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OUR KITCHEN HERITAGE

Deep global roots in the kitchen industry

Although Wren Kitchens in the UK was born in 2009, the family behind the brand has long been associated with the kitchen industry in the USA and the UK for more than 35 years and has been instrumental in its evolutionary - if not revoutionary - development through time and making quality kitchens affordable to everyone.

Our heritage

We began with a single goal – to offer customers a wider choice when it came to buying kitchens. More styles, more designs, more sizes and more purchasing options. Our aim was to make luxury kitchens available and affordable to more people than ever before. To achieve this we assembled a team of kitchen experts with decades of experience, leveraged the latest manufacturing technology, made significant investments and fostered an innovative spirit. Our journey from two showrooms in 2009 to over 150 today in the UK and USA is a remarkable story – and one we’re incredibly proud to share.

1950-1970

Where it all began

The journey began in the 1950s with Newhome Paint in Hull, a flourishing painting and decorating supplies business before the family branched out into the highly successful Status Discount stores which they ran during the 1960s and 1970s.

1976

Launching of Hygena

In 1976, the family set up Hygena, manufacturing kitchens from a 40,000 sq ft factory in Howden, East Yorkshire. Over the next 11 years the business grew dramatically. At one point in time one-in-three kitchens in the UK was a Hygena kitchen.

1981

First affordable luxury kitchens

Hygena’s stylish and striking designs revolutionized the concept of the fitted kitchen, making it the new 'must-have' in homes across the UK. This shift led to the expansion of kitchen sizes and transformed the kitchen's role within the home. It was no longer just a place for preparing and cooking food, the kitchen fast became the heart of the home, a space where families could eat, entertain, socialize, work and enjoy time together.

1987

From the UK to the USA

After revolutionizing the kitchen market in the UK, the family decided to sell Hygena and move to the US, implementing the same business core aims into another kitchen retailer, ‘Mills Pride’. After becoming the 2nd largest kitchen manufacturer in the US, the family decided to sell and return home to the UK.

2009

Wren is born

From the early days in 2009 and just two showrooms to our name, Wren has grown into the largest kitchen manufacturer and retailer in the UK, with more than 150 showrooms nationwide. Our collections; Vogue, Infinity and Infinity Plus represent the largest, most diverse kitchen range in the UK, offering thousands upon thousands of unique combinations to cater for every budget and taste.

2012

Owning the supply chain

From manufacturing and retailing through to delivery, we own the supply chain - that's why customers pay less. In 2012 we purchased a fleet of trucks and launched our own in-house transport department, affording us the ability to provide a unique, fit for purpose, industry leading delivery service. All of our kitchens are manufactured in our purpose built, state-of-the-art US manufacturing facilities, with strict quality controls at every key stage of the production process.

2016

An infinity of choice

In 2016, Wren raised the bar once again by investing £50m in new manufacturing facilities to design and launch Infinity, a groundbreaking kitchen collection that significantly expanded customer choice. Now with the largest and most diverse kitchen ranges on offer across the UK and East Coast of the USA, Infinity offers thousands of styles, unit configurations and special features. It provides the flexibility and options typically associated with niche, handmade kitchen brands, delivering inspiring beauty and culinary functionality at a fraction of the cost.

2020

Wren came Stateside

In 2020 Wren launched its inaugural USA showroom in Milford, CT, creating hundreds of jobs and marking the beginning of a kitchen revolution across the East Coast. Regarded as the largest kitchen showroom in the USA, Milford boasts over 100 kitchens, a wide range of appliances, faucets and innovative storage solutions on display. Additionally it showcases our unique, purpose-built design tools, including our award-winning, 3D virtual reality experience.

2024

Wren Studios open inside The Home Depot

Wren expanded its US presence in 2024 with an exciting collaboration with The Home Depot. Bringing Wren’s industry-leading design expertise and showroom experience into select Home Depot locations, Wren Studios make it even easier for customers to design their dream kitchen.