+

Cookies on the Business Insider India website

Business Insider India has updated its Privacy and Cookie policy. We use cookies to ensure that we give you the better experience on our website. If you continue without changing your settings, we\'ll assume that you are happy to receive all cookies on the Business Insider India website. However, you can change your cookie setting at any time by clicking on our Cookie Policy at any time. You can also see our Privacy Policy.

Close
HomeQuizzoneWhatsappShare Flash Reads
 

L.L Bean, Wegmans, and New Balance are in a group of consumer companies being targeted by an anti-Trump boycott

Oct 27, 2019, 20:25 IST

Reuters

Advertisement

Over the summer, boycotts against Equinox erupted online after news broke that the chairman of the company had hosted a fundraiser for President Donald Trump at his Hamptons home.

It was all the anti-Trump internet talked about until this month, when the limelight shifted to LVMH, the world's largest luxury company, which opened a new Louis Vuitton factory in Texas and invited Trump to the opening.

This quickly caused an uproar online, with people calling for a boycott against LVMH and its brands.

The company was also added to an anti-Trump boycott list under the #GrabYourWallet campaign. This campaign was launched in October 2016 by Shannon Coulter, a brand and digital strategist who called on consumers to boycott retailers that sell Trump-branded products or whose executives donated to the Trump campaign.

Advertisement

Find out which 15 retail companies are included in this list below:

ABC Supply

Diane Hendricks is cofounder and chairman of ABC Supply and a well-known supporter of Trump; she was also an economic adviser on his 2016 campaign.

#GrabYourWallet is urging customers to boycott the brand until Hendricks confirms that she does not have plans to support Trump's reelection campaign. A spokesperson for the company did not immediately respond to Business Insider's request for comment.

Estée Lauder and its subsidiaries

Cosmetics giant Estée Lauder — which owns beauty brands Clinique, Bobbi Brown, and Mac, among others — is on the boycott list because of donations one of its board members gave to the Trump campaign.

Records show that Ron Lauder, the son of the founder of Estée Lauder, has donated hundreds of thousands of dollars to Pro-Trump groups since 2017.

#GrabYourWallet is calling on Estée Lauder to make a statement confirming that neither Lauder nor any of the company 's execs will be making a donation to Trump's 2020 campaign.

A spokesperson for the company did not immediately respond to Business Insider's request for comment.

Equinox Fitness, SoulCycle, PURE Yoga, Blink Fitness, and The Yorkville Club

Over the summer, fitness club giant Equinox, which owns SoulCycle and Blink Fitness, became the subject of boycotts after the chairman of its company held a fundraiser for Trump at his Hamptons home.

Stephen Ross is the founder and chairman of the real-estate company The Related Companies, which acquired Equinox in 2005.

Almost immediately, a boycott against the company broke out online, prompting the executive chairman of Equinox to pledge a $1 million donation to a group of charities.

#GrabYourWallet is boycotting the brand until Ross steps down from the company.

A spokesperson for the company did not immediately respond to Business Insider's request for comment.

Hobby Lobby

Hobby Lobby CEO David Green publicly endorsed Trump in the 2016 election. He later said that he had only supported Trump because he "didn't have a better choice."

#GrabYourWallet is asking Hobby Lobby to make a statement confirming that neither Green nor any of the company's other executives have plans to donate to Trump's 2020 campaign.

A spokesperson for the company did not immediately respond to Business Insider's request for comment.

HSN

The Home Shopping Network stopped selling the Trump Home collection of home furnishings but continues to sell official commemorative Trump coins.

A spokesperson for the company did not immediately respond to Business Insider's request for comment.

Hudson Yards / Snark Park

New York's new $25 million mega-development site is owned by Related Companies, Stephen Ross' company.

A spokesperson for Related Companies did not immediately respond to Business Insider's request for comment.

L.L.Bean

America's most iconic outdoors brand was placed on the boycott list in 2017 after reports surfaced that Linda Bean, part of the family behind L.L.Bean, had donated thousands of dollars to a pro-Trump group.

Trump publicly thanked Linda Bean for her support on Twitter, sparking a boycott against the company.

#GrabYourWallet said that in order to be removed from the boycott list, L.L.Bean must confirm that neither Linda Bean nor any executives at the company plan to donate to Trump's next presidential campaign.

L.L.Bean has stressed in the past that the company likes to stay out of politics and that no individual alone represents the values of the company.

