Industry News Premier Retail

Kitchen ‘giant’ grows from strength to strength

Wren Kitchens
Written by Roma Publications

 

Wren Kitchens

Having grown to become one of the UK’s largest kitchen suppliers, Wren Kitchens continues to expand nationwide, with an ongoing programme of new store openings.

Wren is a family owned business that was set up in 2009 and has since expanded rapidly – with a total of 60 showrooms expected to be established by the end of 2015.

The company manufactures all of its own products and sells them through its own stores with no middlemen. Wren can therefore supply fully assembled luxury kitchens at prices that match or beat even the flat pack kitchens offered by DIY competitors – a key factor in its ongoing market success.

This success is reflected by a continuing programme of new store launches and expansions, including the creation of a flagship store in Swindon, and an extended store in Southampton.

Main Contractors for these schemes – as well as a further project to refurbish a store unit for rental – were APSS.

Wren Kitchens

The Wren store in Swindon was created within premises formerly owned by a motor dealership.

Aidan Farrell, Property Manager of Wren Kitchens said: “This is a flagship new format store, setting a new standard for the company and are delighted with it.

“In addition to overseeing the construction, we also acted as the developer, taking the scheme through the planning process.

“We virtually re-constructed the original building, which was stripped back to the frame. We extended the frame upwards to provide more internal height and then re-clad the external elevations and fitted out the interior to create a new store with a 15,800 sq ft footprint on the ground floor and a mezzanine level of just under 15,000 sq ft.

“Raising the height of the frame allowed us to add the new mezzanine floor. The external cladding was a combination of brickwork, metal and profiled glass and the building has a pitched roof concealed behind a parapet.”

Wren Kitchens

Internally the building incorporates mainly showrooms, with Wren’s fitted kitchens displayed on the ground floor and the company’s fitted bedrooms and bathrooms displayed on the first floor.

External works included the complete re-construction of the car park, the construction of a new access road, and the addition of new landscaping.

The project was completed in April 2015.

In a current development in Southampton, the scheme involves the expansion of an existing Wren Kitchens showroom into a former carpet store located in an adjacent unit, as well as the refurbishment of the original Wren showroom.

“Over the last five years the store had become too small for us, so when the adjacent unit fell vacant, we did a deal with the owner to amalgamate our existing store with the empty premises to create a store with a 15,000 sq ft ground floor and a new 14,000 sq ft mezzanine. We are managing the development process on behalf of the owner,” said Aidan Farrell.

Wren Kitchens

He added: “We are constructing a fully glazed extension to the front and refurbishing the unit throughout.

“In addition, we have managed to keep our existing store trading during the ongoing construction works – which meant we needed to take extra care in planning the works as well as ensuring safety on the site.

“Once the new store is completed, then we will move in and refurbish our original store.

“These new stores are the new standard for what we want to achieve in our showroom design.”

The project is due for completion next February.

Expanding the company’s property portfolio, a project in Poole involved the purchase and refurbishment of an empty retail unit adjacent to their existing store. Wren extended, upgraded and rented out the former Comet unit to stationers Staples.

Wren Kitchens

Again, Wren took the scheme through the planning process, obtaining permission to install a full cover approximately 14,000 sq ft mezzanine floor, as well as to upgrade the elevations with new glazing and generally refurbish the interior.

“By the end of the year we will have 60 showrooms to display our extensive range of kitchens, bedrooms and our new range of bathrooms, and will be adding to this every year,” said Aidan Farrell.

Despite Wren’s size, it remains relatively unknown as its growth has been driven by recommendations and word of mouth rather than the typical television advertising campaigns.

“We have got the broadest range of top quality products at the best prices. No one else sells what we do in the same way as us,” said Aidan Farrell.

Wren is passionate about kitchens and prides itself on supplying quality, reliable and affordable kitchens and in providing a great service for customers.

Wren Kitchens

Although The Wren brand is relatively new, the family behind it has been leading the way in kitchen manufacturing for over 35 years. It is through their wealth of experience in manufacturing kitchens that they have successfully arrived at where they are now.

Wren’s UK-based manufacturing facilities feature state-of-the-art machinery, which has been purpose-built to produce the highest quality finishes on door panels and kitchen cabinets.

The majority of kitchen components are manufactured at Wren’s factory in North Lincolnshire, including parts which are hand sprayed by skilled craftsmen to ensure a flawless finish.

Cabinets are then fully built at the company’s Yorkshire site and undergo rigorous testing before being packed for delivery.

A purpose-built machine assembles the cabinets and ensures everything is correctly and firmly put together, ensuring that cabinets are hard-wearing and durable. All drawer units, internal fittings and accessories are then fitted by a team of skilled craftsmen.

Wren Kitchens

Every Wren kitchen is rigorously checked before leaving their factories as part of their thorough quality control procedure. Each door panel is inspected by hand for even the tiniest of imperfections by the company’s highly experienced staff.

Wren are continually reviewing and improving their manufacturing process, to ensure they always provide the highest quality products, at the most competitive prices.

With over 35 years’ experience, Wren know what makes a good kitchen and have developed their cabinets to be as stylish, practical and hardwearing as possible.

All of Wren’s fully built cabinets are produced in their own factories in Yorkshire and Lincolnshire.

Soft closing hinges and drawers mean that cabinets will be protected from any wear and tear that could be caused by cupboards slamming shut.

Wall cabinets are extra deep compared to competitors, with a depth of 350mm, providing an abundance of storage space.

Wren Kitchens

The company is so confident in the quality of their kitchens that they have installed comparison bays into all of their showrooms, allowing customers to compare Wren’s cabinets against their competitors’ to demonstrate the superior finish of Wren’s kitchens.

Wren Kitchens are also devoted to corporate social responsibility and environmental awareness. All of their kitchens are manufactured in the UK, where they employ over 1,500 people. The kitchens are then distributed in their own lorries, which are filled to capacity and carefully routed to avoid wasted mileage and unnecessary Co2 emissions that would harm the environment.

In addition, the company is committed to making all of their products and services as environmentally friendly as possible and do this by using sustainable sources and suppliers.

Even surplus sawdust produced by shaping and cutting kitchen worktops does not to go waste. Giant suction pipes collect all the spare cuttings, filling 1-2 trailers a week. Local farmers and landscapers then take advantage of this and reuse it on their nearby rural projects.

Wren Kitchens

Wren monitor their prices every week, to ensure that they continue to be competitively priced. They are so confident that their quality and prices cannot be beaten, that if any customer can bring them a competitor’s quote which is less than the Wren kitchen price, including any discounts or offers, then Wren will beat it.

 

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Roma Publications