SCOTTISH candle brand Shearer Candles has been filling our homes with glorious scents for 120 years, as the UK’s longest-established lifestyle candle brand.
Set up in 1897 on the outskirts of Glasgow as Shearer and Harvey, the firm’s founders had worked as chandlers in the Candleriggs district of the city, which takes its name from having been the centre of the trade.
Back then, customers purchased the ingredients first and their candle was then made to order.
When the last of the Shearers retired in 1972, the brand was taken over by the present owners, the Barnet family, a third generation of which now runs the business.
The Barnet family retained the brand’s original values when it took over, adopting the same artisanal approach, attention to detail and craftsmanship originally established by Shearer and Harvey.
Shearer Candles moved to a new base in Govan which, in 2007, was extended to accommodate additional warehousing, office space and cutting-edge candle-making technology. The business now employs around 60 people.
The brand sources the finest waxes from across Europe and garners the most indulgent scents from France and the United States. Quality and innovative design at affordable prices are its hallmarks, with the raw materials used within each of the label’s collection certified to the highest standard. In addition to core ranges such as the Couture Collection, Shearer Candles has developed two collections under the V&A Museum Licence, most recently launching a Signature Couture Collection and a Textured Elements Collection.
Shearer Candles has been short-listed for numerous accreditations and awards, including the prestigious Queen’s Award for Enterprise for International Trade and the Giftware Association’s Gift of the Year.
The label also received a commendation at The Herald Scottish Family Business Awards last year.
Shearer’s candles have become a staple within homes as well as filling the spaces of leading retailers, hotels and restaurants.
Owner and creative director Rosey Barnet said: “I’m so delighted to be part of celebrating 120 years of Shearer.
“It’s a milestone very few family businesses reach, and I am proud to say that through the journey we have maintained our family values.
“This anniversary is something our whole team should be very proud of. We wouldn’t have got here without them, and, of course, our amazing customers and suppliers throughout the years.”
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