Its parent company, Newell Brands, has announced that it will lay off over 900 employees worldwide—about 10% of its professional and clerical workforce. Candles and lights are typically a festive part of the holiday season but, this year, Yankee Candle has little reason to celebrate. Some Yankee Candle stores will shutter by January 2026 Newell Brands is also closing approximately 20 Yankee Candle stores across the U.S. and Canada. According to Newell Brands, these stores make up about 1% of Yankee Candle's ...

Core Insights - Newell Brands is closing 20 Yankee Candle stores in North America starting January, representing about 1% of brand sales, as part of a strategy to optimize its retail presence and align with modern consumer shopping behaviors [1][4] - The company is also reducing its global workforce by over 900 employees, approximately 10% of its professional and clerical staff, with most cuts occurring in December in the U.S. and continuing internationally through 2026 [4][5] - Newell Brands aims to enhance efficiency and performance through a turnaround plan initiated in 2023, focusing on higher performance expectations and value-driven spending [7][10] Company Strategy - Newell Brands is implementing a global strategy to create a more agile and high-performing organization to better compete in the market [3] - The CEO emphasized the importance of the productivity plan in enhancing efficiency and delivering consistent performance, ultimately aiming to provide greater value for consumers and long-term value for shareholders [9][11]

This story was originally published on Retail Dive. To receive daily news and insights, subscribe to our free daily Retail Dive newsletter. Dive Brief: Newell Brands, which runs Yankee Candle, Rubbermaid, Elmer’s and other names, will lay off 900 people, about 10% of its global professional and clerical staff. U.S. cuts begin this month and those abroad will continue through next year, the company said Monday. In January the company will close about 20 Yankee Candle stores in the U.S. and Canada, which ...

Group 1: Dividend Declaration - Newell Brands Inc. declared a quarterly cash dividend of $0.07 per share, payable on December 15, 2025, to common stockholders of record at the close of trading on November 28, 2025 [1] Group 2: Company Overview - Newell Brands is a leading global consumer goods company with a strong portfolio of well-known brands including Rubbermaid, Sharpie, Graco, Coleman, and Yankee Candle [2] Group 3: Financial Results - Newell Brands announced its third quarter 2025 financial results, indicating that the company's turnaround continues despite significant trade disruptions faced in the quarter [5][6] Group 4: Community Engagement - Newell Brands awarded $175,000 in local community grants through its Local Impact Grant Program, which is part of the company's commitment to community impact and employee-driven philanthropy [8]

Core Insights - Newell Brands Inc. reported third-quarter results that fell short of expectations, leading to a significant drop in share price by over 31% during intra-day trading [1] Financial Performance - The company reported adjusted earnings of $0.17 per share, slightly below analyst expectations of $0.18 [2] - Revenue decreased by 7.2% year-over-year to $1.8 billion, missing forecasts of $1.88 billion [2] - Core sales declined by 7.4% compared to the previous year [2] Margin Analysis - Gross margin decreased to 34.1% from 34.9%, attributed to higher tariff-related costs [3] - Excluding a one-time $24 million impact from China tariffs, gross margin would have improved by 55 basis points [3] Segment Performance - Home & Commercial Solutions, which includes brands like Rubbermaid and Yankee Candle, experienced a core sales decline of 9.8% [3] - Learning & Development, which includes Sharpie and Paper Mate, reported a 5.6% drop in core sales [3] Future Outlook - The company has lowered its 2025 full-year outlook, now expecting net sales to decline by 4.5% to 5.0% and normalized EPS to be between $0.56 and $0.60 [4] - For the fourth quarter, Newell forecasts a revenue decline of 1% to 4% [4]

Core Insights - Amazon shares surged to a record high following better-than-expected earnings, contributing to the rise of major U.S. equity indexes including the Dow, S&P 500, and Nasdaq [1][5] Company Performance - Amazon was a top performer in the S&P 500, leading gains in both the Dow and Nasdaq, with significant growth attributed to its Amazon Web Services segment [2] - Reddit's shares increased sharply after reporting quarterly earnings that exceeded analysts' expectations, driven by a rise in user numbers, particularly internationally [2] - Western Digital experienced a boost in its stock price due to strong demand for data storage hardware supporting artificial intelligence, resulting in better-than-expected quarterly results [3] Market Reactions - Newell Brands saw its shares decline after lowering its full-year outlook, which was partially influenced by tariffs [3][5] - Dexcom's shares fell amid concerns regarding its future outlook and the accuracy of its G7 glucose monitoring system [4]

