Rother Valley entrepreneur sees luxury fragrance business boom six months after he set it up while furloughed

Tom Justice started producing handmade bespoke candles as gifts for friends and family as a money saving exercise while he was furloughed from his job as a retail manager.

But when news of his products started to spread and official orders started to pour in the 24-year-old quit his job and officially set up the Just Wicks online shop. His Facebook page already boasts almost 3,000 followers.

He said: “It has truly been a whirlwind over the last six months.

“What started as a hobby to keep myself occupied and to save a few pennies during the pandemic has turned into a rather demanding business, with sales rocketing from just a couple hundred pounds a month to thousands.

“I am incredibly grateful to my friends and family who waxed lyrical about my products and gave me the confidence to take the next steps, and to UKSE for the Kickstart grant which allowed me to scale up and take advantage of the sales opportunities at the artisan markets.”

Selling everything from wax melts and burners, candles, decorative candles, reed diffusers, home cologne, hand and body wash and bath bombs, to shower steamers, car air fresheners, carpet freshener and electric burners, the business has gone from strength to strength since its launch in April.

Tom also secured a Kickstart grant from UKSE – a business that invests in steel areas across the UK - which allowed him to invest in additional products and display equipment so he could attend artisan markets.

Now Tom has just signed for Just Wicks’ first unit in Dinnington to store more stock and facilitate the expansion of the business.

Tom said: “We’ve been overwhelmed with the support that we have received from our customers both online, and at the various events that we have attended.

“It got to a point now where we really needed to expand in order to keep up with the demand and so we are on the lookout for a warehouse to store more products.

"At the moment we are operating solely from home and it’s not really sustainable.

“Currently I have some help from my partner, but I expect we will need to recruit in the near future if we are going to be able to deal with the influx of orders.”

Regional executive at UKSE, Steve Lyon, said: “Just Wicks is another great example of the sort of entrepreneurial spirit that we have here in South Yorkshire, and the success of the business today is a real testament to Tom’s drive and perseverance.

“As we enter the Christmas period, I have no doubt that he will continue to build on his success and we wish him every success for the future – especially as he looks to expand with the acquisition of new businesses premises and new team members.”