Wren Kitchens confirms Barton head office unaffected by US market exit and bankruptcy

The brand, which has more than 120 showrooms throughout the UK, has filed for Chapter 7 bankruptcy in the US

Wren Kitchens has confirmed that its decision to withdraw from the US market will have no bearing on its Barton-based UK operations. The brand, which boasts more than 120 showrooms across the UK and is owned by Hull-born entrepreneur Malcolm Healey, has filed for Chapter 7 bankruptcy in the States, where it launched approximately six years ago.

The company says the move, which has resulted in job losses and store closures, will enable it to channel investment into its UK business, which continues to grow. Newly released accounts for the UK arm, Wren Kitchens Limited, reveal turnover surpassed £1bn in 2025 — the second highest figure in the company’s history — with operating profits exceeding £101m.

The firm has spoken of opportunities to expand its network of 124 showrooms, including the addition of further “small format” locations away from traditional retail parks. In recent years the UK business, which employs more than 7,000 staff including over 2,300 at Barton, has also successfully ventured into the bedrooms market with a dedicated factory established for that purpose.

All of this was achieved despite what CEO Mark Pullan described as a “somewhat challenging” year, with economic uncertainty and a prolonged housing market slowdown leading some customers to postpone kitchen renovation projects. Wren cited its inability to secure favourable terms on retail properties to grow its store network as the primary reason for exiting the US market.

Mr Pullan said: “We reluctantly took the decision to appoint a Trustee who is managing our exit from the US market, in line with US regulations. We regret the impact of this decision on our US colleagues and our customers and thank both of them for their support.

“Our focus is on further growing our UK business where last year we recorded our second most successful year since the business began and hit the £1bn turnover mark with strong profits despite what remains a subdued market. Encouragingly, this market growth has carried through into the first quarter. These results reflect the hard work and dedication of our teams across the business and our sustained re-investment in the business – over £500m over the past 15 years.”, reports Hull Live.

“We are beginning to see the early benefits of the investment in our new factory, which is enhancing both capacity and efficiency, while continued investment across our UK operations is helping to improve resilience, support fuel cost stability and reduce our environmental impact.

“While we remain mindful of potential uncertainties arising from the geopolitical situation, we are confident in the strength of our business and with all our focus on the UK, we will be accelerating our new store rollout programme over the year, with the launch of 15 new showrooms as well as new product categories.”