Overview:
This article examines Yankee Candle’s rise, cultural impact, and the retail challenges it faces as consumer behavior, mall traffic, and shopping habits continue to evolve.
It’s the fragrance from our childhood: apple pie, Meyer Lemon, and Evergreen Spruce. From trips to grandma’s house to the obligatory Mother’s Day gift, candles filled the background of many young lives, often without realization. Candles have illumined civilization for centuries, and their usage has shifted from essential to more aesthetic. Today, the Yankee Candle brand legacy and retail challenges reflect how nostalgia-driven products must adapt in a rapidly changing consumer marketplace.
Classic scents from the ’90s may link the generations together through nostalgia, but the candle business is more than memories. For Newell Brands, the amalgamation of warmth, light, and memories spells out the prospect of “big money,” with Yankee Candle products sold in North America and Europe.
The company’s founder, Mike Kittredge, blazed a new trail in America’s retail space when he opened the first Yankee Candle store in Holyoke, Massachusetts, in 1973. But society has rapidly changed since those early years. Changes in shopping trends, demographics, and a shrinking brick-and-mortar presence puts a strain on traditional brands.
How is Yankee Candle juggling the need to stay relevant for consumers while preserving its rich legacy? Will candles remain an important reminder of a higher truth against the background of materialism?
Wax Molds
“Do the good things. Do the things you like. Don’t do the bad things. If you concentrate on creating a place that is clean, safe, happy, fun and so forth, people will talk about it and come back with other people,” Mike Kittredge said in 2009 while giving a speech to students at Isenberg School of Management, in Amherst, Massachusetts.
Presence News recently obtained a copy of Kittredge’s 2009 speech, and it reveals the humorous side of a man who unexpectedly built an empire.
Eventually, Kittredge outgrew the old paper mill in Holyoke and relocated to South Deerfield. His vision and product gained regional attention at the Boston Gift Show in 1977. Later, Yankee Candle launched its official catalogue, gaining national attention and the eye of American consumers.
“It’s key to realize that I never expected Yankee Candle to grow to 2500
employees, $200+ million in annual sales, or 400+ stores,” Kittredge said in 2009. “Early on, I figured it could be a nice craft business that I could run out of the house and make a few dollars after my rock band broke up.”
Kittredge shared his business strategy to pursue and achieve the “American dream” in various interviews before his death in 2019. Attention to detail, production, and a flair for entertainment propelled Yankee Candle as a brand into the 2000s.
Crunching Numbers
According to the National Retail Federation, 2024-2025 saw an increase in US shopping, particularly in mall settings. However, 25% of the nation’s malls are expected to close by 2028, despite short-term gains. Capital One Shopping research indicates that nearly 1,200 enclosed malls currently operate in the United States.
While shopping habits and demographics continue changing, major and small retailers must adapt with the market and other factors—illustrating the broader Yankee Candle brand legacy and retail challenges facing traditional consumer brands today. In late October of 2025, Chris Peterson, Newell Brands President and Chief Executive Officer, released a statement with the third-quarter report.
“Our turnaround continues to advance, even as Newell and the broader industry navigated significant trade disruptions in the third quarter,” Peterson announced. He praised the Newell Brands team for responding “swiftly” to the trade disruptions. “Sales were affected by reduced retail inventory levels, softness in international markets—particularly in Brazil—and moderated demand following tariff driven pricing actions,” Peterson added.
As of December 2025, more than 900 employees across Newell Brands were laid off, according to company statements and media reports. Newell Brands told reporters that the selected locations make up roughly 1% of the brand’s sales.
Despite the slight uptick in mall traffic, sales in general are down across the retail sector. While some segments have rebounded, parts of the retail sector continue to face uneven recovery following the COVID-19 pandemic, according to industry reports.
Behind these numbers are names and faces – families who need a paycheck and individuals who make up society. Some industry analysts report that Gen Z consumers (born between 1997 and 2012) are making a return to indoor malls while shopping demographics in America reflect a broader change.
(Credit: unsplash pic by rhamely)
Glowing Embers
(Credit: yankeecandlevillagema IG)
Nostalgia follows more than one mind’s track: it is also the essence of a culture in a particular time. Sometimes these patterns last for multiple generations while others fade in the wake of a new fashion. Yankee Candle, apart from the actual reports, has held the cultural tide. The smells of yesteryear, combined with new fragrances, retain their appeal.
According to Newell Brands, the company’s restructuring efforts will continue into 2026.
“This productivity plan is about taking the next, disciplined step to enhance efficiency, sharpen our strategic focus, and deliver stronger, more consistent performance,” Peterson recently told reporters. “Ultimately, our goal is to deliver greater value for consumers and create sustained long-term value for our shareholders.”
Will Yankee Candle remain an iconic brand? According to The Boston Globe, Yankee Candle is seeing slumping sales, store closures, and layoffs amid a saturated fragrant-candle market, with “the smell of decline” creeping in for the iconic brand. Holiday scents, i.e., pine, vanilla, and sugar-cookie, seem synonymous with Yankee Candle, but customers say the brand must appeal to a younger demographic.
The flagship store, located in Deerfield, MA, continues to attract thousands of visitors across New England and beyond, according to reports. Kittredge’s careful vision to entrance visitors with a Bavarian-style Christmas village and country charm remains. The smells childhood will always bring us home.
Sources:
Retail Connection-“POC Spending Power in Retail”
Capital One Shopping-“Mall Foot Traffic Statistics
yankeecandlevillagema Instagram Reel
WWLP-22News Mike Kittredge leaves a legacy of philanthropy at HCC – YouTube
Editor’s Disclaimer: This article is intended for informational and editorial purposes only. Statements attributed to individuals and organizations are based on publicly available information, interviews, and cited sources at the time of publication. Presence News does not provide financial, legal, or investment advice. Company figures, restructuring plans, and retail data are subject to change.
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I didn’t know most of these facts. The author is in command of the English language.