President Trump’s executive order seeking to end DEI programs in both the private and public sectors triggered a variety of responses among Americans.

Some supported it, while others vehemently opposed it. Brands too began taking sides. Many major retailers, including Target and Walmart, significantly scaled back their DEI commitments. Most retailers have stayed out of the debate altogether, making minimal changes (at least publicly) to any existing DEI policies.

There are, however, smaller and medium-sized businesses that have instead chosen to make a statement by doubling down on their commitments.

Keep reading here.—JS

Adult toy purchases and collectible trading cards are driving higher toy sales in 2025, per a new Circana report.

Toy sales for adults were up 12% for the period between January and March, and nearly a quarter of these adult shoppers (19%) purchased Pokémon cards for themselves over the last six months, according to Circana survey data from March.

• Does that mean these adults are out there playing Pokémon cards? Not necessarily. Circana found that just a quarter of these buyers play the game. The rest are collecting them as a hobby or to resell.

The trend is fueling strong sales for the industry overall, with dollar sales increasing 6% year over year since the beginning of 2025, and unit sales increasing 3%.

Keep reading here.—AV

Some retail chains fared well in Q1, despite the tariffs. Dick’s Sporting Goods and Costco had solid quarters, but Target struggled.

Dick’s Sporting Goods’s revenue increased 5.2% YoY. Analysts expected revenue to come in around $3.12 billion, but the chain saw revenue reach $3.17 billion in Q1. Comparable sales were up 4.5%. On an earnings call, CFO Navdeep Gupta noted that the company had “no impact from tariffs in Q1.”

Of the future impacts of tariffs, he said: “We are working closely with our manufacturing and brand partners to mitigate potential impact, and we are making continued progress in diversifying our direct sourcing footprint.”

Keep reading here on CFO Brew.—JK