Updated
Updated · Supermarket News · Jun 15
Target Investors Oppose Brian Cornell by 13% as Support for Christine Leahy Drops 8 Points
Updated
Updated · Supermarket News · Jun 15

Target Investors Oppose Brian Cornell by 13% as Support for Christine Leahy Drops 8 Points

2 articles · Updated · Supermarket News · Jun 15

Summary

  • Nearly 13% of Target shareholders voted against Executive Chair Brian Cornell at the annual meeting, while almost 12% opposed Lead Independent Director Christine Leahy, whose support fell nearly 8 percentage points from 2025.
  • Investor groups including SOC, Trillium and Mercy urged those votes, arguing operational blunders, reputational damage and social controversies have weakened performance and eroded confidence in the board.
  • The filing also showed only about 11% support for Target's executive pay package, while 38.1% of shareholders backed choosing an independent board chair.
  • The dissent came despite a stronger first quarter: net sales rose 6.7% to $25.4 billion, comparable sales increased 5.6%, and customer traffic gained 4.4%.

Insights

Target's profits are rising, so why is investor confidence in its leadership collapsing?
Can Target's new CEO truly lead change while his controversial predecessor remains as Executive Chair?