- Bed Bath & Beyond, Kohl’s and other companies are ending partnerships with MyPillow.
- MyPillow’s CEO says companies have cut ties because he is spreading unfounded theories of electoral fraud.
- Industry experts said it would hurt MyPillow and put pressure on its direct sales business.
- Visit the Business Insider home page for more stories.
The companies’ decisions to cut ties with MyPillow are becoming a significant blow to the controversial pillow company.
Bed Bath & Beyond and Kohl’s confirmed this week that they are severing relations with MyPillow. Fintech startup Affirm told Insider that it also severed ties.
According to MyPillow CEO Mike Lindell, several other stores, including HEB, Kroger and BJs, have told him that they will no longer sell MyPillow products. (These brands did not respond to Insider’s request for comments.)
In statements, Bed Bath & Beyond and Kohl’s said they would no longer sell MyPillow products because of poor sales. Affirming did not provide an explanation for ending the business relationship.
“As previously announced, we are streamlining our assortment to discontinue a number of low-performing items and brands. This includes the My Pillow product line,” said a spokesman for Bed Bath & Beyond via email. “Our decisions are based on data, inspired by the customer and are providing substantial growth in our main target categories.”
Lindell, however, said he was skeptical of companies’ decisions to cut ties soon after news that he is facing a legal threat from voting technology company Dominion, linked to his spread of unfounded theories of electoral fraud.
Read More: The MyPillow guy says that God helped him overcome a crack addiction to build a multimillion dollar empire. Now, his religious devotion to Trump threatens to topple everything.
“It’s 100% canceling culture,” Lindell, a vocal advocate for former President Donald Trump, told Insider in an interview.
“They were afraid of being boycotted by customers because they live in fear of all these attack groups,” added Lindell. “And they are not your customers. What will happen to them now is that all real customers will be very upset.”
Cutting ties with companies ‘will cause some pain’
While Bed Bath & Beyond said it is ending its partnership with My Pillow, a store in Crofton, Maryland, it still had pillows in stock this week.
John F. Druhan / Insider
Chris Alleri, founder of the brand consultancy Mulberry & Astor, told Insider that he also believes that companies are severing relations because of Lindell’s insistence on spreading unsubstantiated theories that President Joe Biden “stole” the election. However, unlike Lindell, he believes these companies are making the right decision.
“Lindell is being pushed aside by legitimate retailers, not because he is a friend of Trump, not because he is a victim, because he has a big mouth that spews lies,” Alleri said by email to Insider. “No brand wants to associate itself with a fire in a dumpster like this. Advancing a false narrative of a stolen election has consequences.”
These consequences can have a considerable impact on the My Pillows business. Neil Saunders, managing director of the analytics firm GlobalData, said that sales through retail partnerships have become “a much more significant element of MyPillow’s business”.
“The loss of these sales channels will cause some problems and put more pressure on the business directly to the consumer,” said Saunders. “It is also true that distribution through retailers has expanded MyPillow’s audience beyond consumers who digest infomercials, so the company will now need to find other ways to reach these potential customers.”
MyPillow CEO says he is not concerned about the end of partnerships
Lindell is a vocal advocate for Trump.
SAUL LOEB / AFP through Getty Images
Not all companies are cutting ties.
Costco said this week that it plans to continue selling MyPillow products. A representative told SFGate on Thursday that the company has “contractual commitments to MyPillow that we intend to honor, as we seek to do with all of our suppliers.
Walmart continues to sell a variety of MyPillow products, despite the fact that some pillows are being inundated with one-star ratings.
“If you sleep with this pillow, you can wake up with a fascist like the CEO,” says one of those critics.
Walmart did not respond to Insider’s request for comment.
Lindell told Insider that he expects companies that continue to stock MyPillow to see an increase in sales. In addition, he said, he anticipates that MyPillow’s direct sales will grow after the reaction.
“We’re going to be very busy,” said Lindell. “And these stores are going to lose because they don’t have the products that people want. It’s sad for them that they have bowed to these left-wing groups that – all they do is attack.”
Alleri is skeptical of Lindell’s confidence.
“Perhaps some of Trump’s diehards may want to buy his products, this is not enough to build a legitimate brand with staying power,” said Alleri.