"L.L.Bean does not endorse political candidates, take positions on political matters, or make political contributions. Simply put, we stay out of politics," the company said in a statement in 2017.

A spokesperson for the company did not immediately respond to Business Insider's request for further comment.

Lola Organic Tampons

Feminine care brand Lola joins dozens of other companies that fall under Stephen Ross' investment umbrella.

#GrabYourWallet said that the only way that Lola would be removed from this list is if Ross is no longer an investor in the company.

A spokesperson for the company did not immediately respond to Business Insider's request for comment.

LVMH

LVMH is the world's largest luxury conglomerate and the newest addition to the #GrabYourWallet boycott list.

The company, which owns some of the world's best-known fashion and beauty brands including Dior, Givenchy, Dom Pérignon, and Sephora, made it onto the list after Trump, along with his daughter Ivanka, her husband Jared Kushner, and others, turned up to open a new, LVMH-owned Luis Vuitton factory in Texas this month with LVMH chairman Bernard Arnault.

This isn't the first time that billionaire businessman Arnault has rubbed shoulders with Trump; Arnault was a guest at Trump's first state dinner and was one of the first CEOs to meet with Trump after his 2017 inauguration.

#GrabYourWallet is asking LVMH to issue a statement saying that it "regrets" Trump's appearance at its new factory and that "it does not have plans to conduct future press events with the Trump administration."

A spokesperson for the company did not immediately respond to Business Insider's request for comment.

Molson Coors Brewing Company

The well-known brewing company made it on to the list because its chairman, Pete Coors, raised money for Trump's last election campaign.

#GrabYourWallet is asking the company to make a statement to confirm that Coors will not donate to his next campaign.

Since his previous donation, Coors wrote an op-ed published in The Wall Street Journal that attacked Trump's tariffs on imports of aluminum.

"A cold can of beer on a hot summer day is as American as it gets," he wrote. "But now that experience will cost you more, one of many unfortunate effects of the 10% tariff President Trump imposed on aluminum imports in March."

It wasn't necessarily an attack against Trump, however, as he described Trump as a "shrewd businessman" in the piece.

A spokesperson for the company did not immediately respond to Business Insider's request for comment.

Momofuku / Milk Bar

David Chang's chain of high-end restaurants garnered the attention of #GrabYourWallet after it was revealed that Stephen Ross was an investor.

Chang himself has been outspoken about his criticism of Trump and urged Ross to cancel his Trump fundraiser in August.

"I personally am a staunch opponent to President Trump and everything he stands for. I f------ hate him," Chang said on his podcast. "This is a complicated situation for me, personally, and I know it raises a lot of questions for people who dine at our restaurants."

A spokesperson for the company did not immediately respond to Business Insider's request for comment.

Nathan's Famous

Howard Lorber is the executive chairman of Nathan's Famous and a good friend of Trump.

Lorber's hot dog company became the subject of boycotts in 2018, after Bloomberg reported that he was holding a fundraiser for Trump in the Hamptons.

#GrabYourWallet is asking for Lorber to no longer be paid by the company in order to be removed from the boycott list.

A spokesperson for the company did not immediately respond to Business Insider's request for comment.

New Balance

New Balance was placed on the boycott list after news broke that its chairman, Jim Davis, had donated nearly $400,000 to a pro-Trump group in 2016.

#GrabYourWallet is asking the company to make a statement confirming that neither Davis nor his fellow executives will be donating again.

As New Balance prides itself on being a "made in America" (& UK) sneaker company, it welcomed Trump's tough stance on trade at the start of his presidency. More recently, it has spoken out against Trump's tariffs on Chinese goods as it also ships in parts from China to make its sneakers.

A spokesperson for the company did not immediately respond to Business Insider's request for comment.

Uline

Elizabeth and Richard Uihlein are the founders of shipping and office supplies company Uline and have been described as GOP "megadonors" and "The Most Powerful Conservative Couple You've Never Heard Of." They donated $300,000 to Trump's 2016 campaign.

#GrabYourWallet is urging customers to boycott the company until this power couple speaks up and says that they will not be contributing to Trump's reelection efforts.

A spokesperson for the company did not immediately respond to Business Insider's request for comment.

Wegmans

Wegmans' most loyal fans, AKA Wegmanites, might be disappointed to hear that the grocery chain is on the list.

According to #GrabYourWallet, this is because it sells Trump wine in its stores. A spokesperson did not respond to Business Insider's request for comment.

You are subscribed to notifications!
Looks like you've blocked notifications!
Next Article