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HANOVER TWP. &mdash; Gov. Tom Wolf Monday announced 360 new manufacturing jobs are coming to Luzerne County &mdash; a move the governor said will make a great difference in the community, as the economy continues toward recovery.
				Gov. Wolf announced that Wren Manufacturing, Inc., a manufacturer of custom kitchen cabinets, will establish its North American headquarters and a manufacturing center in the Hanover Industrial Estates in Hanover Township and Sugar Notch Borough, creating a combined 360 new jobs at both locations in Luzerne County.
				&ldquo;Wren Manufacturing&rsquo;s choice to establish its North American headquarters in Pennsylvania speaks to what our commonwealth can offer to businesses looking to grow and expand,&rdquo; Wolf said.
				Wren Manufacturing is a privately-owned British designer, manufacturer, and retailer of custom kitchen cabinets. The company is disrupting the custom cabinet market by improving the shopping experience &mdash; enabling customization of each product online and through a virtual reality experience at its network of retail centers. (For more infoirmation, go to: <a href="https://www.wrenkitchens.com/us/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">https://www.wrenkitchens.com/us/</a>)
				The company intends to add retail centers across the North America and provide support to them from this location.
				The company will invest nearly $15.5 million in leasehold improvements and new equipment.
				The company has leased a 252,000 square foot industrial building at 1070 Hanover Street from Mericle Commercial Real Estate Services, where it will manufacture and distribute its kitchens.
				And Wren has also leased 10,046 square feet of office and call center space from Mericle at 1110 Hanover St.
				Wren is seeking to fill a variety of job openings including management, customer support representatives, machine operators, hand sprayers, mechanical and electrical Engineers, CDL A drivers, production associates and many more.
				The project was coordinated by Mericle, Pennsylvania&rsquo;s Office of International Business Development and Pennsylvania&rsquo;s Governor&rsquo;s Action Team.
				&ldquo;We&rsquo;re excited to bring our vertically integrated model to the United States, the largest home improvement market in the world,&rdquo; said Rafal Klimek, Manufacturing and Logistics Director for Wren Kitchens. &ldquo;Luzerne County has a tremendous amount of talent in the local area and its location allows us to reach a huge percentage of the American population within a short drive time.&rdquo;
				Wren currently employs more than 5,500 people across the UK, and the expansion will create a significant number of jobs in America mainly in the manufacturing and retail sector, as well as various support roles such as customer services and HR.
				Individuals interested in applying for employment with Wren Kitchens may do so on Pennsylvania CareerLink&rsquo;s website at www.pacareerlink.pa.gov. Search available positions by typing &ldquo;Wren&rdquo; into the search box.
				Mericle, Chamber comment
				Mericle President Rob Mericle said Wren has received numerous awards in recognition of the quality of its UK products, manufacturing process, and retail showrooms.
				&ldquo;Wren is highly regarded throughout Europe,&rdquo; said Mericle. &ldquo;In 2019, the company was named the best retail place to work in the UK by the world&rsquo;s number one job site Indeed.com. The company has been recognized many times for the quality of its products and installation services within the furniture and kitchen industries.&rdquo;
				Mericle said he is looking forward to Wren bringing its expertise and positive corporate culture to Northeastern Pennsylvania.
				&ldquo;The project has the potential for significant job creation,&rdquo; Mericle said.
				Mericle thanked the Office of International Business Development, Pennsylvania Governor&rsquo;s Action Team, and Hanover Township for their help with the project.
				Wico van Genderen, President and CEO of the Greater Wilkes-Barre Chamber of Commerce, said the fact that a European company as prominent as Wren Kitchens chose Hanover Township for its first U.S. manufacturing and distribution center, speaks volumes about the area&rsquo;s rise as a preferred location for new business.
				&ldquo;Any time a manufacturer of Wren&rsquo;s status moves into a community, other companies take notice,&rdquo; Van Genderen said. &ldquo;Momentum drives a lot of economic activity. There is the potential for local suppliers of goods and services to see a boost in their business. Wren will likely generate a lot of positive spin-off.&rdquo;
				Township, Penn&rsquo;s Northeast
				Hanover Township Manager Sam Guesto said, &ldquo;We are happy to provide assistance to a world class company like Wren Kitchens. Hanover Township welcomes new businesses, especially manufacturing companies and the quality jobs they create&rdquo;
				Penn&rsquo;s Northeast president John Augustine said he is pleased to welcome Wren Kitchens to the region.
				&ldquo;As Europe&rsquo;s #1 kitchen retailer and manufacturer, Wren could have located their new facility anywhere in the U.S. but because of our strategic location, access to markets, strong work ethic, and affordable and reliable utilities, the company chose to join the growing list of International companies that has located in Northeastern PA,&rdquo; Augustine said. &ldquo;Penn&rsquo;s Northeast congratulates our regional economic development partners &mdash; PA&rsquo;s Department of Community & Economic Development and our members &mdash; especially Mericle Commercial Real Estate Services, for their success in attracting another growing manufacturer to NEPA.&rdquo;
				The real estate transactions were coordinated by Mericle Vice President Bob Besecker. The 252,000 square foot building at 1070 Hanover St. had previously been occupied as a distribution center for many years by Sears.
				Besecker said Mericle&rsquo;s construction crews have completed fitting out the interiors of 1070 Hanover St. and 1110 Hanover St. to Wren&rsquo;s exact specifications.
				Jim Cummings, Mericle&rsquo;s vice president of marketing, said on Nov. 5, Wren will open America&rsquo;s biggest kitchen showroom in Milford, Connecticut, at 31,465 sq. ft.
				The company plans to open several showrooms across the Northeast, including one in Northeastern Pennsylvania. Wren believes the showrooms will inspire and enlighten American homeowners with the use of 3D virtual reality to help bring dream kitchens to life, industry-leading kitchen design tools, as well as inspirational displays of hundreds of counter-tops, handles, storage solutions, appliances, faucets and sinks.
				More from Wolf
				Wolf said this international move speaks to the strength of Pennsylvania&rsquo;s business climate. Department of Community and Economic Development (DCED) Secretary Dennis Davin visited Wren Manufacturing&rsquo;s headquarters in the United Kingdom in September 2019, on a business development mission that highlighted the commonwealth&rsquo;s competitive advantages in workforce and advanced manufacturing to prospective investors considering the establishment of American operations.
				Wren Manufacturing received a funding proposal from DCED for a $1.25 million Pennsylvania First grant, $392,400 in funding for job training through the WEDnet program, and $720,000 in Job Creation Tax Credits to be distributed upon creation of the new jobs. The company may also be eligible for DCED&rsquo;s Manufacturing Tax Credit (MTC) program.
				The project was coordinated by the Governor&rsquo;s Action Team, an experienced group of economic development professionals who report directly to the governor and work with businesses that are considering locating or expanding in Pennsylvania, with assistance from the Office of International Business Development and its representative in the United Kingdom.

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Gov. Wolf: UK’s largest kitchen retailer bringing 360 jobs to Luzerne County