The Yankee Candle Co. Inc. (South Deerfield, Mass.), has opened its first company-owned retail stores in Canada, in Pickering, St. Catharine's and Hamilton, Ont. As part of the company's global expansion efforts, Yankee Candle will open a total of five stores in the greater Toronto area in September. The next locations are planned for Barre and Kitchener, Ont.
"Recognizing the potential of almost 40 million Canadian consumers, we believe this represents a significant growth opportunity for Yankee Candle," says ceo Harlan Kent. "We believe that these stores, together with our plans to invest in and grow our existing wholesale business, will allow us to further develop and expand the Yankee Candle brand.”
Yankee Candle maintains a strong international presence with a wholesale network of 5,300 store locations and distributorships in 48 countries, including Canada. The company operates 528 stores in the U.S.