The UK fashion chain Joy says it is pulling advertising from the Daily Mail and the Daily Express because the "viewpoints" of the newspapers clash with its values.
Two of its adverts appeared online today alongside articles the company described as "transphobic and racist".
"We would like to apologise to all those who may have seen our advertisements next to these articles," the company said in a statement.
Campaign group Stop Funding Hate tweeted Joy with screenshots of the articles on Monday morning, prompting the company to make the announcement.
The brand tweeted an apology, saying it was unhappy "our ads were appearing next to transphobic and racist articles".
"Joy is a brand that pride themselves on diversity and inclusion, and we would never want to associate ourselves with these viewpoints," it said, vowing to monitor "much more closely" where it advertises to "ensure that they reflect the interests and viewpoints of not only Joy, but our dedicated customers".
BuzzFeed News understands the company has been successful in getting the ads removed from the Daily Mail, and is in the process of getting them removed from the Daily Express.
The decision has led to the company being praised.
@joythestore @StopFundingHate I've never heard of you before now, but I'm going to go & investigate immediately! Thank you 💚
@joythestore @StopFundingHate Thank you Joy.
@joythestore @StopFundingHate
Joy is the latest business to pull advertising in response to lobbying from Stop Funding Hate, which accuses British tabloid newspapers of causing "fear and division" between communities.
Other companies, including Lego and The Body Shop, have previously pulled ads with papers following pressure from the group.
Founder Richard Wilson told BuzzFeed News that articles that appeared in three papers in particular – the Daily Mail, The Sun, and the Daily Express – were often particularly negative in their coverage of certain subjects, for example when writing about Muslims.
The campaign says it used "consumer pressure" to target newspapers where they are "overstepping the mark and crossing the line".
"The long term goal is to change the media," he said. "For example, [bringing to an end] articles that compare migrants to cockroaches."
He added: “With experts warning that the hate in our media is fuelling hate crime on our streets, more and more brands are recognising that their advertising has an ethical dimension – and must align with their company values."
BuzzFeed News contacted the Daily Express and the Daily Mail for comment but neither had responded at the time of writing.