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The Yankee Candle Company will lay off about 100 employees from its distribution operations in Deerfield, Massachusetts. Corporate offices in the state and the company’s main store, Yankee Candle Village, will not be affected. The distribution center at 27 Yankee Candle Way will remain open and the layoffs are part of the company’s consolidation efforts, according to a spokesperson for parent company Newell Brands.
“We thank employees for their service and dedication and are committed to supporting them with transitional benefits,” the spokesman said.
In early July, the Massachusetts government received a notice of worker adjustment and retraining measures stating that layoffs would take place on September 9.
A letter from the company’s senior human resources manager, Igor deMelo, to the Department of Labor said the layoffs are a result of the company relocating part of its Deerfield facility. The company expects the layoffs to be permanent.
“Importantly, there are no changes to our other Yankee Candle operations in Western Massachusetts,” the company spokesperson said. “Yankee was founded in this 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.”
Most of the company’s candles are made in Massachusetts. Yankee Candle says it has 300 of its own stores and a wholesale network of over 14,000 specialty retailers in the United States.
Parent company Newell Brands also owns Rubbermaid, Sharpie and Mr. Coffee, among others. Newell’s net sales fell 7.8% year over year to $2 billion last quarter. Cash flow in the second quarter was $64 million, down nearly 77% from $277 million a year ago. The company has $5 billion in debt.
Earlier this year, the company announced an “organizational realignment” that, according to company documents, supported a plan the company originally launched in June 2023. Part of that strategy includes reducing Newell’s real estate inventory and other cost-cutting measures. Those plans are expected to be largely completed by year-end, with restructuring and related costs expected to be between $75 million and $90 million.
