Grind Responds to Laurence Fox’s Call for Boycott with a “Thank You” Billboard

Leading London independent coffee company, Grind, has today issued a response to actor Laurence Fox’s call for a boycott of the brand – by way of a billboard in London’s Leicester Square.

Last week, after inadvertently advertising on GB News as part of a larger portfolio ad buy, Grind pulled all future spending in response to tweets calling out the advertisement. Known for its home compostable pods, the coffee brand made the decision based on the sceptical stance on climate change adopted by many of the channels presenters, which doesn’t align with Grind’s sustainability efforts.

In response, Fox, who launched the right-wing Reclaim Party in 2020, tweeted that he would make his own personal ‘boycott’ of Grind and encouraged others to join him. From there, the brand was met with a barrage of negative tweets and critiques from GB News advocates, and hundreds of tweets supporting it’s decision – trending as high as #5 on Twitter UK.

To Grind’s surprise, the outcry had the opposite of the intended effect, with web traffic nearly doubling in the day following the tweet, and a 50% increase in sales. Despite the calls for a boycott there was no increase in subscription cancellations and the brand’s high street stores saw no drop in footfall.

“It’s unsettling for any business that finds themselves at the centre of a Twitter-storm like this, however we stand by our decision to pull further ad spend from GB News.” said David Abrahamovitch, CEO of Grind. “Sustainability is a core brand-pillar at Grind and it’s simply not the right fit for Grind to partner with a channel that provides a platform for those who cast doubt on climate science. It was a real relief to see that our decision led to tremendous support from new and existing customers alike”.

In response, Grind has launched a billboard showcasing just a few of the positive tweets the brand has received in response to the call for boycott, many of whom have showcased their purchase or their pledge to subscribe. The billboard is live today in London’s Leicester Square.

Grind has also made a donation in Laurence’s name to the WWF Climate Crisis Fund, in the amount of £1432 – twice the amount it spent with GB news prior to pulling the advertisement.