Crabtree & Evelyn
A personal-care and home-fragrance brand that developed from an American soap shop into an international retail business and later an online-focused brand.
Last updated August 31, 2026
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Overview
Crabtree & Evelyn is a personal-care and home-fragrance brand whose history combines American entrepreneurship, English-inspired design, international specialty retail, and repeated changes of ownership. The enterprise traces its origins to 1955, when Cyrus Harvey, a co-founder of Janus Films, established a small Cambridge, Massachusetts shop called The Soap Box. The early business concentrated on soaps and related personal-care goods rather than operating as the globally recognized brand that would emerge later. A major turning point came in 1971, when Harvey met English designer Peter Windett in London. The two began a long business partnership and renamed the enterprise Crabtree & Evelyn. Harvey was associated with product creation, while Windett shaped packaging and the visual identity. The name referred to John Evelyn, the seventeenth-century English writer, gardener, and diarist; “crabtree” alluded to the crab-apple tree. This combination of English historical references, botanical imagery, and gift-oriented presentation became central to the brand’s positioning. The company expanded its retail presence during the 1970s and 1980s. It opened a stall at Boston’s Faneuil Hall in 1977, followed by a freestanding shop in Montgomery Mall in Montgomeryville, Pennsylvania. After American tourists began looking for the brand in England, the company opened a London shop on Kensington Church Street in 1980. It subsequently developed stores and distribution in the United States, the United Kingdom, Europe, Canada, Hong Kong, Malaysia, Singapore, and Australia. Its assortment became associated with soaps, hand creams, body lotions, bath products, fragrances, and household scent products, generally presented as premium or accessible-luxury gifts. Harvey and Windett’s partnership lasted approximately twenty-five years. In 1996, Harvey sold the business to Kuala Lumpur Kepong Berhad, a Malaysian holding company that created CE Holdings for the brand. Although ownership and funding were managed from Kuala Lumpur, research and development, manufacturing, and design activities continued to be based in Alpharetta, Georgia, according to the cited reference material. The acquisition marked the beginning of a succession of corporate owners rather than a stable founder-led phase. The retail model later came under pressure. In July 2009, Crabtree & Evelyn Ltd. sought Chapter 11 protection in the United States. Thirty of its 126 American stores closed after the filing, while the cited account states that the UK stores were not affected. In 2012, Kuala Lumpur Kepong sold CE Holdings to Hong Kong-based Khuan Choo International for US$155 million. Nan Hai Corporation, another Hong Kong holding company, acquired the brand in October 2016. The physical retail network continued to contract. In November 2018, the company announced that its worldwide retail and wholesale operations would cease during 2019. On 16 July 2019, Crabtree & Evelyn relaunched as an online-only store, reflecting a shift away from its historic store-based model. The United States website stopped taking sales in February 2022 and has remained dormant according to the cited reference, while the Malaysian branch was reported as operational. The brand therefore remains active in a limited and market-specific form, but its current global corporate structure, ownership, and operating footprint are not established by the supplied materials.
History
Crabtree & Evelyn began in Cambridge, Massachusetts, in 1955 as The Soap Box, a small shop established by Cyrus Harvey, who was also associated with the founding of Janus Films. The initial business was centered on soap and personal-care products. Its later identity developed after Harvey met English designer Peter Windett in London in 1971. They formed a business partnership that lasted roughly twenty-five years and adopted the name Crabtree & Evelyn. The new name connected the business to English literary and gardening traditions. John Evelyn was a seventeenth-century English author, gardener, and diarist, while “crabtree” referred to the crab-apple tree. The brand’s original logo depicted a wild apple tree. Harvey worked on product development, and Windett contributed to packaging and branding, creating a distinctive presentation that helped the company compete in the premium soap and bath-gift category. Expansion accelerated during the 1970s and 1980s. A stall opened at Faneuil Hall in Boston in 1977, and the first freestanding store opened at Montgomery Mall in Montgomeryville, Pennsylvania. Interest from American tourists visiting England encouraged the company to establish its first English shop on Kensington Church Street in London in 1980. The retail network later spread across the United States and United Kingdom and into parts of Europe, Canada, Hong Kong, Malaysia, Singapore, and Australia. The product range broadened beyond soap to include hand creams, body lotions, bath and shower products, fragrances, and home-scent items. The brand’s commercial identity relied on botanical and heritage cues, premium-looking packaging, and products suitable for personal use or gifting. This positioning supported a network of specialty stores and international retail distribution. In 1996, Cyrus Harvey sold the company to Kuala Lumpur Kepong Berhad. The Malaysian group established CE Holdings, with ownership and management funded from Kuala Lumpur. The cited reference states that operational functions such as research and development, manufacturing, and design continued to be based in Alpharetta, Georgia. The sale also began a period in which the brand changed hands among larger holding companies. The company’s store-based model became increasingly difficult to sustain. Crabtree & Evelyn Ltd. filed for Chapter 11 protection in the United States in July 2009, and 30 of its 126 American stores closed after the filing. The UK stores were described as unaffected by that proceeding. In 2012, Kuala Lumpur Kepong sold CE Holdings to Khuan Choo International, a Hong Kong holding company, for US$155 million. Nan Hai Corporation acquired the brand in October 2016. Further store closures followed. In November 2018, Crabtree & Evelyn announced that all retail and wholesale operations worldwide would cease during 2019. The brand relaunched on 16 July 2019 as an online-only business, replacing its historic physical-store network with a digital model. The United States website stopped sales in February 2022 and remained dormant according to the cited source. The Malaysian branch was reported as still operational, leaving the brand with a narrower market presence than during its multinational retail period.
