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Halloween celebrations and spirits were in full swing last week at our UK head office - The Nest! 👻 From werewolves to Mr Worldwide, our team went all out for our annual Best Dressed competition! 🎃 We love moments like these that bring our people together, show off individual's creativity and celebrate the culture that makes Wren such a great place to work. 💚
National Apprenticeship Week 2025 We're celebrating our amazing apprentices! At Wren, we're dedicated to providing development opportunities for team members, as well as developing the next generation of skilled professionals. That is why we’re proud of our extensive apprenticeship opportunities—helping individuals unlock their full potential! Emma Whitwood, Apprenticeships Manager says: “At Wren, we believe in investing in talent and providing people with the opportunity to build a fulfilling career. National Apprenticeship Week is the perfect time to celebrate the positive impact of apprentices and encourage individuals to take that first step towards a rewarding future. “It is also a chance to acknowledge the growth and success of our programme. 71 candidates completing their apprenticeships last year is testament to our commitment to nurture talent and the dedication and support from our managers and support staff."
Say hello to the UK's No.1 National Kitchen Retailer of the Year... again 🏆 We're thrilled to bring home The British Institute of Kitchen, Bedroom & Bathroom Installation (BiKBBI)'s National Kitchen Retailer Award for the fourth year in a row, testament to our team's hard work at every level, from Showroom to Head Office. Plus, Wren Contract Kitchens' Harriett Grice scooped Installation Manager of the Year, an incredible achievement; we really couldn't be prouder. Our Installations Director, Amanda Smith, said: “Winning this award four years in a row is testament to our team's relentless commitment, expertise, and industry-leading service. It reflects the hard work and dedication of our entire team, from retail to contracts, ensuring that Wren remains at the forefront when it comes to delivering the best quality kitchens and bedrooms across the country.”
Did you know we’ve landed in Northern Ireland? We’ve opened our very first showroom in Belfast! This marks our 127th showroom globally and 113th in the UK. Based in Boucher Retail Park, our new showroom plays host to almost 60 kitchen and bedroom displays, 12 design desks, a room configurator bay and much more. And for those who prefer to plan from home, customers can make use of our new Mobile Design Centre! Colin McAlister, Showroom Manager, said: “We’re thrilled to bring Wren’s unique blend of quality and affordability to Northern Ireland for the first time, and to kickstart our presence here by partnering with and supporting the work of the fantastic Simon Community for our opening event. Our goal is to inspire customers, whether they’re starting from scratch or putting the final touches on their dream space, and we’re proudly here to help them every step of the way.” Belfast at a glance: ✔ 41 kitchen displays ✔ 17 bedroom displays ✔ 12 VR planning suites ✔ Room configurator ✔ Full door bar display for kitchens and bedrooms ✔ Sink and tap display Well-known local lifestyle blogger, Anna Corry, cut the ribbon, alongside Retail Sales Director, Tofiq Malik, to officially open the doors! To mark the opening, we were delighted to present a cheque for £1,000 to Simon Community, Northern Ireland's leading homelessness charity, in support of its vital work in assisting those facing homelessness across the region.
We’re amazed by the incredible support from our teams in this year's Christmas Gift Drive! 💚 Organised in support of the NSPCC, we invited our colleagues at The Nest to donate new gifts for children and teenagers, and of course we had to include our Wrenold bears 🧸 Thanks to everyone’s generosity, we’re helping bring joy to the children most in need this festive season. A huge thank you to all those who contributed!
