WHATELY – Production of wax and wicks in town is expected to increase starting in the fall, when Chesapeake Bay Candle’s operations move from Maryland to the Whately plant that manufactures Yankee Candles.

Chesapeake Bay Candle and Yankee Candle are owned by parent company Newell Brands, which announced the decision to consolidate under one roof of the New Jersey corporation’s Home Fragrance Division.

Claire-Aude Staraci, a spokeswoman for Newell Brands, explained 125 full-time employees in Glen Burnie, Maryland, will be laid off and the plant’s operations will be moved to Whately throughout September and October. She said all the Glen Burnie employees are being offered severance pay. She said it is not yet clear how many jobs will be created in Whately, though it likely will not be 125.

“I don’t think a number has been set yet. I think it’s probably still in the works,” she said Monday. “It’s safe to say there will be some hiring going on.”

Chesapeake Bay Candle, founded in early 1994 by then-wife and husband Mei Xu and David Wang, was acquired by Newell Brands in 2017 for $75 million. Newell has been Yankee Candle’s parent company for a few years, having purchased it from Jarden Corp.

Staraci said the manufacturing plant on Christian Lane in Whately is state-of-the-art. Yankee Candle’s flagship store is in South Deerfield. 

According to the Baltimore Business Journal, Newell Brands has launched an aggressive restructuring plan as a result of declining sales in the past couple of years. Newell also owns brands such as Calphalon and Crock-Pot.

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