Dream kitchens turn to nightmares as major company suddenly closes all NJ stores

💲 Wren Kitchens closed all U.S. locations without warning or severance

💲 Ongoing projects halted, deposits at risk as company files Chapter 7 bankruptcy

💲 One NJ designer faces job loss just before welcoming his first child

In the blink of an eye, the steady life of Steven Sanchez became very uncertain on Thursday afternoon.

Sanchez was the senior designer at Wren Kitchens in the Hamilton Marketplace. He was working on designs for new kitchens for 60 customers and thinking about his upcoming paternity leave for the arrival of his first child.

Suddenly, Sanchez's computer blinked off and his work benefits ended. The manager got up and locked the door.

"He says, 'Well, as of now all Wren's U.S. operations have ceased. We're closing everything.' That's how they told us," Ken Heinz, who also worked at the Wren location in Hamilton, said. "They didn't even give us time to grab customers' names to help them."

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Sudden shutdown of Wren Kitchens shocks NJ workers

The company closed all 15 of its standalone stores plus all its studios at some Home Depot stores as part of a Chapter 7 bankruptcy liquidation filing. Its New Jersey locations included Cherry Hill, Hamilton, Lawrence, North Bergen and Paramus.

The British company's website has a message stating that it has closed with a link to a form for those who "require assistance."

Heinz and Sanchez said they received final paychecks from Wren but lost some commissions. There was no severance package offered on their last day.

"We got a kiss goodbye. That was our exit package. Literally, we're done," Heinz said.

The designers are doing what they can to help customers despite their company emails being shut down and no access to their customer files. Heinz said he contacted a few customers whose cell phone numbers he had despite Wren's discouragement of the practice.

He said he's been telling customers who paid a deposit by credit card to dispute it. He said he's been able to coordinate some projects with cabinet makers and a counter maker he's worked with in the past.

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Workers scramble to help clients

Sanchez said that the customers he has contacted have been understanding of the situation. He feels bad that customers who were in the middle of projects will lose money.

It's not clear how many employees Wren had in New Jersey. If there were more than 100, the New Jersey Department of Labor and Workforce Development says they were required to file a WARN notice to give 90 days' notice of job terminations. Wren does not appear on the state WARN list, but state officials are checking to see if it is still being processed, given the sudden closure.

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