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Tractor Supply, the US agricultural retailer, has announced plans to eliminate all of its diversity roles and backtrack on its climate commitments following a weeks-long social media campaign by conservative influencers.
“Our customers have told us we have let them down,” the Tennessee-based company said in a statement Thursday afternoon. The campaign had sent the Nasdaq-listed group’s share price down 5 percent in the past month.
The retailer, which has a market value of nearly $30 billion and focuses on rural regions of the US, said it would “roll back” its current diversity and inclusion goals “while continuing to ensure a respectful environment.”
The statement comes as American companies face sustained political pressure about so-called “awareness.”
Several have reduced Pride month shows support for the LGBT+ community after last year’s backlash against companies like Target, Disney and Anheuser-Busch InBev. Large employers, including law firms and consultancies like PwC, have changed their hiring targets or abandoned their public diversity goals following pressure from right-wing activists.
Tractor Supply said it would “guarantee our activities and directly link our business” in the future and stop sponsoring Pride festivals and voting drives. He added that he planned to refocus on “animal welfare, veterans’ causes and being a good neighbor.”
Robby Starbuck, a film director who in 2022 attempted to run as a Republican candidate for a congressional district in Tennessee, led the campaign on social media site X, focusing on pro-diversity comments made by Tractor Supply executives , including CEO Hal Lawton.
Starbuck, which kicked off the campaign in early June, noted that Tractor Supply was a beloved brand among conservative Americans, but attacked the company for providing diversity training to employees and funding Pride events, as well as “anti-change activism.” climate”.
He also took aim at big investors in Tractor Supply, posting on Tuesday: “Companies need to learn that BlackRock, State Street and Vanguard don’t shop in their stores… We do. The progressive values forced by these entities must end. “The American consumer must be king again.”
Tractor Supply Co did not respond to a request for further comment.
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