Published: 6/30/2020 7:17:33 PM
DEERFIELD – Yankee Candle has closed the doors of its fundraising business in light of the COVID-19 pandemic — and is laying off an unspecified number of employees.
“The effects of COVID-19 have presented uncertainty for our fundraising business as schools are in difficult positions as they decide how they will proceed in the fall,” said a Newell Brands corporate spokesperson.
A notice on the fundraising page said the decision comes as a result of the impact the pandemic has had on its business.
“We know that many of you rely on us to help you raise funds and we are sorry that we will no longer be able to support your fundraising efforts,” a notice on the company’s fundraising page reads.
“Being a part of your community has been a privilege and we hope that our paths continue to cross in retail stores and through our other outreach efforts.”
The closure comes as the Home Fragrance Unit begins to restructure as a result of the “unanticipated challenges that COVID-19 presented.”
A “small percentage” of employees across various areas of the Home Fragrance Unit, which includes the fundraising business, were laid off as a result, some of whom had previously been on furlough, according to the company.
It is unclear how many of these layoffs affected employees in the company’s flagship location on Greenfield Road in Deerfield.
“We do not take these decisions lightly,” the spokesperson said. “And we undertook a number of cost-cutting measures to minimize the impact to jobs.”