Wren Kitchens

Wren Kitchens
Private
Industry Retail & Manufacturing
Founded Howden, United Kingdom (2009)
Headquarters Barton-Upon-Humber, United Kingdom
Number of locations
 69[1]
Area served
 United Kingdom.
Key people
 Malcolm Healey (Owner)
Mark Pullan (Managing Director)
Products Kitchens
Revenue Increase £406 million[2]
Number of employees
 4,000+ (2017)[3]
Website www.wrenkitchens.com

Wren Kitchens is a privately owned British designer, manufacturer, and retailer of kitchens.The company has 69 showrooms[4] in the United Kingdom, and its headquarters is in Barton-Upon-Humber in North Lincolnshire, England.

History

Wren Kitchens was founded in 2009. The management team behind Wren traded for 10 years in the United States, before the business was sold, and the team moved back to the United Kingdom.[5]

The company employs over 4,000 people and is one of the largest employers in the Humber region. In 2016, the firm reported record turnover growth as sales surged past £338 million.[6] This also grew in 2017, with reported revenue of £406 million.[7] Wren Kitchens is owned by the group West Retail.

Manufacturing

Until December 2013, the headquarters were in Howden, in the East Riding of Yorkshire, United Kingdom, where it still operates a factory. Wren manufactures all of its kitchen units in its own production plants in Scunthorpe, Howden and Barton-Upon-Humber.[8] The 180 acre Barton-Upon-Humber site was acquired in August 2013 from Kimberly-Clark.[9]

Controversy

In 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. The firm responded by stating that they are heavily investing in improving their customer service department.[10]

In Spring 2016, the firm was one of 12 kitchen brands researched by the consumer association Which?. WrenLiving came second from last out of the 12 kitchen companies assessed.[11]

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".[12] The firm's "aggressive expansion" had been previous cited by The Times[13] t as the reason for the collapse offor HomeForm Group, (parent company of Möben Kitchens & Sharps Bedrooms) Wren subsequently offered to protect the deposits of customers affected by the collapse of the group.[14]

In March 2017 the firm 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), by misleading customers on kitchen pricing.[15][16]

In August 2017, Which? undertook an investigation against companies within the kitchen industry to understand the differences in quote prices. The investigation found that quotes between stores could vary, with one discounted quote being 11% cheaper for the same kitchen at different stores. However, pre-sale/discount quotes were mostly identical.[17]

In October, 2017, the firm featured on the television show Rip Off Britain.[18]

Charity work and community

In March 2014, Wren Kitchens donated £437,080 to charities supporting victims of the 2013-14 United Kingdom winter floods.[19] The firm has also raised money for children's cancer charity CLIC Sargent and Macmillan Cancer Support.[20]

Wren Kitchens said it would "match all B&Q quotes" for customers and had "opened vacancies"[21] to the 400 design consultants whose jobs were at risk at competitor B&Q following a restructure.[22]

Awards and achievements

References

  1. ↑ "Kitchen Showrooms". Retrieved 11 June 2018.
  2. ↑ "Profits boosted at kitchen manufacturer despite inefficiencies caused by new site". The Business Desk. Retrieved 12 June 2018.
  3. ↑ "300 jobs to be created by Wren Living as kitchen maker announces plan for another major expansion". Scunthorpe Telegraph.
  4. ↑ "Kitchen Showrooms". Retrieved 11 June 2018.
  5. ↑ richchristianson (2011-10-16). "Former Mill's Pride Owner Making Cabinets in UK". Woodworking Network. Retrieved 2017-09-27.
  6. ↑ "Wren grows sales past £338m". Cabinet Maker. Retrieved 2017-09-24.
  7. ↑ "Profits boosted at kitchen manufacturer despite inefficiencies caused by new site". The Business Desk. Retrieved 12 June 2018.
  8. ↑ https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-humber-35934469
  9. ↑ http://www.yorkshirepost.co.uk/news/wren-s-new-hq-to-create-500-jobs-1-5936269
  10. ↑ http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/articles/3lqvK2zXdhd399TdpX7pBtH/wren-kitchens
  11. ↑ http://www.which.co.uk/reviews/fitted-kitchens/article/best-kitchen-brands/best-and-worst-kitchen-brands
  12. ↑ "Furniture retailer Betta Living falls into administration". Retail Week. Retrieved 2017-09-20.
  13. ↑ "Aggressive Expansion of Wren Kitchens brings downfall for HomeForm Group".
  14. ↑ "Wren Kitchens helps rival's customers".
  15. ↑ http://www.kbbdaily.com/article/4705/wren-living-fined-%C2%A312,000
  16. ↑ https://www.eveningexpress.co.uk/fp/news/local/company-fined-12k-for-misleading-kitchen-prices
  17. ↑ "Revealed: why you could be overpaying for your fitted kitchen". Which?. Retrieved 2017-10-12.
  18. ↑ "Rip Off Britain - Series 9: Episode 14". BBC. Retrieved 2017-10-12.
  19. ↑ "Wren Living supports Community Foundations | Cornwall Foundation". www.cornwallfoundation.com. Retrieved 2017-09-27.
  20. ↑ "Our partnership with Wren Kitchens - Working with us - Macmillan Cancer Support". www.macmillan.org.uk. Retrieved 2017-09-27.
  21. ↑ "Wren Kitchens 'offers support' to at-risk B&Q employees". kbbdaily.com. Retrieved 12 June 2018.
  22. ↑ "B&Q announces sales overhaul with 700 employees consulted over new roles". RetailSector. Retrieved 12 June 2018.
  23. ↑ http://www.yourhomemagazine.co.uk/article/2364/shopping/the-official-your-home-awards-2018-winners
  24. ↑ http://www.fasttrack.co.uk/company_profile/west-retail-group/
  25. ↑ https://www.retailgazette.co.uk/blog/2017/10/farfetch-primark-uk-fastest-growing-retailers/
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