(Reuters) – Target (NYSE:TGT) is ending its diversity, equity and inclusion program along with other equity initiatives, the retailer said on Friday, becoming the latest U.S. firm to pull back these policies, meant to boost racial and ethnic representation at workplaces.
Earlier this week, President Trump issued a sweeping executive order directing federal agencies to terminate diversity, equity and inclusion programs, encouraging private companies to do the same.
Many companies adopted policies designed to boost the recruitment, hiring and promotion of minority workers following the police killings of George Floyd and other Black Americans in 2020.
Over the last year, however, several major companies, including Walmart (NYSE:WMT), Amazon (NASDAQ:AMZN), and Meta (NASDAQ:META), walked back their DEI policies in the face of public pressure and after the November election victory by Trump, who has long criticized DEI initiatives.
“Many years of data, insights, listening and learning have been shaping this next chapter in our strategy,” Target’s chief community impact and equity officer Kiera Fernandez said in a memo, adding that it was important to stay in step with the “evolving” external landscape.
Target said on Friday it was rolling back programs aimed at promoting racial equity, called the Racial Equity Action (WA:ACT) and Change (REACH) initiatives, this year.
In 2022, the company pledged it would invest more than $2 billion with Black-owned businesses by the end of 2025 as part of its REACH goals.
The initiative also included plans to add more than 500 Black-owned brands and a funding program from its in-house media company, Roundel, to increase exposure of diverse-owned brands through paid media.
The retailer added that it was changing its “Supplier Diversity” team to “Supplier Engagement” in a bid to better reflect “its inclusive global procurement process.”
Late last year, bigger rival Walmart said it was cutting some of its DEI initiatives too.
In contrast, on Thursday, Costco Wholesale (NASDAQ:COST) shareholders voted strongly against a proposal requesting a report on the risks of maintaining its diversity and inclusion initiatives.
Minneapolis-based Target has landed in the cross hairs of conservative backlash in the past.
In 2023, Target pulled some LGBTQ-themed merchandise from stores, citing increased confrontations between shoppers and employees, and incidents of products being thrown on the floor.
The company has sold LGBTQ-related goods tied to Pride month for years but has faced growing criticism for carrying those products, including from conservative news outlets and Republican politicians, who have claimed certain items at its stores were marketed to children.