Wren Kitchens Files Chapter 7, Closes All 15 US Stores
Why it matters: Wren Kitchens' abrupt liquidation left U.S. workers without severance or WARN Act notice and stranded customers who paid thousands for unfinished kitchen orders. For Home Depot, losing its in-store studio partner signals the housing-driven slump — which cut its own Q4 sales 3.8% — is claiming even partnered tenants on its own sales floor.
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- Wren Kitchens filed for Chapter 7 bankruptcy liquidation on April 24 in the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the District of Delaware, abruptly closing all 15 U.S. retail stores on the East Coast
- Wren Kitchens also shuttered its in-store Wren Kitchen Studios at Home Depot locations, ending a partnership launched in 2024; Home Depot said it had "no previous notice" of the closure
- A proposed class action complaint was filed against Wren US Holdings alleging violations of the WARN Act, claiming employees received no 60-day advance notice — some learned via an April 23 Zoom call from UK management
- Wren Kitchens employees received final paychecks but no severance or continuation of benefits, while customers who made advance payments for kitchen products may not recover thousands of dollars already paid
- Wren US Holdings Inc. listed $100 million to $500 million in assets in its bankruptcy petition; the U.K. parent still operates approximately 111 stores abroad
- Home Depot reported a 3.8% decline in Q4 2025 sales amid the housing slump, though annual sales still rose 3.2%, underscoring the tough environment that felled its in-store partner
- Central Center Hardware in Ohio (49 years in business) and 80-year-old Miller's Hardware in Winter Park, Fla. also announced permanent closures, part of a wider wave of home improvement retail shutdowns
