49=
Malcolm Healey
Wren Kitchens
£1.0 billion
Malcolm Healey
Owner
65
80
Wren Kitchens
Retail
£917.7m
£69.5m (profit before tax)
2009
Barton-upon-Humber, UK
wrenkitchens.com
Malcolm Healey made his name in the kitchen and home-furnishings sector. He and his brother began in the family paint business before moving into DIY and kitchen retail. In 1982, his company, Humber Kitchens, together with MFI Group, acquired Hygena; Healey sold his stake in Hygena in 1987 for about £200m. Then came his US company, Mills Pride. This business was offloaded for around £800m in the late 1990s.
Healey was in his mid-60s when he went for the hat-trick with Wren. Under his ownership, Wren Kitchens became a vertically-integrated designer, manufacturer and retailer of fitted kitchens, growing to over 100 showrooms, 5,000 employees and around £900m turnover. Healey’s strategic vision and business execution have made Wren Kitchens one of the UK’s major players in the fitted kitchen market and placed him among the wealthiest entrepreneurs in the Yorkshire region.
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