Building on the success of the first Paddywax Candle Bar retail outlet, which opened in Bath in August 2022, Designworks Collective is opening a second, flagship branch in Edinburgh this April which will be a much larger space than Bath, and includes a re-pour station as well as fragrance discovery section.
“Our retail concept is typical of Paddywax,” comments James Mountfield, Designworks Collective’s sales director for the UK and Ireland.
“It’s something different, an experience, somewhere where friends can meet up to make a candle that’s unique to them, enjoy a drink and shop. This has been really popular in Bath and we’re excited to launch in Edinburgh and The Hague. It gives customers an opportunity to make an easy ‘waste less’ decision, recycle their candle vessel and enjoy it all over again. Plus, Candle Bar consumers can return any Paddywax candle to us for a re-pour.”
Offering one hour workshops, customers choose their own vessel and their own fragrance, and then create their own candle. “It’s a great way for us to communicate our brand values to consumers, and it doesn’t compete or conflict with our core wholesale business and our independent customers as we also use this as space to host our national account and independent retailers to educate them about what we do.”
He emphasised that the concept has worked really well in Bath, even in the traditionally quieter periods of the retail calendar. “We’ve constantly been busy, and year-to-day our workshop bookings have doubled compared to last year. In February alone, we held over 1,000 workshops.”
Designworks Collective is a vibrant assortment of consumer brands, privately owned by ceo Joe Moore, with its HQ in Nashville, Tennessee.
Paddywax started “burnin’ wicks in ‘96”, founded on the same principles that the company upholds today – daring to be different, and bringing fun and innovation to the candle and home fragrancing sector. All products are designed to be repurposed, living on in the home as everything from a cocktail glass to a self-watering planter.
Designworks’ portfolio of brands includes Designworks Ink, Paddywax and Gentlemen’s Hardware, alongside Paddywax Candle Bar retail outlets, Barrel & Oak personal care and Good Citizen coffee.
In the UK and Ireland, the company’s independent customer base grew by almost 30% in 2023, with the company now having almost 1,000 active customers.
To read the full article in Progressive Gifts & Home’s March/April issue’s Guide To Home Fragrance supplement, click here.
Top: Customers making their own unique candles at the Paddywax Candle Bar in Bath.
