Aardman animations is coming to Westgate shopping centre this month on Tuesday, May 26 and Wednesday, May 27.

Westgate Oxford’s PLUS+ members will be the first to access tickets for the shops.

The Bristol-based animation studio is known for Shaun the Sheep, Chicken Run, Wallace and Gromit, and Flushed Away.

Visitors to the shopping centre can enjoy the official clay-modelling workshops during the half-term weekend.

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The trail combines interactive Augmented Reality (AR), and on-site ‘hide and sheep’ elements. (Image: Aardman Animations LTD)

The company is also running an augmented reality free Shaun the Sheep trail all month.

Guest are invited to hunt down nine places throughout the Westgate, each unlocking an interactive scene.

Families on the free adventure with ‘Shaun the Sheep: Fun with the Flock’, can see many characters of the show in 3D.

To participate in the Shaun the Sheep A.R. trail, guests will need to download the ‘Fun with the Flock’ app and enter the location code 2410, either in advance or on site.

They can then pick up the free trail map and headband from the information desk next to JD Sports.

Those who complete the trail will get a sticker prize, while adults also have the chance to win a £100 John Lewis gift card when signing up to PLUS+; Westgate Oxford’s free reward programme.

Families can also pick up free Shaun the Sheep colouring sheets from Guest Services every weekend.

Incept has entered into an underwriting agreement with Fortegra for its new UK title insurance product, giving the insurtech backing from a specialty insurer with an established presence in the British market.

The agreement supports Incept’s push into title insurance, a niche form of property cover used in real estate transactions to protect against defects or risks linked to legal title. It will also support policy distribution through the company’s digital portal.

Incept’s platform uses live data from HM Land Registry to generate title insurance policies on demand. Users can obtain all-risks cover within seconds through the online system, which is designed for buyers, sellers and lenders involved in property deals.

Title insurance remains a specialised segment in the UK compared with the United States, but providers have been turning to technology to reduce the manual work involved in property transactions. Insurers and brokers are also looking for ways to improve turnaround times as conveyancing delays continue to weigh on housing market activity.

Fortegra, which operates internationally in specialty insurance, has been expanding its UK presence. The agreement with Incept places it behind a product aimed at a property market where speed, documentation and risk assessment often determine whether transactions complete on schedule.

Mark Figes, chief executive officer of Fortegra Insurance UK, said: “Fortegra’s commitment to innovation and our financial strength make us well-positioned to support Incept’s ambition in the UK title insurance space. Their technology-driven platform represents exactly the kind of forward-thinking proposition we look for in a partner – one that delivers genuine value to the market. We look forward to supporting this exciting next chapter together.”

For Incept, the deal is a significant step in bringing its title insurance offering to market. The company was founded to apply data and automation to property transactions, with a focus on reducing delays and administrative burdens.

Market pressure

The UK property insurance and conveyancing sectors have come under pressure from slowing transaction chains, uneven service standards and falling prices in some lines of cover. Incept’s leadership argues that technology can help address inefficiencies while giving underwriters greater consistency in how policies are issued.

Reema Mannah, founder and chief executive officer of Incept, said Fortegra’s backing was an endorsement of the firm’s approach.

“Fortegra’s support is a real vote of confidence in our platform. The team shares our belief in harnessing advanced technology to improve both the underwriter and client experience. Incept delivers true value, helping to cut through a saturated market where service quality is otherwise being diluted and premium rates are slipping to unsustainable levels. With the support of this world-class underwriter, our goal is to revolutionise how UK property transactions get done.”

The company positions its product as a way to put insurance in place earlier in the transaction process. That could appeal to firms involved in residential and commercial property work, where title issues can emerge late and delay completion.

Digital tools have become more prominent across insurance distribution in recent years, including in specialist lines once handled mainly through manual review and broker-led processes. In property-related insurance, access to cleaner data sources has encouraged more automated decision-making, although many transactions still rely on case-by-case assessment.