- 2022
U.S. online sales cease
[1]The U.S. website stops sales in February, while the Malaysian branch is reported to remain operational.
- 2019
Online-only relaunch
[1]The brand relaunches on 16 July as an exclusively online store.
- 2018
Global retail and wholesale wind-down announced
[1]The company announces that its worldwide retail and wholesale operations will end during 2019.
- 2016
Nan Hai Corporation acquisition
[1]Nan Hai Corporation acquires Crabtree & Evelyn from the preceding Hong Kong-based ownership structure.
- 2012
CE Holdings changes ownership
[1]Kuala Lumpur Kepong sells CE Holdings to Khuan Choo International for US$155 million.
- 2009
U.S. Chapter 11 filing
[1]The U.S. operating company files for Chapter 11 protection, followed by the closure of 30 American stores.
- 1996
Sale to Kuala Lumpur Kepong
[1]Cyrus Harvey sells the company to Kuala Lumpur Kepong Berhad, which creates CE Holdings for the brand.
- 1980
First London shop opens
[1]Crabtree & Evelyn opens its first London store on Kensington Church Street after American visitors seek out the brand in England.
- 1977
First Boston-area expansion
[1]The company opens a stall at Faneuil Hall in Boston and continues developing its specialty-retail presence.
- 1971
Crabtree & Evelyn name adopted
[1]Cyrus Harvey begins a long business partnership with English designer Peter Windett and the enterprise is renamed Crabtree & Evelyn.
Products and positioning
A premium personal-care and home-fragrance brand built around botanical associations, English-inspired heritage, giftable packaging, and specialty retail presentation.
Hand care
Hand creams
Hand creams are among the brand’s most recognizable personal-care offerings. They fit Crabtree & Evelyn’s premium gift-oriented positioning and its emphasis on botanical, fragrance-led presentation. The products are designed for routine hand moisturization and are commonly associated with the brand’s specialty retail and travel-friendly assortment.
Body care
Body lotions
Body lotions form part of the brand’s broader bath and body portfolio. They extend the fragrance and care experience beyond hand products and were sold within coordinated product families. Specific formulas, launch dates, and current availability are not established in the supplied material.
Bath and cleansing · 1955
Soaps
Soap is the historical foundation of the business, which began as The Soap Box in Cambridge. Crabtree & Evelyn retained soap as a core category as it developed a larger assortment of bath, body, and fragrance products and built its identity around presentation suitable for gifting.
Home fragrance
Home fragrance
The brand’s home-fragrance range includes products such as scented candles and related household scent items. These offerings broadened Crabtree & Evelyn beyond personal care while preserving its fragrance, botanical, and giftable positioning. Current availability varies by market and is not fully documented in the supplied sources.
Brand decisions
2019
Relaunch as an online-only storeStrategyBackground
The company had announced the closure of its worldwide retail and wholesale operations during 2019.
Action taken
On 16 July 2019, Crabtree & Evelyn relaunched through an exclusively online retail model.
Aftermath
The U.S. website stopped sales in February 2022, while the Malaysian operation was reported to continue.
2018
End the worldwide retail and wholesale modelStrategyBackground
The company’s brick-and-mortar stores had become increasingly unprofitable, with numerous closures reported during the preceding period.
Action taken
Crabtree & Evelyn announced that all retail and wholesale operations worldwide would cease during 2019.
Aftermath
The brand relaunched in July 2019 as an online-only store, although the U.S. website later stopped sales and the Malaysian branch remained operational.
Sources1 sources
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