Folksy takes a back seat to subdued stylings

DSN Retailing Today, June 21, 2004

Candles are becoming sophisticated. Although flashy colors and brazen aromas are still important in some programs, and particularly in seasonal assortments, retailers have been toning down both hue and scent to something less giddy and more compatible with a transcendental evening at home.

At Linens 'n Things, for example, a recent store check revealed the New Shape of Fragrance, a new component to the retailer's Yankee Candle program. The line included candles in square and rectangular glass containers that have a tapering and fluid look. Linens also has added significant assortments of Colonial at Home, and Colonial Candle of Cape Cod brands, both from Blyth HomeScents, in new shapes and colors to round out its assortment. The Colonial at Home program includes a Fragrance of the Month element with special signage and product placement.

By the way, if you think that Yankee Candle is turning into a stodgy New Englander, the company belies that notion with Deck Delights, a colorful line with "outdoor fragrances" that Linens 'n Things merchandised in its upfront seasonal section.

Bed Bath & Beyond is promoting more urbane goods from Yankee Candle, under the name YC. The Linens 'n Things and Bed Bath & Beyond stores visited recently may have been using slightly different approaches, but YC and The New Shape of Fragrance are the same line. In fact, Yankee Candle presents it as YC ... The New Shape of Fragrance.

Contrasting the company's sometimes folksy image. Yankee Candle spokesman Tim Rossi said YC is targeted to "a more urban consumer." He added, "It has sort of a West Coast feel to it, more contemporary."

Bed Bath & Beyond emphasized the sophisticated aromas of the line in the signage for the YC display, which fronted the candle section. Scents include Chai Tea, Redwood Cedar and Bamboo Musk. As an introduction to the line, Rossi recommended the scent that rounds out the offering, Fig & Olive.

Another, though smaller, upfront display in the Bed Bath & Beyond candle section featured Yankee Candle votive samplers with the value proposition of buy 15 get three free.

While Yankee Candle continues to dominate Bed Bath & Beyond's candle assortment, it isn't alone. Maison, Forgotten Garden Collection, Essenza Aroma Therapy and Chesapeake Candle are among the other labels the retailer carries. Bed Bath & Beyond even included private label, with an eight-foot run of own-brand products.

Private label-oriented Target has tried a variety of different style approaches to its private label candle assortment, but now seems to have adopted the more cosmopolitan look and smell in the category with more natural colors and scents, sandlewood among them. Yet, the company hasn't given up all the glitz that has sometimes marked its candle presentation.

At a store in outer borough New York, recently, it offered a seasonal presentation on the endcap of its candle aisle that included extremely colorful multi-wick items that spelled out the words "picnic" and "summer."

When it comes to discount store private label, though, Martha Stewart remains queen despite tribulation and, particularly, trial. Her latest candle collection in stores now has Martha's flair for color and homey scents but, again, emphasizes hue and aroma without going over the top. The collection contains rose pink and rose-scented pillars in its botanical group and marbleized luminaries in round and square shapes for $9.99 each. In a kitchen and dining-oriented collection, Martha Stewart Everyday offers a sugar-cookie scented pillar with a pearlized pillar in three sizes and price points ranging from $3.99 for a three-by-four-inch candle to one that is three-by-eight inches and priced at $7.99.