Amid right-wing backlash over its Pride Month merchandise, Target reported Wednesday that second-quarter sales fell for the first time in six years.
according to a new reportTarget’s comparable sales declined 5.4% for the second quarter ended July 29. The sharp drop in sales is partly due to controversy over the company’s LGBTQ+ and Pride Month products, CEO Brian Cornell confirmed during a news conference telephone conference On Wednesday.
Target began selling its LGBTQ+ merchandise in May, ahead of Pride Month in June. The attire sparked homophobic reactions, with some customers confronting and threatening Target employees at various locations across the country. In June, Target stores in five states had to be evacuated received bomb threats.
Target said it would do it Changes to the collectionThis included “removing items that were the focus of the most significant confrontational behavior.” Some of its stores in the south have moved the collection to the back of the store in the face of backlash.
human rights organizations and legislators criticized the company for the changeswhich they believed the company was giving in to pressure from anti-LGBTQ conservatives.
Cornell said in Wednesday’s conference call that going forward, the company will apply what it learned from the situation while “navigating an ever-changing operational and social environment.” Quartz reported.
“The response is a signal for us to stop, adapt and learn so our future approach to these moments balances celebration, inclusivity and broad appeal,” said Christina Hennington, Target’s chief growth officer, on the conference call NPR.
For the rest of the year, the company expects sales to continue falling. The Associated Press reported.
Anheuser-Busch InBev, Bud Light’s parent company, experienced one similar decline in US sales and profits following a backlash to a marketing campaign by the company that transgender influencer Dylan Mulvaney took part in.