Three more companies say goodbye to Paula Deen
NEW YORK — Paula Deen’s media and merchandising empire is collapsing.
Sears, J.C. Penney and Walgreen Company said Friday that they’re cutting ties with Deen, adding to the growing list of companies severing their relationship following revelations that the Southern celebrity chef used racial slurs in the past.
Meanwhile, Deen’s publisher has canceled a deal with her for multiple books, including an upcoming cookbook that was the No. 1 seller on Amazon.com and Barnes & Noble.com.
Ballantine Books said Friday it would not release “Paula Deen’s New Testament: 250 Favorite Recipes, All Lightened Up,” which was scheduled for October and was the first of a five-book deal. Interest in it had surged as Deen, who grew up in Albany, Ga., and specializes in Southern comfort food, came under increasing attack for acknowledging she had used the N-word.
Ballantine, an imprint of Random House Inc., said it decided to cancel the book’s publication after “careful consideration.”
Sears Holdings Corp., parent company of Sears and Kmart stores, said it will phase out all products tied to the Paula Deen brand after “careful consideration of all available information.”
Both Sears and Kmart sold Paula Deen products.
In an email statement to The Associated Press, J.C. Penney Co. Inc. said it will stop selling Deen products.
Walgreen Co. said it was phasing out Paula Deenbranded products, which include tortilla chips and a selection of soups.
QVC took a more gentle approach on Friday and said that it has decided to “take a pause” from Deen. The home shopping network said that Deen won’t be appearing on any upcoming broadcasts, and it will phase out her product assortment on its online sales channels over the next few months.
QVC left the door open for Deen to return.
Deen issued her own statement that was posted on QVC’s webpage. “As you know, I have some important things to work on right now, both personally and professionally. And so we’ve agreed that it’s best for me to step back from QVC and focus on setting things right.”
Earlier this week, Walmart Stores Inc., Target Corp. and Home Depot all announced that they plan to stop selling items with Deen’s brand.
Meanwhile, on Thursday, Novo Nordisk said it and Deen have “mutually agreed to suspend our patient education activities for now.” Deen had been promoting the company’s drug Victoza since last year, when she announced she had Type 2 diabetes
Monday, pork producer Smithfield Foods dropped her as a spokeswoman.
Caesars Entertainment also announced that Paula Deen’s name is being stripped from four buffet restaurants owned by the company.
Last week, the Food Network said that it would not renew her contract.
Paula Deen Enterprises generates total annual revenue of nearly $100 million, estimates Burt Flickinger III, president of retail consultancy Strategic Resource Group.
Not every company Deen does business with has severed ties. Among other stores that sell her products, Kohl’s Corp. declined to comment, while Macy’s Inc. said Thursday that it continues to “monitor the situation.”
Hoffman Media LLC, the publisher of “Cooking with Paula Deen” magazine, announced Friday that it will continue publishing her bimonthly publication.