We were delighted to celebrate driver excellence at our recent Driver of the Year event! Following tough competition in the depots, the final 14 drivers battled it out to decide who would win the coveted title! Making use of the space at the Defence School of Transport at Leconfield, the finalists were put through their paces with a number of tricky challenges, designed to test their knowledge and skills. And with a grand prize worth well over £4,000, the drivers were giving it their all! The lucky winner walked away with £2,000 in cash, a top-of-the-range Wren Mercedes-Benz V30 lorry to call their own for the year, VIP tickets to the Anthony Joshua vs Daniel Dubois fight (courtesy of Mercedes-Benz), a voucher from TyreNet, as well as goodies from our sponsors. It wasn't all doom and gloom for those who didn't take top spot. They got to take home £200 cash and a goodie bag! Congratulations to Luke Tonkin from our Bristol depot who came away victorious after a hard-fought battle! Thank you to everybody involved in putting together and running this fabulous event. A very special mention to Grant Kenworthy, Transport Employee Development Manager, who was instrumental in the organisation! Thank you must also go to our sponsors, Mercedes-Benz, Izuzu, QBE Insurance, Driving Test Success Anytime, Pendragon Vehicle Management, Jon Roe Toyota (Hull), Enterprise Vehicle Rental and TyreNet. Without their support, the event would not be possible.
We're delighted that Wren have been named finalists in the 2024 Docebo Inspire Learning Awards for the Best Skills Development Program! In 2023, we launched our 12-week designer induction programme, focusing on blended learning to enhance the learning experience for our new recruits. This innovative approach to learning, which combines hands-on experience with eLearning videos and interactive tasks, has garnered recognition and earned us a nomination for this prestigious award. “This nomination reflects our passion for delivering engaging learning experiences and our continuous pursuit of excellence. We are grateful to Docebo for this honour and our team’s relentless dedication!” - Daniel Todd, Senior Training Manager at Wren Kitchens.
Charity Donation Barton Food Bank. We are proud to be supporting the Barton Area Food Bank with a donation of over £10,000 and a timber worktop! In recent months, we've been supporting Barton Area Food Bank in providing food and essentials to those in need. Back in January 2024, we donated towards a new storage space after they outgrew their small shipping container. Now finished, the new insulated building has storage shelves, fridges and freezers, meaning they can store a wider range of food, toiletries and household essentials, and help even more people in need! We also gifted a Wren Kitchens Timber worktop, providing essential organisational space for their operations. Margaret, Chairwoman of Barton Area Food Bank, expressed the impact of the donation on both service users and volunteers: "Wren has been fantastic, their generous donation towards our new building has made all the difference, we now have one central location and thankfully no longer have to store things in our own bedrooms and garages! We have built a great relationship with Wren and appreciate their ongoing help and support whenever we need them. Everyone at the food bank is delighted they came to our rescue as without Wren our new facility would not have been possible."
We recently celebrated Wren Fest 2024 at our Head Office, The Nest. This has become our annual tradition—a day of fun, bonding, and a real highlight of the summer. This year, we hosted over 600 of our team members and their families, with more than 2,500 attendees joining us throughout the day. We were treated to delicious food and entertainment, with all attendees enjoying live music from an array of performers! Behind the Scenes: With exclusive behind-the-scenes access to the beautiful grounds and busy operations at The Nest, family and friends were able to enjoy exploring our wonderful training academy, manufacturing sites at Barton West and Parrott Street, and our expansive office space. Visitors could check out our fantastic VR technology and take a turn in the driver’s seat of some of our state-of-the-art lorries. Of course, no trip to The Nest is complete without experiencing Wren Catering. Over 2,000 servings of the dining room's favourite dish, gyros, served up to hungry visitors! Entertainment: There was fun for all the family, with face painting, inflatables, hook a duck, a fire engine, fairground rides, an alpaca meet and greet and dog shows from Quality Canines, there was no shortage of things to do and see!
Digging Deep for A Greener Future In March, more than 300 of our team members, accompanied by their families and friends, congregated at Costello Playing Fields in Hull to participate in our endeavour to foster a more environmentally friendly future by planting 500 trees! The esteemed Lord Mayor of Kingston Upon Hull and Admiral of the Humber, Councillor Kalvin Neal, inaugurated the event by planting his very own beech tree. He remarked, "The future of the planet is in our hands and I am proud to be part of today's project which will help provide resilience and protection of our precious planet for generations to come. This inspiring project will only help get nature's legacy back on track towards a greener and more sustainable future." These endeavours align with our support for Hull City Council's local biodiversity restoration project and represent just one facet of Wren's commitment to securing a more environmentally conscious future for future generations. We extend heartfelt gratitude to all who participated for your incredible dedication and hard work!
