Target CEO Brian Cornell was unequivocal about the importance of diversity, equity, and inclusion (DE&I) in 2021.

“As CEOs, we have to be the company’s head of diversity and inclusion,” Cornell told CNBC. “We have to be the role models that drive change and our voice is important.”

So when Target announced on January 24 that it was pulling back on some DE&I efforts, like many companies have as President Donald Trump rails against diversity, it struck some as a sudden reversal for Target.

But Target’s own press releases about issues of racial and social equity tell a different story. The company has a unique trajectory when it comes to DE&I. It championed diversity enthusiastically after police killed George Floyd in its hometown of Minneapolis in 2020. But after the company faced a conservative backlash over its Pride Month displays in 2023, its use of diversity terminology has been increasingly rare.

After using neither term in press releases in 2019, Target used the term “social justice” 11 times and “racial justice” 10 times in 2020, then used both terms eight times each in 2021, and one time each in 2022. But the company did not issue a press release with either term even once in 2023, 2024, or so far in 2025, according to a Retail Brew analysis of press releases archived on Target.com.

Other diversity-related terms follow a similar pattern.

Keep reading here.—AAN

Shopify says it has made changes to its platform in response to tariffs imposed by the new US administration.

“As soon as weʼve seen anything, whether itʼs tariffs or de minimis, we usually get to work from a product perspective,” Shopify President Harley Finkelstein told investors on the company’s Q4 earnings call.

Finkelstein noted that all Shopify sellers can now show and charge duties during checkout, so there are no surprises for the consumer at the last moment. The Canadian tech giant added these changes will make cross border transactions more straightforward for customers.

Keep reading here.—VC

Some companies have publicly said they’re backing away from DE&I, but Aldi US appears to be taking its cues from its “Aisle of Shame,” seemingly quietly erasing evidence of its DE&I programs.

What’s happening? The bargain grocer with more than 50,000 employees quietly scrubbed its careers website of all DE&I initiatives earlier this month. On Jan. 18, the website featured a section titled “Aldinclusive” that claimed “diversity strengthens us.” It also outlined the company’s DE&I efforts and commitment, including support of the United Negro College Fund (for over 30 years), an inclusive resource library for employees to learn about DE&I, five inclusion groups, and internships for diverse students.

Keep reading here.—KP