Fortegra’s support also gives Incept a recognised underwriting partner as it seeks to win business in a market where insurer credibility matters to solicitors, lenders and transaction advisers. For newer entrants, underwriting relationships can be decisive in moving from a technology concept to an insurable product with broad market acceptance.

Incept says its system is built around direct access to Land Registry information, allowing policy creation to be tied closely to current property records. The company argues that this can reduce friction in a process that often depends on document gathering, legal review and repeated checks between parties.

The partnership brings together a specialist insurer and a newer technology-led intermediary at a time when the property sector is under pressure to shorten timelines without increasing risk.

WorkJam has published research suggesting retailers are putting cost control ahead of employee experience, marking a broader shift in workforce strategy across the sector.

Its poll of more than 150 retail professionals found that 37% now prioritise cost control over employee retention and experience, while only 5% said employee experience remains the priority.

The findings reflect the strain on retailers as higher labour costs and wider operational pressures weigh on decision-making. Employers are adjusting staffing and pricing in response to changes including higher National Insurance contributions and increases to the National Minimum Wage.

Almost half of respondents, 44%, said they are reducing or slowing hiring. A further 29% said they are raising prices.

The research also suggests many retailers still rely on basic or outdated workforce systems. Some 31% said their organisation uses basic workforce management tools, while 26% still depend on manual or outdated processes or have no formal process at all.

This points to slow progress in digitising frontline operations at a time when businesses are under pressure to simplify processes and contain costs. It also comes as retailers face new compliance demands, with only 25% saying they are making changes in response to the Employment Rights Bill.

AI adoption

Use of artificial intelligence in workforce operations appears to be spreading, but deployment remains limited. While 74% of respondents said their organisation is using AI in workforce operations, only 13% said it has been deployed at scale.

Just 20% of retailers described their AI maturity for workforce optimisation as advanced or mature. More than half, 56%, said efficiency and productivity were the main reasons for investing in AI for workforce management, while only 15% cited improving employee experience.

The data suggests the sector is still in the early stages of applying AI to staffing, scheduling and related processes. It also indicates that retailers are treating the technology primarily as a cost and efficiency tool rather than a way to address retention or engagement.

Alongside this, 66% of respondents said workforce pressures are forcing their organisations to rethink operating models. That underlines how labour costs and staffing constraints are driving broader changes in store operations and management structures.

Mark Williams, Managing Director EMEA at WorkJam, said the retreat from employee experience could carry longer-term consequences for retailers already dealing with disruption on the shop floor.

He said: “This is one of the sharpest and most risky strategic reversals we have seen in the sector in recent years. The pressure retailers are facing is real, but deprioritising employee experience is a short-term reaction that will negatively compound over time. The challenge for retailers is finding ways to reduce costs and simplify operations without losing focus on frontline engagement. With the right platform strategy, retailers can consolidate their tech stack while also improving the employee experience.”

His comments reflect a wider debate in retail over whether employers can cut spending without worsening staff turnover, engagement and day-to-day execution in stores. Frontline teams remain central to customer service, stock handling and in-store compliance, making workforce decisions especially sensitive during periods of cost pressure.

Operational strain

The survey points to a gap between the pressures retailers say they face and the systems many have in place to manage them. Employers may be looking for savings, but the results suggest many are doing so with fragmented tools and limited automation.

Williams said retailers should treat staff experience and operational efficiency as connected issues rather than separate goals. A more joined-up approach to scheduling, communication, task management and learning, he argued, could help reduce complexity.

He said: “Frontline operations platforms are becoming increasingly important as retailers look to simplify operations without creating additional friction for employees. By bringing together scheduling, communication, task management and learning into a single platform, retailers can reduce the complexity and costs associated with fragmented systems, while also creating a more connected and engaging experience for frontline teams. The retailers that will be most successful are those recognising that operational efficiency and employee experience are closely linked, not competing priorities.”