BATAVIA – The PartyLite facility at 601 Kingsland Drive in Batavia announced to the city Aug. 16 its intent to close following the purchase of its corporate parent and a planned merger with Candle-lite Company.
Last fall, The Carlyle Group acquired PartyLite's parent company, Blyth.
The Carlyle Group and Centre Lane Partners, a New York-based private investment firm, announced in mid-May that they have partnered to create Luminex Home Décor & Fragrance Holding Corp. based in Ohio. The new holding company combines the two global candle and home fragrance companies: Candle-lite Company of Ohio and PartyLite.
Batavia city economic development consultant Chris Aiston said the city received the obligatory notification of closure letter Aug. 16. The letter states the permanent closing will affect about 144 employees, and the first separations from employment will occur Nov. 30.
A Kane County Chronicle article early last year about PartyLite's 500,000-square-foot manufacturing and distribution facility reported the company's decision at that time to opt to close its United Kingdom manufacturing plant and stay in Batavia.
"It's unfortunate – we went a long way for creating local incentives to stay," Aiston said, referring to the 2015 decision for the company to remain, though he noted PartyLite never signed or executed a related agreement, which was based on the utility cost of the business. "Our incentive would have stayed with successive ownership, but they never followed up on that."
Calls to PartyLite were not returned.
As a designer and manufacturer, PartyLite offers an extensive portfolio of premium candles, flameless products and home décor accessories through its network of 45,000 direct-sale consultants operating in 24 countries.