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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 long been associated with the kitchen industry and its evolutionary - if not revoutionary - development over the years.

Our heritage

We began with a single goal – to offer customers wider choice when it came to buying a kitchen. 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 100 today 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. In just 11 years the business grew dramatically to a point in time when at least one in three kitchens in the UK was a Hygena kitchen.

1981

First affordable luxury kitchens

Hygena’s stylish and striking designs revolutionised 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 familites could eat, entertain, socialise, work and enjoy time together.

1987

From the UK to the USA

After revolutionising the kitchen market in the UK, the family decided to sell Hygena and take their innovative concept to the US, introducing the same business model and aims into another retail market. This led to the creation of Mills Pride, a new retail venture based on the same successful UK business model. Mills Pride quickly rose to prominence, becoming the second largest kitchen manufacturer in the US. Having achieved remarkable success once again, the family chose to sell Mills Pride and return to their UK homeland.

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 100 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, retailing through to delivery, we own the supply chain of manufacturing and delivering a kitchen - 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 and bedrooms are manufactured in our purpose built, state-of-the-art UK 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 one of the largest and most diverse kitchen ranges in the UK, 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 funtionality at a fraction of the cost.

2020

Wren goes Stateside

Late 2020 Wren launched its inaugural USA showroom in Milford, CT. Regarded as the largest kitchen showroom in the USA, it 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.

2021

New quartz production facility

Wren’s new, purpose-built £20m, 150,000 sq ft Zena quartz production facility opened in Scunthorpe. Believed to be the largest, most sophisticated and safest fabrication site in Europe, it allowed us to meet growing demand and stay ahead of industry trends. Health and safety are at the forefront of everything we do. The facility features continuous mist systems to maintain humid atmospheres and eradicate dust. Workers wear air-fed, batter powered respirator masks, all tooling is water suppressed and we minimise dry sweeping and the movement of quartz dust products. Just some of the practices that deliver the highest safety standards for our team members.

2022

New manufacturing facility the size of 13 football pitches!

Wren's brand new, purpose-built, state-of-the-art manufacturing facility at the Nest in Barton-upon-Humber opened, creating 1,200 new jobs. This impressive new 910,000 sq ft production site is the result of Wren’s £120m investment, the largest in its 13 year history. The facility is fitted with the latest planet saving technology, including roof mounted solar panels capable of producing 629.6MWh, enough energy to power more than 144 average homes for a whole year.

2023

Affordable luxury extends in to Bedrooms

Wren’s ability to transform kitchens into stunning, personalized and affordable spaces extended into the bedroom with the launch of Wren Bedrooms. Committed to providing customers with abundant choices, Wren introduced a variety of styles within the Infinity and InfinityPlus ranges for their bedroom offerings. Wren Bedrooms is all about optimizing space and creating bedrooms that are as beautiful as they are affordable and functional.

2023

Setting new standards in the Contract market

The contracts market is undergoing a transformation since the launch of Wren Contracts. Our groundbreaking entry into the property development and social housing sectors is underpinned by setting new standards with our affordable luxury, unbeatable lead times, exemplary quality controls, and benchmark approach to end-to-end project management.