A New Zealand fragrance house has reportedly secured a $24 million deal with US retail behemoths Walmart and Target.
Founded by Grant Taylor and Renee Lee in 2021, Maison and Muse (stylised as Maison&Muse) offers luxury home fragrances at a more affordable price point, with selected candles and reed diffusers sold at Woolworths/Countdown, FreshChoice and Costco supermarkets in New Zealand and Woolworths in Australia.
The brand has become sought-after due to its success on TikTok, partly driven by the popularity of its Marilyn candle; a 'wild vanilla and caramel' scent inspired by Hollywood icon Marilyn Monroe. The products have been touted by several content creators, including influencers Skye Wheatley and Pia Muehlenbeck, who partnered with the brand to promote its "boujee on a budget" fragrances.
In one video from May last year, Australian TikTok user Emma Gourlay hailed Maison&Muse's products as "the best-smelling candles and diffusers you will ever smell".
Maison&Muse has now landed a multi-million-dollar deal with Target and Walmart, with its products set to appear at 3400 branches across the US from April, Stuff reports.
The US market will be the first to see the brand's upcoming range of car fragrances, Lee said, while Target and Walmart will also offer a range of Maison&Muse cleaning products.
Taylor and Lee are also behind the New Zealand-owned-and-operated consumer goods company Moxx Brands, the parent company of Maison&Muse and three more of their brands. Also under the Moxx umbrella are climate-positive haircare brand Everblue; re-stor, which offers sustainable cleaning products; and Atomic laundry capsules.
Moxx Brands' products are currently sold in more than 6000 stores across four countries.
