Partner
![Yankee Candle [Horizontal] White-02.png](https://static.wixstatic.com/media/4e11bf_2995fd06cc834b0792957eea4155415f~mv2.png/v1/crop/x_129,y_0,w_10874,h_1434/fill/w_273,h_36,al_c,q_85,usm_0.66_1.00_0.01,enc_avif,quality_auto/Yankee%20Candle%20%5BHorizontal%5D%20White-02.png){kind=small}
Project
Retail Operations for their UK retail footprint
Solutions provided
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End-to-End Retail
Operations Management
Services
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Location & Property
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Creative & Build
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People & Staffing
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Warehousing & Logistics
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Trading & Operations
Revitalising Yankee Candles UK retail presence with seasonal stores and shopping centre locations.
What we built
UK-wide Retail Revitalisation
Yankee Candle has been lighting up British homes for decades, and few products depend more on physical retail. Nobody chooses a favourite scent through a screen. With a loyal UK following and a peak season that defines the year, Yankee Candle turned to Agile Retail to bring new energy to its UK stores and make every visit feel like stepping inside the brand.
Alongside the permanent estate, we're rolling out a programme of 8 seasonal stores timed for peak gifting season. Each space is built around the moment that sells a candle: lifting the lid, finding a new favourite, and leaving with three more than planned. Recruiting and training store teams, trading, stock and day-to-day operations now run through a single partner, with one shared focus: turning browsers into customers who come back every season.
Backed by brilliant people on the shop floor and operations that run quietly in the background, this is a fresh chapter for Yankee Candle in UK physical retail and a stronger platform for growth through peak and beyond.
8 stores opened for the Christmas season
Revitalised their approach to UK retail
A full turn-key
retail solution
Solutions
What problems are we solving?
Candles cannot be bought with confidence without first experiencing them. A Yankee Candle store has to do more than stock the shelves: it has to invite people to lift lids, explore scents and find a new favourite, with knowledgeable staff on hand to guide them. By running stores built around discovery, we turn a quick browse into a basket of three and a customer who returns every season.
Running the permanent locations and the seasonal stores as one operation means nothing is learned in isolation. What sells, what draws people in and what keeps them coming back in one location shapes how every other location trades.
Making the Most of Peak Season - The product is fairly seasonal, and so it is essential that retail locations take advantage of this seasonality. Teams, stock and trading plans all have to scale up fast and perform from day one of Autumn. We plan peak months, so every store is fully staffed, trained and stocked when the footfall arrives.
Seasonal Reach with Less Risk - Pop-ups put Yankee Candle where shoppers are during the busiest gifting season, without the cost and commitment of long-term leases. Our turnkey model lets us open quickly, trade hard through peak and step back when the season ends.
One Accountable Partner Across the Estate - Pop-ups put Yankee Candle where shoppers are during the busiest gifting season, without the cost and commitment of long-term leases. Our turnkey model lets us open quickly, trade hard through peak and do retail right from day one.
Insights
What we learned
Our approach centres on stores that let people do what they can't online: smell, explore and discover. By taking responsibility for the whole operation, from the people on the shop floor to the stock in the back room, we've given Yankee Candle one partner accountable for every store and every season, with the flexibility to scale up for peak and back down again without missing a beat.
This partnership brings fresh energy to a brand the UK already loves, putting Yankee Candle in front of more shoppers at the moments that matter most and building a retail operation designed to get stronger every year.
Already have stores, but know they could be doing more? Whether you're looking to lift performance across an existing estate or reach new customers with seasonal pop-ups, we're here to help. Let's make every one of your stores work harder for your brand.