MINNEAPOLIS — One year after facing a double-pronged backlash for its handling of Pride merchandise, Minnesota-based Target has announced a different approach for 2024.
According to a post on the Target website, the retailer will once again offer a "collection of products including adult apparel and home and food and beverage items." However, products will be "curated based on consumer feedback" and the items "will be available on Target.com and in select stores, based on historical sales performance."
Last year, Target removed some items and relocated others within some stores, particularly in the southern U.S., after social media backlash and reports that employees were receiving threats over its Pride month collection. However, the decision prompted several LGBTQ advocacy groups like The Human Rights Campaign to criticize Target's response as pushing Pride back "into the proverbial closet."
FROM LAST YEAR: Target pulls Pride products amid threats to employees:
A Target spokesperson said the company continues to support the LGBTQIA+ community during Pride month and all year.
"We want to create a welcoming and supportive environment for our LGBTQIA+ team members, which reflects our culture of care for the over 400,000 people who work at Target," a Target spokesperson said in a statement to KARE 11. "We have long offered benefits and resources for the community, and we will have internal programs to celebrate Pride 2024."
The spokesperson said Target also plans to participate in Pride events, including the one in its hometown of Minneapolis in June, as well as supporting LGBTQIA+ organizations.
Last year's dual Pride backlash was cited alongside inflation as contributing factors in Target's 2023 second-quarter sales declines.