Topline
Facing a decline in customer goodwill and the measurable effects of a DEI-inspired boycott, Target CEO Brian Cornell broke his silence in an all-employee memo, which may have done more harm than good in quelling anxiety among Target staff, according to the Minnesota Star Tribune.
Key Facts
Acknowledging that Target has suffered a “tough few months” and that he and his leadership team have been noticeably absent in their silence, Cornell committed to share more with employees to reinforce the company’s values going forward.
He reiterated the company’s commitment to “inclusivity, connection, drive” as core values, even as Black faith leaders called for a customer boycott after Target rolled back its DEI initiatives earlier this year.
Since the end of January, immediately after Target announced its revised DEI policies, Target experienced 11 consecutive weeks of decreased foot traffic, with a slight uptick during April Holy Week, though April foot traffic ended off 3.3%, according to Placer.ai.
Also missing from Cornell’s message were any concrete steps that he and the leadership team will take to reverse course.
Key Background
Target created confusion among employees and customers after announcing in January that the company had concluded its diversity, equity and inclusion goals, ended reporting to outside diversity-focused surveys, such as HRC’s Corporate Equality Index and “evolved” its supplier diversity program that had supported minority-owned businesses. This followed a controversy surrounding Target’s Pride Month 2024 activities. Last June, the company rolled back its Pride Month selections and displays after experiencing a backlash the year before from some customers who felt the company’s merchandise choices were inappropriate. Yet the roll back in Pride Month 2024 left other customers feeling Target was abandoning support of the LGBTQ community. Note: Target did not respond to a request for comment before posting.
No Longer Considered A Champion Of Diversity
Target previously has been considered a retail champion for diverse communities, but over the past year, it has lost much of that goodwill. Katya Skogen, the director of cultural insights at research firm Collage, reports that consumer trust in Target has dropped by four percentage points in the last six months to 78% with the steepest declines among Black and Hispanic consumers. In addition, there has been a nine-point drop in perceived relevance of the Target brand among Black Americans. “This marks a serious fracture in the emotional connection that has long been one of the brand’s greatest strengths,” Skogen shared. “At a time when trust in brands is already fragile, and consumers cautiously navigate economic uncertainty, Target is under mounting pressure to restore the credibility that once set it apart.”
Criticsm Mounting
Retail consultant Carol Spieckerman said Cornell’s memo drew attention to the “communication vacuum without explaining it.” She added that in the email, Cornell acknowledged but didn’t take responsibility for the concerns and controversies surrounding the company. “The tone implies that things are happening around and to Target that are out of its control,” she continued. GlobalData’s Neil Saunders got much the same impression. He shared the memo, which appeared jumbled, lacked substance and was poorly crafted, “highlights the disconnect that has opened up between management and the shop floor.” He added, “No where does it spell out how problems will be remedied.”
Crucial Quote
“Many of Target’s issues are self-inflicted. The business seems to be in a weird state of inertia and denial. What’s strange is that Target isn’t a terrible business, it has many advantages and a lot of talent in its ranks, it just doesn’t seem to be able to marshal them properly. Leadership really needs to start connecting better with staff at all levels. At the moment it’s not so much leading as drifting,” GlobalData’s Saunders shared with me.
Tangent
Target is facing mounting troubles at checkout with self-checkout being limited in some stores and a previously established limit of ten items for self-checkout being enforced. Despite Target statements that self-checkout is offered in most stores and will remain, TheStreet’s Cody Kline reports that Target customers increasingly feel frustrated by “blocked machines, roped-off lanes, long lines and stressed-out cashiers.” Kline observed that the Target customer experience at checkout is getting worse, not better. “When perception doesn’t match the brand promise, trust erodes — quietly, but quickly,” she warned.
Further Reading
Target CEO Acknowledges Silence From Leadership Has Created Uncertainty Among Workers (Minnesota Star Tribune, 5/6/2025)
What You Need To Know About Target’s Self-Checkout (TheStreet, 5/5/2025)
