Following the opening of its 79th showroom last month in Tamworth, the kitchen retailer has put forward plans to open a showroom on Portland Retail Park, taking over a unknit currently occupied by Dreams.

Plans have been submitted to Mansfield District Council, which include the creation of mezzanine floors in two of the retail units on site, in order to create greater floorspace. If plans, which also include the replacement of the existing shopfront, are approved, Wren would move into unit three on the retail park, which is currently occupied by Dreams and the bedroom retailer would then move into unit 11a, which was previously occupied by Maplin but has remained empty for over a year.

The total amount of additional floorspace that would be provided by the proposed mezzanine floors equates to 983sq m, with Wren’s potential new site occupying the bulk of that space with the mezzanine for unit three at 672sq m.

Owners of the retail park, Peveril Securities, explained that unit 11 “has not been let since March 2018, primarily because the pool of potential tenants is extremely small due to the size of the retail unit and restrictions imposed on the range of goods that can be sold from the retail park.”

It maintains that Wren’s new showroom on the site would bring the empty unit back into use, “which in turn would translate into long-term job opportunities in the town”.

It is anticipated that the proposed Wren Kitchens unit will create approximately 25 jobs, including managers, kitchen designers, design surveyors and information advisors, in a mix of full and flexible part-time positions. The proposals will also maintain three full-time and two part-time jobs by relocating Dreams.

Peveril Securities added that the application proposals will provide: “the ability to accommodate new retailers on Portland Retail Park who would not otherwise invest in Mansfield because of a lack of available units of a quality, size and configuration capable of satisfying retailer operational requirements. The retail park creates opportunities for retailers to invest in Mansfield, which in turn, generates jobs on the retail park without the disadvantage of jobs lost in the town centre.”

Peveril also believes, if given the go-ahead, Wren’s presence will “increase Mansfield’s overall attraction to shoppers and strengthen its competitiveness.”

The news follows a £1million investment by Wren Kitchens in transforming its state-of-the-art kitchen showroom at Tamworth’s Ventura Retail Park, which opened on June 14. The kitchen retailer has created 23 new jobs in what is the biggest kitchen showroom in Tamworth. 

The former 10,000sq ft Poundstretcher building now encompasses one of the largest displays of kitchens in the area, plus an interior design studio that can be pre-booked by local interior designers. The studio has a large range of samples, design books and inspirational mood boards, as well as Apple iMac computers and comfortable surroundings to assist in the design of any dream kitchen.