Unipart, which employs more than 1,000 people in its head office and warehouse, labelled its HQ as “not fit for purpose”.

And with the lease due to expire in August 2027, its future from Garsington Road is being reconsidered.

Dame Anneliese, the Labour MP for Oxford East, said: “I have been seeking a meeting with Unipart, which I hope can happen soon.

“I was very concerned to hear about the potential closure of the Unipart HQ and warehouse, given the impact that this would have on local people.”

Unipart has so far not responded to our request for further information surrounding its future in the city.

This newspaper has asked whether it would look to stay in Oxford, Oxfordshire or move outside the county.

We have also asked why the building is no longer fit for purpose and whether any jobs are under threat.

Historically, Unipart has closed operations in Oxford before. The company shut down its Woodstock Road factory in 1998, with operations transferring to Coventry.

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While the Cowley site is currently under the microscope, Unipart maintains a long-term presence in Oxfordshire and recently secured a major new seven-year production logistics contract at the neighboring MINI Plant in Cowley.

If the head office and warehouse was to close in Cowley, the multi-million-pound deal would not be affected by this.

In a statement, a spokeswoman for the company said previously: “Unipart confirms that it is reviewing future options for its head office, currently at Unipart House, Cowley, in Oxford.

“The current lease expires in August 2027 and the site is no longer fit for purpose for its workplace needs.

“Unipart is using this as an opportunity to identify a solution that provides a modern, collaborative, sustainable workplace for colleagues.

“The current lease ends in 2032 for Unipart’s Cowley warehouse, with a break clause in August 2027, so a review has also begun to explore options for this.

“It is discussing this with relevant colleagues and colleague forums and will keep them fully updated on developments.”

John Neill, the former chairman of Uniparts, said in 2023 that investment could be shifted to the United States or Europe due to subsidies overseas.

Mr Neill announced his retirement after 50 years in 2024.

Unipart has been based in Cowley since the brand’s inception in 1974.

Originally formed as the parts division for British Leyland, the logistics and manufacturing giant has operated out of its Garsington Road headquarters for over half a century.

SOFIAH NICHOLE SALIVIO

News Editor

Khova has launched a performance platform for multi-location retail and hospitality businesses, designed to help frontline teams work more consistently across sites.

The Amsterdam-based company says the platform brings operational data into a single system and turns it into daily action plans for individual locations. It is aimed at retailers and hospitality groups running multiple sites that want store or venue managers to act on live information before the trading day begins.

According to Khova, the platform draws on sales figures, staffing levels, audits, customer reviews, and external factors such as weather and local events. Managers then receive a prioritised view of the issues and opportunities that need attention at their site.

The product enters a market where operators already use multiple dashboards, planning systems, and reporting tools, but often struggle to turn those inputs into clear actions on the shop floor. Khova argues this can leave performance varying significantly between locations, depending on who is on duty and how information is interpreted.

Daily priorities

Managers using the system can review what happened the previous day and what should be addressed next. That may include recognising strong results, responding to customer feedback, or dealing with an operational issue identified through incoming data.

Recommended actions can also be turned into tasks through integrated communication and training tools, with those tasks assigned directly to team members. Khova presents this as a way to connect analysis with execution at site level, rather than leaving managers to decide unaided how to act on incoming information.

The platform is positioned around operational consistency rather than data collection. Khova says many employers in retail and hospitality already have extensive information available but lack a practical way to convert it into a short list of priorities for each location.

That challenge is particularly relevant in sectors with high staff turnover, changing rotas, and dispersed estates, where local execution often shapes sales and customer experience. In such environments, one location may respond differently from another to the same pattern in trading, staffing, or feedback.

Sector focus

Khova says the platform was built specifically for the retail and hospitality sectors. Its team has more than a decade of experience across both shop-floor operations and software development.

The company also says Khova emerged from work carried out within MobieTrain. Those experiences, it says, showed that managers often need clearer direction in the moment rather than access to more information.

Khova cited Gallup research on the effect managers can have on differences in team performance and engagement. It argues that fragmented information and administrative demands can reduce the time managers spend leading daily operations.

Founder and Chief Executive Officer Guy van Neck said the company developed the platform in response to the volume of data managers face from multiple sources.

“What we consistently see is that managers are overwhelmed by data from all kinds of different sources. This makes it difficult to determine what really matters today to improve performance. As a result, you see the same figures leading to very different decisions at location A compared to location B. That is why we developed Khova,” said Guy van Neck, Founder and Chief Executive Officer at Khova.

Van Neck said the platform was designed to combine a wide range of operational and contextual inputs into a simplified briefing for site leaders at the start of each day.

“We bring all that data together, from sales and planning to reviews, weather information, and what is happening in the surrounding area. Every morning, the manager receives a clear overview of what happened yesterday and a short list of priorities for the day. Sometimes that means celebrating strong performance with the team. Sometimes it is a very targeted action based on customer feedback, directly linked to the people who were working at that time. Because we combine context and data, we can also see what those actions do to results over time. In that way, you help each location operate more consistently, based on what actually works on the shop floor,” said Van Neck.

Charlotte Botham and Belinda Sinnott join the firm as part of its ongoing expansion across the Thames Valley and South East, with offices in Swindon and Oxford.

With nearly 20 years of experience each, Ms Botham and Ms Sinnott bring expertise in portfolio management and residential development respectively.

Greg Humphreys, partner and head of the real estate team at Gardner Leader, said: “The appointments of Charlotte and Belinda mark an important step in the continued growth of our real estate team.

“Both bring a depth of experience and sector knowledge that will be of real benefit to our clients.

“Their arrival also supports our continued investment in the team, where we are seeing increasing demand for specialist real estate expertise from businesses, developers and investors across the wider South East and beyond.”

Ms Botham joins from Horsey Lightly, where she was head of property.

She advises on acquisitions and disposals, landlord and tenant matters, secured lending, and property-related corporate transactions.

Her experience includes the £64 million sale of a public house portfolio and advising institutional investors, pension funds, and a global charitable foundation on complex property matters.

Ms Botham said: “Gardner Leader has a strong reputation for delivering high-quality, commercially focused advice.

“It’s exciting to be joining the firm as it cements its position as having one of the leading real estate teams in the south of England.

“I’m looking forward to supporting both new and existing clients and adding my expertise as we continue to strengthen our services.”

Ms Sinnott was previously a legal director at Gateley Legal.

She specialises in residential development and has advised many leading UK housebuilders.

Ms Sinnott has extensive experience with greenfield and brownfield site transactions, including conditional contracts, sub-sale, option, and promotion agreements.

She also advises on overage arrangements, affordable housing disposals, and related matters.

Ms Sinnott said: “I was drawn to Gardner Leader’s strong presence in the commercial property sector, the depth of experience within the team, and its clear commitment to supporting clients across the full lifecycle of their projects.

“The firm’s practical, commercially focused advice and long-term client relationships strongly reflects my own approach, and I’m pleased to bring my experience in residential development to further strengthen the team’s offering to housebuilders, developers and landowners across the region.”

Gardner Leader has expanded into Oxford and Swindon as part of its growth strategy, increasing headcount by more than 50 per cent in five years to over 200 staff.

The firm was recently certified as a B Corp, reflecting its emphasis on balancing commercial success with positive social and environmental impact.