Breaking: Target Corporation Navigates Troubled Waters Amid Merchandising Controversy

Justin Hopper May 31, 2023Last Updated: June 2, 2023

2 minutes read

Updated 2.6.2023 14:58

Target Corporation, one of the nation’s leading retail companies, is currently weathering a significant storm as its stock continues to experience a steep drop.

Target’s stock price closed at $133.84 at the end of trading on Tuesday, May 30, 2023, marking a 3.66% decline from its previous day’s closing price of $138.931. This is part of a larger downturn that has seen the corporation lose $9 billion in market value over the last week, marking its worst six-day stretch since May 2022, when shares fell by 27.34%

The root cause of the financial turbulence appears to be a controversy surrounding the company’s Pride merchandising plans. Target’s decision to introduce a range of products celebrating Pride Month this year has been met with significant backlash, leading to threats that have impacted the well-being and safety of team members.

Adding to the controversy is the retailer’s association with the brand Abprallen and its designer Erik Carnell, who is an outspoken Satanist known for featuring occult imagery and aggressive messaging on his apparel, such as “Burn down the cis-tem” and “Satan respects pronouns”. Kevin O’Leary had this to say about this company:

Target’s situation bears similarities to the challenges faced by Anheuser-Busch, which saw an $18.8 billion loss in market value from late March to late May after its Bud Light brand became embroiled in controversy due to a promotional campaign featuring transgender activist Dylan Mulvaney.

It remains to be seen how this shift in the market might be leveraged, or whether this turbulent period will present new investment opportunities for Target. All eyes will be on how Target and Bud Light navigate the fallout from their respective controversies and work towards repairing their public image and market standing.

This developing story serves as a stark reminder that the relationship between a company’s social initiatives and its financial performance can cause controversy and have a significant impact on a company’s stock performance. Is it best for companies to stay out of social politics? Tweet us your thoughts @WealthyVC and we’ll retweet you!