SOUTH DEERFIELD — Although Newell Brands, the parent company of Yankee Candle, announced its plans to downsize the candle company by more than 900 employees and approximately 20 stores earlier this month, a corporate spokesperson said the plans will not impact staff or operations at Yankee Candle Village in South Deerfield or its factory in Whately.
“We recently announced that we will close approximately 20 Yankee Candle stores in the United States and Canada through January,” the spokesperson wrote in an email. “We’re focusing resources on our most productive channels and store locations to strengthen performance and better serve consumers across our multi-channel retail strategy. We appreciate the dedication of our store teams and the loyalty of Yankee Candle fans. Customers can continue to shop their favorite fragrances and collections at nearby stores or online at YankeeCandle.com.”
Newell Brands, owner of other household brand names like Graco, Rubbermaid, Sharpie, Paper Mate, EXPO and Elmer’s, plans to shrink Yankee Candle’s workforce of professional and clerical employees by 10%, according to the Dec. 1 announcement. The announcement claimed the 20 stores that are set to close in the U.S. and Canada represent 1% of its brand sales. The company currently runs 300 locations in the U.S., according to Yankee Candle’s website.
Newell Brands expects layoffs to occur in December and store closures will be in January except for Canada locations, where closures will continue into 2026. The changes will have “limited impact” on manufacturing or supply chain operations, according to the company’s announcement.
The downsizing is part of a “global productivity plan” at Newell Brands, with goals to “raise performance standards, simplify processes, streamline overhead and redirect resources to the highest-value activities,” the announcement reads. Automation, digitization and artificial intelligence to “simplify operations, accelerate decision-making and strengthen execution across functions” partly made the plan possible.
The staff cuts and closures are a continuation of a 2023 plan based on a company-wide capabilities assessment. Newell Brands expects the changes to save the parent company about $110 million to $130 million.
“We’ve made meaningful progress executing our strategy and strengthening Newell Brands, but there is more work to do,” Chris Peterson, president and CEO at Newell Brands, said in a statement. “This productivity plan is about taking the next, disciplined step to enhance efficiency, sharpen our strategic focus, and deliver stronger, more consistent performance. Ultimately, our goal is to deliver greater value for consumers and create sustained long-term value for our shareholders.”