Financial Data and Key Metrics Changes - The company reported a core sales decline of 2.1%, which was at the high end of the guidance range, reflecting new product innovation and some pricing benefits [27][32] - Normalized gross margin increased by 150 basis points to 32.5%, marking the seventh consecutive quarter of year-over-year improvement [28][34] - Normalized operating margin was 4.5%, exceeding the guidance range despite increased advertising and promotion investments [34] - The company recorded a normalized diluted earnings per share loss of $0.01, which was $0.05 to $0.08 above the guidance range [35] Business Line Data and Key Metrics Changes - The Learning and Development segment and the International business, which represent nearly 40% of total sales, posted positive core sales growth for the last five consecutive quarters [28][33] - The first quarter net sales included about 2.5 points of currency headwind and just over half a point from category exits [28][33] Market Data and Key Metrics Changes - The company maintained its net sales guidance for the year but moderated expectations for category growth from flat to down 1% to 2% due to lower consumer confidence levels [17][44] - The foreign exchange outlook improved by one to two percentage points based on current rates [19] Company Strategy and Development Direction - The company is focused on product innovation and has rebuilt its multiyear innovation funnel, with new products set to launch in the second half of the year [7][8] - The company believes it is well-positioned to benefit from global trade realignment due to proactive sourcing strategies and investments in domestic manufacturing [9][10] - The company plans to reduce dependency on sourced finished goods from China, aiming to lower this to 10% by the end of 2025 [12][13] Management's Comments on Operating Environment and Future Outlook - Management expressed confidence in navigating the dynamic operating environment and emphasized the importance of their domestic manufacturing capabilities [26][45] - The company expects to fully offset the impact of certain tariffs through proactive actions and has affirmed its 2025 financial outlook for net sales, normalized operating margin, and normalized earnings per share [41][45] - Management acknowledged the challenges posed by the additional 125% China tariff but indicated that they have plans to mitigate its impact [46] Other Important Information - The company has made significant investments in U.S. manufacturing, totaling nearly $2 billion since the 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, which has enhanced its competitive position [13][14] - The company has a strong pipeline of new products and is actively engaging with retailers to shift their sourcing from China to U.S. or Mexican manufacturing [66] Q&A Session Summary Question: Retail destocking and tariff mitigation efforts - Management noted that they have not seen significant changes in retailer inventory levels in Q1 and are adjusting their core sales guidance out of caution due to macroeconomic forecasts [52][53] - They have taken proactive actions to mitigate the impact of tariffs, particularly in the baby gear category, which is their biggest exposure [54][56] Question: Leveraging U.S. capacity and private label considerations - Management clarified that they are not set up to produce private label products but are encouraging retailers to replace private label items with their branded products, leveraging U.S. manufacturing advantages [63][66] Question: Guidance and market growth expectations - Management explained that while forecasting market growth is challenging, they believe providing guidance is important for clarity and that they have a plan to offset tariff impacts [86][89]

Financial Data and Key Metrics Changes - The company reported a core sales decline of 2.1%, which was at the high end of the guidance range, reflecting new product innovation and some pricing benefits [26][32] - Normalized gross margin increased by 150 basis points to 32.5%, marking the seventh consecutive quarter of year-over-year improvement [27][32] - Normalized operating margin was 4.5%, exceeding the guidance range despite increased advertising and promotion investments [32][33] - The company recorded a normalized diluted earnings per share loss of $0.01, which was $0.05 to $0.08 above the guidance range [33] Business Line Data and Key Metrics Changes - The Learning and Development segment and the International business, which represent nearly 40% of total sales, posted positive core sales growth for five consecutive quarters [26][32] - The first quarter net sales included about 2.5 points of currency headwind and just over half a point from category exits [27][32] Market Data and Key Metrics Changes - Over 60% of total sales were in the United States, with significant investments made in U.S. manufacturing, totaling nearly $2 billion since the 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act [12][13] - The company plans to reduce U.S. sourced finished goods from China to 10% by the end of 2025 [11] Company Strategy and Development Direction - The company is focused on product innovation and has rebuilt its multiyear innovation funnel, with new products set to launch in the second half of the year [7][25] - The strategy includes leveraging U.S. manufacturing capabilities to mitigate tariff impacts and capitalize on competitive advantages [14][25] - The company is actively pursuing sales opportunities in categories where it has domestic production exempt from tariffs [25] Management's Comments on Operating Environment and Future Outlook - Management expressed confidence in navigating the dynamic operating environment and emphasized the potential for long-term gains despite short-term challenges [25][44] - The company is maintaining its net sales guidance for the year but moderating expectations for category growth from flat to down 1% to 2% due to lower consumer confidence [16][41] - Management highlighted that the number of categories with domestic production significantly exceeds those that are disadvantaged by tariffs [25][86] Other Important Information - The company has paused virtually all outstanding Chinese purchase orders in response to the new tariffs and is focusing on alternative sourcing solutions [22][23] - A significant portion of the baby gear business is exposed to tariffs, with management actively working on mitigation strategies [55][56] Q&A Session Summary Question: Retail destocking and tariff mitigation efforts - Management noted that core sales growth was at the high end of guidance and that they have not seen significant changes in retailer inventory levels in Q1 [50][52] - They have taken proactive actions to mitigate tariffs, particularly in the baby gear category, which is their most exposed segment [53][54] Question: Leveraging U.S. manufacturing capacity - Management clarified that they are not set up for private label production but are encouraging retailers to replace private label products with their branded products [63][64] Question: Guidance and market growth expectations - Management acknowledged the challenges in forecasting market growth but emphasized that the majority of their business is not significantly impacted by tariffs [84][86] Question: Sensitivity of China tariffs and impacts - The majority of the tariff impact is concentrated in the baby gear category, which is primarily sourced from China [93]