Yankee Candle facts for kids
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| Subsidiary | |
| Industry | Consumer products |
| Founded | 1969 |
| Founder | Michael Kittredge |
| Headquarters |
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U.S.
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Number of locations
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217 as of July 2025 |
| Revenue | US$ 844.2 million (2013) |
| Parent | Newell Brands (2015–present) |
| Subsidiaries |
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The Yankee Candle Company, Inc., known as Yankee Candle, is an American company. It makes and sells scented candles, candle holders, and other home items. You can find their products in many gift shops, online, and in almost 50 countries worldwide. They have 217 stores in malls across 37 U.S. states and Ontario, Canada. Yankee Candle is the biggest candle maker in the United States. Their main office is in South Deerfield, Massachusetts.
In 2013, the Jarden Corporation bought Yankee Candle. Later, in 2015, another company called Newell Rubbermaid bought Jarden. This made Yankee Candle part of Newell Brands.
How Yankee Candle Started
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Yankee Candle Company began in South Hadley, Massachusetts. A young man named Michael Kittredge, from Holyoke, Massachusetts, made his first scented candle in 1969. He used melted crayons to create a special gift for his mother. His neighbors liked the candle and wanted to buy some. So, Michael started making more candles.
At first, his company was called "Candles by Michael Kittredge." But he later decided "The Yankee Candle Company" was a better name. His high school friends, Donald MacIver and Susan Obremski, helped him start the business. Donald helped pay for things with money from his part-time job.
Michael moved his growing candle-making business to Holyoke, Massachusetts. The new place was an old mill without electricity or running water. Even with these challenges, the business kept growing. Susan's father helped by creating a "heated room." This allowed the company to get liquid wax delivered, which saved money. Susan also invented a special machine that helped make twice as many candles with less work. In 1975, she managed the first Yankee Candle Shop.
The company slowly grew and moved to South Deerfield, Massachusetts in 1983.
Changes in Ownership
In 1993, Michael Kittredge decided to let a friend and employee take over the company. To grow its stores, the company needed a lot of money. So, in 1998, it was sold to a company called Forstmann Little for $500 million. Forstmann Little then made Yankee Candle a public company in 1999. This meant people could buy shares of the company.
In 2001, Craig Rydin became the CEO. He started big advertising campaigns. Yankee Candle products then began selling in large stores like Linens-N-Things and Bed Bath & Beyond. This helped sales reach their highest levels ever. Michael Kittredge remained involved as a special advisor.
By 2000, the company's sales reached $339 million.
In 2006, Yankee Candle bought Illuminations. This company also sold candles and home items. The Illuminations brand was later stopped in 2009.
In 2007, a company called Madison Dearborn Partners LLC bought Yankee Candle for about $1.6 billion.
Michael Kittredge, the founder, later started a new candle company called Kringle Candle with his son, Michael (Mike).
In 2012, Yankee Candle Europe started selling products directly to customers online.
In 2013, Jarden bought Yankee Candle. Then, in 2016, Jarden was bought by Newell Rubbermaid. This created the new company Newell Brands.
In 2017, Newell Brands also bought Smith Mountain Industries, which makes Woodwick candles. Woodwick candles are now a special brand sold by Yankee Candle. They have a wooden wick that crackles when it burns.
Newell Brands also bought Chesapeake Bay Candle in 2017. This company was started in 1994 by Mei Xu and David Wang. Chesapeake Bay candles are now also part of Yankee Candle's products.
In January 2025, it was reported that Yankee Candle might close its stores in Malaysia. A company spokesperson said this was because of lower demand and sales, and problems with shipping after the pandemic.
Yankee Candle Flagship Stores
Yankee Candle has a very large main store, called a flagship store, in South Deerfield, Massachusetts. It opened in 1982. This store sells all kinds of Yankee Candles. It also has kitchen items, home decorations, gifts, and a toy shop. There are picnic areas and a "Bavarian Christmas Village." This village has decorated Christmas trees and a toy train that goes to Santa's Workshop. In Santa's Workshop, you can see animated elves making wooden toys.
Visitors can also make their own candles by dipping them in wax. They can make wax molds of their hands or create their own unique candle. The store also has a candle-making museum and a Hillside Pizza cafe.
A second large flagship store opened in Williamsburg, Virginia, in 2005. It was a popular place for tourists. However, the Williamsburg store closed in April 2021.
Outlet Stores
Yankee Candle has 55 outlet stores across the United States. These stores often sell products at lower prices.
Products You Can Buy
Yankee Candle Company sells many different products. These include:
- Original Jar candles
- Signature Tumbler candles
- 3-Wick candles in many scents
- Wax warmers and scented wax melts
- Easy Meltcups for special warmers
- Candle accessories like holders, wick trimmers, and snuffers
- Small votive candles
- ScentPlug units (scented wall plug-ins) and refills
- Car scents
- Room sprays
Some scents are always available, while others are only sold for a short time or during certain seasons.
COVID-19 and Sense of Smell
During the COVID-19 pandemic, people noticed something interesting about Yankee Candle reviews. When more COVID-19 cases were reported, there were more negative reviews for scented Yankee Candle products. Many of these reviews complained that the candles had no smell. However, unscented candles did not have this problem.
One of the symptoms of COVID-19 is losing your sense of smell. This suggests that more people were getting COVID-19 and losing their ability to smell their scented candles.
See also
- Yankee Candle Co. v. New England Candle Co.
