Latest news with #TheDeportDepot
Business Insider
2 days ago
- Business
- Business Insider
'Deport Depot' Merch from Florida Falls Flat as Home Depot (NYSE:HD) Fights Back
It is no secret that the parking lots at home improvement giant Home Depot (HD) have been the stage of controversy lately. The Republican Party of Florida tried to make hay while the sun shined, and produced a line of goods called 'The Deport Depot.' But Home Depot fought back, and investors did not take it well. Perhaps thinking Home Depot should focus less on politics and more on selling hammers, investors sent shares down fractionally in Monday afternoon's trading. Elevate Your Investing Strategy: Take advantage of TipRanks Premium at 50% off! Unlock powerful investing tools, advanced data, and expert analyst insights to help you invest with confidence. The 'Deport Depot' line of merchandise looked a lot like Home Depot's own logo, with blocky orange stencil-style letters over a black background. Florida Republicans then raced to put the logo on everything from shirts to mugs and beyond. But outcry followed, and the Republicans pulled the parodical product line. Home Depot took what amounted to the high road, and declared, 'We don't allow any organization to use our branding or logo for their commercial purposes, and we did not approve this use.' Though the Florida GOP might have been able to stand on parody and fair use applications for copyright and trademark issues, it likely figured discretion was the better part of valor here, and pulled the merchandise line almost hours after it first showed up. Though it is safe to say that Home Depot would have fought this. It already faces concerns that it is getting payoffs from ICE, and it really does not need further comparisons. Watch Out for that Ladder Meanwhile, Home Depot has a bit of a ladder problem. More specifically, a line of ladders sold under the Werner brand name are being recalled, many of which can be found at Home Depot. The ladders pose a 'falling hazard,' reports note. That may sound odd in that every ladder poses a falling hazard in one way or another, but this one may be particularly dangerous. Apparently, reports note, the ladders' locking mechanism may jam, and thus not fully lock in place. Without that locking mechanism, the ladder may unexpectedly fold and send those on the ladder crashing down accordingly. Already, there are 14 reports of a range of injuries that resulted from the ladders' faulty lock mechanism. Is Home Depot a Good Long-Term Buy? Turning to Wall Street, analysts have a Strong Buy consensus rating on HD stock based on 19 Buys and six Holds assigned in the past three months, as indicated by the graphic below. After a 10% rally in its share price over the past year, the average HD price target of $430.68 per share implies 8.65% upside potential. Disclosure
Newsweek
3 days ago
- Business
- Newsweek
Republicans Pull 'Deport Depot' Merch After Home Depot Complains
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. The Republican Party of Florida has removed a line of merchandise after the items drew scrutiny for mimicking Home Depot's branding. The merchandise, called "The Deport Depot," included shirts, hats, and other items featuring a logo closely resembling the home improvement retailer's signature orange box and stenciled font. "We don't allow any organization to use our branding or logo for their commercial purposes," Sarah McDonald a spokesperson for The Home Depot told Newsweek. Newsweek has contacted the Florida GOP for comment via email. A Home Depot store is shown, in Bensalem, Pa., on March 14, 2022. A Home Depot store is shown, in Bensalem, Pa., on March 14, 2022. Matt Rourke/AP Why It Matters The merchandise was linked to a new immigrant detention facility recently announced by Republican Governor Ron DeSantis. The facility, named the "Deportation Depot," is intended to house individuals detained for immigration violations. DeSantis unveiled the center earlier this month as part of his administration's broader efforts to increase immigration enforcement in Florida. The state of Florida has already opened up and begun detaining migrants in the highly talked about Alligator Alcatraz facility. What To Know Beth Marlowe, a spokesperson for The Home Depot, told the Tampa Bay Times that the company had not authorized the Florida GOP to use its branding or logo on any merchandise. Following the company's objection, the party removed the items from its website and discontinued their sale. According to the Tampa Bay Times, the items remained available for purchase as of Saturday, priced between $15 and $28, with each sale counted as a political contribution to the state's GOP. Both the merchandise and a related post on X were taken down a few hours after the story was first published by the outlet. The "Deport Depot" line marked the Florida Republicans' latest effort to monetize the state's immigration crackdown through merchandise. It wasn't the first time the party tied fundraising to policy rollouts. When DeSantis announced the opening of the Everglades-based "Alligator Alcatraz" detention facility, the GOP, including state Attorney General James Uthmeier, quickly followed with branded shirts, hats, and buttons. Meanwhile, Home Depot has emerged as a notable battleground in the Trump administration's plans to carry out mass deportations. Its stores and parking lots have long served as gathering places for day laborers, many of whom are undocumented. The presence of these workers has made the retailer particularly visible amid aggressive deportation efforts, with Immigration and Customs Enforcement arresting individuals at these locations. According to data from Zippia, approximately 19 percent of Home Depot employees identify as Hispanic or Latino. The company employs over 500,000 individuals, A man was struck and killed on a Southern California freeway Thursday while fleeing a federal immigration raid at a Home Depot, authorities have said. What People Are Saying Home Depot spokesperson Beth Marlowe told the Tampa Bay Times: "We have reached out to the RPOF to try to resolve this issue." Communications Director for the Florida Immigrant Coalition, Adriana Rivera told Newsweek: "The Governor's own words reveal the callousness of his agenda. By calling this jail a 'deportation depot,' DeSantis is reducing human beings to commodities—objects that can be warehoused, processed, and shipped away. Such language and policy choices strip people of their humanity, erasing their families, histories, and fundamental dignity. All of that on top of laughing at the location where many heads of households find work to put food on the table for their families in an honest way." Florida attorney Raul Gastesi, partner at Gastesi, Lopez, Mestre & Cobiella told Newsweek: "Trademark law protects against both consumer confusion and the dilution of a brand's reputation. When a political organization uses a logo that closely resembles a well-known mark on items it sells, the issue becomes less about parody and more about commercial use, which courts take seriously. In these situations, companies are well within their rights to object, even if the underlying message relates to political speech." "Courts generally recognize parody as protected speech when it's noncommercial commentary, but once the logo is placed on merchandise that's sold, even for fundraising, it shifts into commercial use. That distinction is important because it increases the risk of trademark infringement and dilution claims."
