Tractor Supply announced that it is ditching its goals of diversity, equity, and inclusion as part of its aim to refocus on its customers in rural America.
The retailer, known for selling farming equipment and other outdoor products, recently released a statement clarifying its change in course, in which it stated that it is taking feedback from customers. As such, the retailer is ditching its DEI roles and its current DEI goals.
“We work hard to live up to our Mission and Values every day and represent the values of the communities and customers we serve,” the statement read. “We have heard from customers that we have disappointed them. We have taken this feedback to heart.”
Tractor Supply also announced that it will no longer submit data to the Human Rights Campaign, an LGBT advocacy group, and will no longer sponsor non-business activities, including pride events or voting campaigns. The retailer is also ditching its carbon emission goals, instead refocusing on efforts related to water and land conservation.
The retailer described rural communities as “the backbone” of the United States, and stated that it is “honored to be a part of them.”
Tractor Supply is not the first retailer to ditch DEI, as Victoria’s Secret announced last year that it would drop its focus on inclusivity in its marketing. The lingerie retailer had seen a decrease in sales since focusing on diversity, which went down by almost 20% over the course of three years.
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Several colleges are also leaving DEI behind, including Harvard University, which saw its largest faculty division announce in June that it would no longer require applicants for tenure-track positions to submit DEI statements.
Earlier this month, Rep. Michael Cloud (R-TX) and Sen. J.D. Vance (R-OH) introduced a bill to eliminate DEI programs in the federal government. The bill was co-sponsored by 20 other Republicans in Congress, and was endorsed by Heritage Action for America, Citizens for Renewing America, and the Claremont Institute’s Center for the American Way of Life.