Wren Kitchens
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| File:Wren Kitchens Logo Transparent.png | |
| Company type | Private |
|---|---|
| Industry | Retail & Manufacturing |
| Founded | Howden, United Kingdom (2009) |
| Headquarters | Barton-Upon-Humber, United Kingdom |
Number of locations | 64 |
Area served | United Kingdom. |
Key people | Malcolm Healey (Owner) Mark Pullan (Managing Director) Richard Walker (Marketing Director) |
| Products | Kitchens |
| Revenue |  £338 million [1] |
Number of employees | 4,000+ (2017)[2] |
| Website | www |
Wren Kitchens is a privately owned British designer, manufacturer and retailer of kitchens. The company has 64 showrooms across the United Kingdom, and its headquarters is in Barton-Upon-Humber in North Lincolnshire, England.
Until December 2013, the headquarters were in Howden, in the East Riding of Yorkshire, United Kingdom, where it still operates a factory.
The company employs over 4,000 people and is one of the largest employers in the Humber region. In 2016, Wren Kitchens reported record turnover growth as sales surged past £338 million.[3]
History
Wren Kitchens was founded in 2009. The management team behind Wren has 35 years' experience within the kitchen market, in both the United Kingdom and United States. The team traded for 10 years in the United States, before the business was sold, and the team moved back to the United Kingdom.[4]
Manufacturing Facilities
Wren manufactures all of its kitchen units in its own production plants in Scunthorpe, Howden and Barton-Upon-Humber where it has recently invested £40 million and created over 600 new local jobs.[5]
The 180 acre Barton-Upon-Humber site was acquired in August 2013 from Kimberly-Clark.[6]
Charity Work
In March 2014, Wren Kitchens donated £437,080 to charities supporting victims of the 2013-14 United Kingdom winter floods.[7] Wren Kitchens has raised £3,160 for children's cancer charity CLIC Sargent in September 2015 through a charity football match between former Hull City A.F.C. players and Wren Kitchens employees.[8] In January 2016, Wren Kitchens started working with Macmillan Cancer Support, one of Britain's largest charities.[9]
Controversy
In November 2016, Wren Kitchens said it would honour any quote provided by Betta Living when the rival kitchen retailer went into administration "in order to maintain the public’s trust in the UK kitchen market".[10]
In Spring 2016, Wren Kitchens was one of 12 kitchen brands researched by WHICH? Consumer Association. WrenLiving came second from last out of the 12 kitchen companies assessed.[11]
In March 2016, Wren Kitchens was fined £12,000 after pleading guilty to breaking the Unfair Trading Regulations 2008, Regulation 9 and the European Communities Act 1972 Section 2(2). The fine is a result of misleading customers on kitchen pricing.[12][13]
In May 2015, Wren Kitchens was investigated by BBC Watchdog for providing customers with poor customer service. The investigation found that the company had provided partial orders to customers and was extremely slow to rectify issues. In some cases, customers were left without a functioning kitchen for seven months. Wren Kitchens responded by stating that they are heavily investing in improving their customer service department. [14]
In June 2011, Wren launched a bid to protect consumer confidence in United Kingdom, companies in the kitchen and bedroom sector, following the demise of the HomeForm Group.[15] The company offered to honour quotes given by Moben Kitchens and Sharps Bedrooms to ensure anyone who had paid up to a 50% deposit would not be left out of pocket.[16]
In June 2011, in an article in The Times[17] the aggressive expansion of Wren Kitchens was cited as the reason for HomeForm Group, (parent company of Möben Kitchens & Sharps Bedrooms) being put into administration. Wren subsequently offered to protect the deposits of customers affected by the collapse of the group.[18]
References
- ^ "Wren grows sales past £338m". Cabinet-Maker.
- ^ "300 jobs to be created by Wren Living as kitchen maker announces plan for another major expansion". Scunthorpe Telegraph.
- ^ "Wren grows sales past £338m". Cabinet Maker. Retrieved 2017-09-24.
- ^ richchristianson (2011-10-16). "Former Mill's Pride Owner Making Cabinets in UK". Woodworking Network. Retrieved 2017-09-27.
- ^ http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-humber-35934469
- ^ http://www.yorkshirepost.co.uk/news/wren-s-new-hq-to-create-500-jobs-1-5936269
- ^ "Wren Living supports Community Foundations | Cornwall Foundation". www.cornwallfoundation.com. Retrieved 2017-09-27.
- ^ "Wren Kitchens holds charity football match". www.kbbdaily.com. Retrieved 2017-09-27.
- ^ "Our partnership with Wren Kitchens - Working with us - Macmillan Cancer Support". www.macmillan.org.uk. Retrieved 2017-09-27.
- ^ "Furniture retailer Betta Living falls into administration". Retail Week. Retrieved 2017-09-20.
- ^ http://www.which.co.uk/reviews/fitted-kitchens/article/best-kitchen-brands/best-and-worst-kitchen-brands
- ^ http://www.kbbdaily.com/article/4705/wren-living-fined-%C2%A312,000
- ^ https://www.eveningexpress.co.uk/fp/news/local/company-fined-12k-for-misleading-kitchen-prices
- ^ http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/articles/3lqvK2zXdhd399TdpX7pBtH/wren-kitchens
- ^ "Customers told protect deposits credit cards collapse big stores".
- ^ "Wren Kitchens fly rescue Moben sinks".
- ^ "Aggressive Expansion of Wren Kitchens brings downfall for HomeForm Group".
- ^ "Wren Kitchens helps rival's customers".