Get Pumped! Yankee Candle Ignites Awareness for February's American Heart Month with "Light a Candle for Your Heart"™

Business Wire, Feb 1, 2008

SOUTH DEERFIELD, Mass. -- Yankee Candle Company, Inc., is a company with a heart. Today, America's favorite candle brand announced the 3rd annual "Light a Candle for Your Heart"[TM] program to support the American Heart Association's national Go Red For Women movement.

Yankee Candle is lighting the path to success for a healthier nation and is urging Americans to keep the flame alive. Through the "Light a Candle for your Heart" program, Yankee Candle contributed over $150,000 over the last 2 years to help address the #1 killer of women in the United States...heart disease.

How can you help? Yankee Candle will donate $1 from the purchase of each customized, limited edition Yankee "Go Red" Candle (available in MacIntosh scent), as well as from the purchase of a selection of other red candles including: Black Raspberry, Sweet Strawberry, Mandarin Cranberry, Cranberry Chutney, Juicy Watermelon, Berry Jam, and Black Cherry. Additionally, Yankee Candle will donate 10% of the proceeds from their new, limited edition "Go Red" Car Air Freshener Products. These products can be purchased at Yankee Candle retail locations nationwide, as well as through the Yankee Candle catalog, or online at www.yankeecandle.com.

"We are honored to be selected as a key partner in helping the American Heart Association address this critical health concern," said Rick Ruffolo, Senior Vice President of Brand, Marketing, and Innovation and Chief Scent Officer for Yankee Candle. "As the number one cause of death for women in America, heart disease is an extremely relevant issue for our company. Our deep commitment to the Go Red for Women movement is a direct result of our appreciation for our customers."

"The work that Yankee Candle continues to do to support the Go Red for Women movement makes a huge difference in the lives of women across the country," stated Gary Ellis, American Heart Association's Board Chairman. "We appreciate the dedication Yankee Candle has for this important cause."

The "Go Red For Women" movement (www.goredforwomen.org) encourages women to adopt a healthy lifestyle that includes regular exercise, healthy food choices, quitting smoking and knowing their numbers for blood pressure, cholesterol, glucose and weight and keeping them in a healthy range. Heart disease claims the lives of approximately 460,000 mothers, daughters, sisters, and female friends each year. Acting on the dire need for change, Go Red for Women delivers a healthy living message to decrease heart disease.

The "Light a Candle for Your Heart"[TM] program recognizes that the simple act of lighting a candle and taking a moment to relax can cut down on one's stress levels and allow them to focus on their heart health.

About The Yankee Candle Company, Inc.

The Yankee Candle Company, Inc. is the leading designer, manufacturer, wholesaler and retailer of premium scented candles, based on sales, in the giftware industry. Yankee has a 37-year history of offering distinctive products and marketing them as affordable luxuries and consumable gifts. The Company sells its products through a North American wholesale customer network of approximately 16,700 store locations, a growing base of Company owned and operated retail stores (460 located in 43 states as of December 31, 2007), direct mail catalogs, its Internet websites (www.yankeecandle.com, www.illuminations.com and www.aromanaturals.com), international distributors and to a European wholesale customer network of approximately 2,700 store locations (through its distribution center located in Bristol, England). The Company merged with an affiliate of Madison Dearborn Partners, LLC, a leading private equity firm, in February 2007.

About Go Red For Women

Since 2004, Go Red For Women has captured the energy, passion and intelligence of women to work collectively to wipe out heart disease -- the No. 1 killer of women. We want millions of women across America to take heart disease personally. Using the platform "Love Your Heart," Go Red For Women engages women and the men who love them to embrace the cause. Healthcare providers, celebrities and politicians also elevate the cause and spread the word about women and heart disease. For more information about Go Red For Women, please call 1-888-MY-HEART (1-888-694-3278) or visit GoRedForWomen.org.