About 100 workers at a distribution center will be let go by South Deerfield, Massachusetts-based Yankee Candle, a manufacturer of scented candles.
According to a WARN notice submitted to the state, the layoffs will begin on September 9.
The parent company Newell Brands‘ spokesperson announced that the distribution operations at the 27 Yankee Candle Way facility are being moved.
“The distribution facility will remain open, but as part of our consolidation efforts, we are reducing the number of employees working there,” the spokesperson stated.
The corporation announced that the laid-off workers would receive “transition benefits.”
The fragrance industry is contracting
Thirteen percent of Yankee Candle’s staff were let off when the company closed its South Deerfield headquarters in January 2023. “We need to cut overhead expenses and adjust our budgets to the reality of the economic environment and the performance of our company,” stated former CEO Ravi Saligram at the time.
In 2015, Yankee Candle was purchased by Newell for $13.2 billion, along with trademarks such as Paper Mate, Sharpie, Elmer’s, and Rubbermaid. During the first quarter of 2024, Newell disclosed that there were “declines in the Kitchen and Home Fragrance businesses.”
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“No changes” have been made to the Yankee Candle businesses in Massachusetts
Michael Kittredge, a candlemaker, founded Yankee Candle in 1969, and the Yankee Candle Village store in South Deerfield is a well-liked tourist destination.
“Importantly, there are no changes to our other Yankee Candle operations in Western Massachusetts,” a Newell spokesperson stated. “Yankee was founded in the area, and we are committed to maintaining a strong local presence with our flagship Yankee Candle Village store and various research, manufacturing, distribution and office facilities.”
