If you've opened your inbox, watched the news or done a weekly shop at any point this year, you already know the pattern. Prices are going up on everything.

We wanted to share some different news. We're freezing our prices in 2026 on all our candles, wax melts and gift sets.

This post explains why we've made that decision, what it's costing us to make it and why we think it's the right thing to do.

The reality behind the scenes

Running a small manufacturing business in 2026 means dealing with cost increases from almost every direction.

Soy wax, our single biggest raw material, costs us around 80% more than it did a few years ago. Global soy bean prices came back down some time ago but the wax prices stayed stubbornly high. We've already had two separate supplier price increases since January this year. We've spent a significant amount of time in early 2026 negotiating with suppliers, reviewing contracts and building new relationships with alternative suppliers where we needed to.

Fuel prices have risen again, which directly affects what we pay for local deliveries across Cumbria and getting stock out to our shops and stockists. The ongoing conflict in the Middle East has disrupted global shipping routes, forcing longer journeys and pushing up costs and lead times for materials that travel by sea. That affects businesses and families across the country and we're no exception.

Our software subscriptions have gone up. Staffing costs are significantly higher than they were a couple of years ago - which is right because our team deserve to be paid well - but it adds to the overall picture. Everything from packaging to postage has crept up over the past twelve months.

We made our first price increase last year after holding our prices steady for six years. It was a difficult decision and the right one. But we've decided to freeze prices this year.

Seven years in perspective

We started Lakeland Lights in mid-2019, hand-pouring candles at home. By February 2020, Covid had arrived. For a business barely six months old, the early pandemic was about survival. Supply chains collapsed, materials became hard to source and the world we'd built our plans around changed overnight.

The first three or four years were honestly about navigating one challenge after another. Covid disruption gave way to supply shortages. Then came the cost of living crisis in 2022, driven by the war in Ukraine, energy price spikes and inflation that hit everyone hard. Through all of that, we kept our prices exactly where they started.

There was some stability through later 2024 and into 2025, which gave us the space to grow, invest in our team and build the business properly. We made that first price increase in early 2025 because the numbers genuinely required it.

Now in 2026, we're back in uncertain territory. But we've been here before and we've come through every time.

Why freeze when everyone else is raising prices?

We made this decision a few weeks ago. The news since then, particularly around global trade disruption and rising costs across the economy, has made it feel like more of a gamble than when we decided it. But we believe we can make it work.

Here's the honest thinking. We're a luxury product. Nobody needs a candle the way they need their heating on or their food shop done. We know that. But we also know that the small things matter, especially when times are hard. A candle on a dark evening, a gift for someone who needs a lift, a wax melt on a Sunday afternoon. These things have value even if they're not essentials.

We're betting on our existing customers continuing to support us and on new customers finding us along the way. Rather than passing costs on, we're absorbing what we can, working harder on our supply chain and backing ourselves to grow.

And here's something we're proud of. If you pick up three medium candles as a bundle, you pay £15 each. That's the same price as when we poured our very first candle at home in 2019. Seven years on and that price has stayed the same.

What's happening around us

It would be easy to write this post and not mention what we see on our news feeds every week. Small businesses closing their doors. Independent shops on high streets shutting for good. Manufacturers who've been going for decades unable to absorb the costs any longer. It's happening across the country and it's both scary to read and sad to see.

We want to be honest about that because pretending everything is fine helps nobody. But we also want to reassure you: we're here to stay. We have a brilliant team of six at our workshop in Cleator Moor. We're committed to growing, to providing opportunities for our team and for future employees and to being a success story in West Cumbria for the long term.

We have plans for 2026 that we're genuinely excited about, including new products and expanding into new regions. We'll be sharing more about those in the coming months.

How you can help

If you're in a position to place an order, it makes a real difference to us. Every single one matters.

If you're not, the most helpful thing you can do is share this post with someone who might like to hear some good news for a change. Word of mouth has always been our strongest tool and it doesn't cost a thing.

Thank you for reading this, and thank you for supporting us. It means more than we can put into words.

Jo, James and the team

Lakeland Lights Co.