, saying that “having your dolls in mass retail stores gives you a different kind of visibility to millions and really helps us expand,” according to the New York Post.
Lip Bar CEO Melissa Butler also said she doesn’t “want these minority businesses to suffer or to be impacted negatively” by a boycott, CNN reported.
| Ticker | Security | Last | Change | Change % |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| TGT | TARGET CORP. | 116.56 | -0.57 | -0.49% |
The “Target Fast” movement said on its website that it wanted Target stockholders to offload their holdings in the retailer as part of the boycott.
It also plans to gather data on how the boycott affects Target once it ends to try to show to the retailer’s leaders, according to the website.
Target generated nearly $106.6 billion in net sales over the course of 2024, down 0.8% from the $107.4 billion it notched in the prior year, the company reported Tuesday. Its annual net earnings, meanwhile, narrowed 1.1% to $4.09 billion.
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As of Wednesday afternoon, Target’s market capitalization hovered around $53.35 billion.
McDonald’s, Amazon, Harley-Davidson, Lowe’s, Tractor Supply Company and Walmart are among some of the companies that altered their DEI policies or dialed them back in the past year.
Daniella Genovese contributed to this report.
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