DEERFIELD -- Yankee Candle owner Newell Brands laid off 16 office employees Thursday at Yankee Candle's headquarters in South Deerfield.

The layoffs were the result of a change in reporting structure, Newell spokesman Michael Sinatra said.

Yankee Candle has 1,400 employees in Massachusetts including at the offices and flagship store in South Deerfield, a factory in Whately and a facility in East Longmeadow.

Sinatra works at Newell's corporate headquarters in Hoboken, New Jersey.

According to a written statement:

"Today, some employees in South Deerfield were informed of changes to our organization that will impact their roles at our company. Decisions impacting people, are some of the hardest we make as an organization and a process we don't take lightly. Our team is dedicated to working in partnership with impacted employees to ensure a smooth transition for them and our goal is always to achieve the best outcome for the company and our people. That said, following the company's announcement of its Accelerated Transformation Plan in January, Newell Brands continues to make progress in reshaping the company. Newell Brands is making sharp portfolio choices and strengthening the organization as the company drives toward its goal of becoming a leading consumer goods company that is simpler, faster and stronger."

The company makes more than 200,000 scented jar candles a week and about 75 million a year for worldwide distribution.

Michael J. Kittredge II founded Yankee Candle in his parents' garage in South Hadley in 1969. He sold 90 percent of his shares in the company in 1998 for an estimated $400 million, and the new management took the company public the next year. The Kittredges no longer have a stake in Yankee Candle.

Kittridge's son, Mick, has since created and owns the Kringle Candle Co. and brand in Bernardston.

Yankee Candle changed hands repeatedly over the years. Jarden Corp. bought it for $1.75 billion in 2013 from a Chicago investment company. Madison Dearborn Partners acquired Yankee Candle for $1.6 billion in 2007.

Newell Rubbermaid, now known as Newell Brands, bought Jarden Corp. and with it Yankee Candle in 2015 in a cash and stock deal worth about $13.2 billion.

This spring there was a prolonged battle for control between Newell management and investor Carl Icahn. Icahn and his allies are disappointed with Newell's performance and wanted a shakeup. They were given seats on the board.