º£½ÇÊÓƵ

Wren Kitchens saw almost £100 million of sales added as the business continued on its growth trajectory through Covid.

Turnover was up 15 per cent to £703 million, from £612 million in 2019, despite retail showroom closures.

Mark Pullan, managing director, told how key decisions made at The Nest headquarters during the early onset of the pandemic saw it honour customer orders and ensure materials were there to overcome supply shortages envisaged.

Profits hit £59.5 million, up from £51.3 million, with almost £50 million invested back into the business, with well over 5,000 now employed.

US operations have launched while at the Barton-upon-Humber base, a huge manufacturing expansion is on track to serve showrooms that now number more than 100.

In the strategic report, issued alongside the figures, Mr Pullan reflected on the material impact on turnover of the outbreak with the retail closures, stating he was “confident that the company is in a strong position, having already demonstrated its resilience during the initial impact of the pandemic”.

He said: “The directors would like to express their gratitude to the incredibly dedicated and resilient team for the manner in which they reacted to this crisis. The directors would also like to express their thanks to the company's customers for their understanding during these unprecedented times.

“Whilst the company's retail outlets where required to be closed at different times throughout the year, the decision was taken at the outset that it was not acceptable to leave customers, many of whom were in the middle middle of building projects, without any facilities to cook, prepare or store their food during this incredible difficult period.