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$BTH - New York Times Reveals Shocking Prices for 'Status Symbol' Candles

Dec 19, 2013 15:45:00 (ET)

PartyLite believes that superb quality at a superb price is what really smart shoppers adore.

PLYMOUTH, Mass., Dec. 19, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- Where can you buy a better candle than PartyLite(R) Candles? Passionate candle lovers the world over will tell you -- nowhere but PartyLite.

Gorgeous shapes and colors. Superior waxes. Secret formulations that produce a long, slow, clean burn. The purest cotton wicks. And fragrances -- to die for! -- from the same elite fragrance houses that create the world's finest perfumes.

So naturally, a New York Times story last week titled "Waxing Extravagant" would likely include PartyLite candles, right? Wrong.

Why? Because PartyLite candles -- sold by the world's number one candle party company in 21 countries around the globe -- may indeed be the best quality you can buy anywhere. But apparently they're just not expensive enough.

Thank goodness.

Stephen Kurutz, author of the piece, describes a four-wick version of a candle "that costs $445 - more than $100 per wick," says Kurutz. "For that price, shouldn't the container be gold?" He describes candles ranging in price from an average $75-$80 to nearly $500 -- for a single candle! He suggests that such a candle certainly makes a bold statement - "as bold as if you held up a crisp $100 bill and lit a match."

One market researcher quoted in the piece asks rhetorically, "Who buys these candles that are $80 and above? Hardly anyone. It's a microcosm. It's not reality."

"I found the piece amusing," says Michael Norris, president of PartyLite Americas. "For more than 40 years, PartyLite has been making and selling the world's best fragranced candles. Our formulations are indeed secret, too, which is why our factory just outside of Chicago is not open for tours.

"We use the world's finest waxes, purest wicks and most elegant, world-class fragrances. Then we test and re-test until each candle is formulated perfectly for the longest, slowest, cleanest burn," he says. "And we test every candle holder for safety. We also tell our customers to cut the wicks down, to keep them centered and to burn their pillar candles at least one hour for each inch of diameter so the candles keep an even shape. What we don't do is charge absurd prices. We work hard to keep PartyLite Candles affordable -- and we've succeeded in doing that for 40 years."

"Every industry has its Lamborghini sports car, its Hermès bag," says writer Kurutz, who can hardly contain his sense of shock at the prices for the status-y extravagant candles he discovered.

"Perhaps PartyLite Candles are more like Cadillac or BMW cars bought on the dealer's best sale day," says Norris. "Or perhaps a Coach bag on sale? Superb quality at a superb price is what really smart shoppers adore. At PartyLite, we're not about status symbols. We're about truly great candles that are an affordable luxury for pretty much everyone."

To read the entire New York Times piece, click here, http://www.nytimes.com/2013/12/12/garden/waxing-extravagant.html?pagewanted=1&_r=1&src=dayp

To learn more about PartyLite candles (and their surprisingly affordable prices), visit www.partylite.com.

About PartyLite

PartyLite is the world's #1 party plan company selling candles, candle holders, flameless fragrance and wax warmers, as well as holiday and home décor available in 21 countries through nearly 45,000 independent PartyLite business entrepreneurs. PartyLite ranks #31 in the Direct Selling News "Global 100 top revenue-generating direct selling companies." Based in Plymouth, Mass., PartyLite is a member of the Direct Selling Association and the Better Business Bureau. In 2013, PartyLite is celebrating 40 years as the global leader in its category and 23 years as a member of the Blyth family of companies (NYSE:BTH). For more information, please visit www.PartyLite.com.

SOURCE PartyLite

/CONTACT: Joyce Elven, [e-mail], 508-732-2736

/Web site: http://www.partylite.com


(END) Dow Jones Newswires

December 19, 2013 15:45 ET (20:45 GMT)