Max Benjamin Competitors

From humble beginnings ... Christmas 1969. Sixteen-year-old Mike Kittredge, too broke to buy his mother a present, melted some crayons to make her a candle. A neighbor saw it and convinced Mike to sell the candle to her. With that small stake, he bought enough wax to make two candles—one for his mom, and another to sell. That was the birth of Yankee Candle. …to America's favorite brand of premium scented candles Yankee Candle has become the most recognized name in the candle business and the country’s best-selling candle brand. Today, we offer over 150 fragrances, a wide range of seasonal and specialty scented candles, home fragrance products, car air fresheners and candle accessories. The majority of our candles are made by master chandlers (candlemakers) in Massachusetts. Our candles and accessories can be found in our nationwide base of over 475 company-owned retail stores. We also have a vibrant catalog and online business, an expanding North American wholesale customer network (including over 19,000 specialty retailers in the U.S.), our Yankee Candle Fund-Raising division and international distribution. The future looks bright for new growth and expanding opportunities as we continue to write new chapters in this true American success story.

The L’OCCITANE Group is a leading international manufacturer and retailer of premium and sustainable beauty and wellness products. The Group operates in 90 countries worldwide and has 3,000 retail outlets, including over 1,300 of its own stores. Within its portfolio of premium beauty brands that champion organic and natural ingredients are: Maison L'Occitane en Provence, Melvita, Erborian, L’OCCITANE au Brésil, ELEMIS, Sol de Janeiro and Vranjes Firenze. Innovative venture studio OBRATORI is also part of the Group. With its nature-positive vision and entrepreneurial ethos, L’OCCITANE Group is committed to investing in communities, biodiversity, reducing waste and to finding sustainable solutions to create a better and healthier planet. The mission statement of the Group is: With empowerment we positively impact people and regenerate nature. The L'OCCITANE Group is a certified B Corporation.

The diptyque story began in Paris at 34 boulevard Saint-Germain with, at its heart, three friends driven by the same creative passion. Christiane Gautrot was an interior designer, Desmond Knox-Leet, a painter, and Yves Coueslant, a theater director and set designer. The first two collaborated designing fabrics and wallpaper for Liberty and Sanderson. They were joined by the third in 1961 and opened a shop to display their designs. Yves became the administrator and consultant; Desmond and Christiane were the artistic soul. Bit by bit, with finely honed taste, the trio transformed the site into a one-of-a-kind setting, a kind of stylish bazaar where one found surprising articles unmatched in Paris, mined and conveyed home by the trio over the course of their travels.