Walmart to roll back some diversity policies amid pressure from conservatives

(Reuters) - Walmart plans to cut back some of its diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) initiatives, a spokesperson for the retailer said on Monday, joining a growing list of firms feeling the heat from conservative groups.

Bloomberg News reported that Walmart will no longer consider race and gender to boost diversity when granting supplier contracts and that eligibility for financing will not be assessed based on suppliers providing certain demographic data.

The retailer will scale back racial equity training, stop participating in rankings by an LGBTQ advocacy group and review its support for Pride and other events, the report added.

A spokesperson for Walmart confirmed Bloomberg's report.

"We are willing to change alongside our associates and customers who represent all of America," the spokesperson said.

The world's largest retailer will now join the likes of Starbucks, JPMorgan Chase and Ford that have modified their DEI policies over the last year in response to pressure from conservatives.

Walmart's move follows a post on X from conservative activist Robby Starbuck, who disclosed the DEI policy changes at Walmart before the Bloomberg report.

Starbuck said that he had written to Walmart last week about "doing a story on wokeness there," but ended up having productive talks on DEI with the retailer instead.

Starbuck has examined and confronted companies over their employment policies.

Ford, Lowe’s, Harley-Davidson, tractor maker Deere & Co and brewer Molson Coors are among companies that have said they would end some diversity policies after being targeted by Starbuck, according to the Financial Times, which interviewed the activist in September.

(Reporting by Rishabh Jaiswal, Kanjyik Ghosh and Shubham Kalia in Bengaluru; Editing by Sonia Cheema)