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OUR KITCHEN HERITAGE

Deep roots in the kitchen industry

Although Wren Kitchens was born in 2009, the family behind Wren has a long association with the kitchen industry.

Our heritage

We began with a single goal – to give customers more for their money when it came to buying a kitchen. More styles, designs and more unit sizes. To do this we have brought together kitchen experts with decades of experience, the latest manufacturing technology, a significant investment and an innovative spirit. From two showrooms in 2009 to 100 plus today is quite a story – and one we’re 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 it grew dramatically. At one point one in three kitchens in the UK was a Hygena kitchen.

1981

First affordable luxury kitchens

Hygena’s smart and beautiful designs fuelled the popularity of the fitted kitchen. As a result, the size of British kitchens began to grow and the room’s role in our homes started to change. Family life started to revolve around the kitchen as a place to eat, entertain, work and play.

1987

From the USA to the UK

After revolutionising 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 two showrooms, Wren has grown into the largest kitchen manufacturer and retailer in the UK with more than 100 showrooms nationwide. Our collections Vogue, Infinity and Infinity Plus make up the largest, most diverse kitchen range in the UK, offering millions of unique combinations.

2016

An infinity of choice

In 2016, Wren created the Infinity collections which took £50 million of investment, bringing the total manufacturing space across three sites in excess of 1.5 million square feet. The collection raised the bar in fitted kitchens and now makes up the largest, most diverse kitchen range in the UK.