The cards, gifts and celebration retailer has applied for planning permission to install signage at the old Claire’s Accessories store at Banbury Gateway.

Both of the Claire’s Accesories shops shut down last year in Banbury, with one at Castle Quay Shopping Centre and the other at Banbury Gateway Shopping Park.

Card Factory already has stores at Banbury Cross Retail Park and the one in the Castle Quay Shopping Centre.

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Card Factory store in Newcastle-under-Lyme, Staffordshire. (Image: Barrington Coombs, PA Wire)

The gift retailer has shops also has shops in Headington, Cowley, Kidlington, Abingdon, Bicester, Witney, Didcot and Wantage.

The gift shop has over 200 shops across the UK, with the first Cardfactory store opening in Wakefield in 1997.

Last year Card Factory acquired personalised greetings card business Funky Pigeon from WH Smith for £24m.

Claire’s permanently closed in April after the major UK fashion brand collapsed into administration.

The high street chain was put into administration back in January 2026 alongside The Original Factory Shop (TOFS).

The two retailers had already undergone restructuring and were bought by investment firm Modella Capital last year.

Oxford Mail has asked the retailer if they have an opening date for the Banbury Gateway site and whether the opening will affect either of their other two Banbury stores.

SOFIAH NICHOLE SALIVIO

News Editor

EcoOnline has formed a global partnership with risk advisory firm J.S. Held, combining software tools with advisory services for workplace safety and crisis response.

The agreement focuses on three areas: environmental, health and safety management; crisis management; and lone worker protection. Both groups say employers face widening operational risks and fragmented oversight.

New survey data from EcoOnline points to a sizeable gap between worker concerns and employer preparedness. Nearly half of workers surveyed said they had experienced a workplace accident or illness, while 74% said more digital tools would make them feel safer at work.

The findings also suggest crisis planning remains poorly understood in many organisations. Only 31% of respondents said their employer had a crisis management plan they fully understood.

Lone worker safety emerged as another concern. EcoOnline said 32% of workers identify as lone workers, but only 56% believe their employer takes responsibility for their safety. One in three also said they had an accident while working alone in the past year.

Shared offer

Under the partnership, EcoOnline will provide software for incident reporting, safety management, crisis planning and lone worker monitoring, while J.S. Held will add field-based advisory services in risk assessment, preparedness and response.

The arrangement is intended to give organisations a more joined-up way to manage safety and operational disruption, linking digital reporting and oversight with support for implementation and field response.

The initial focus will be on the three areas outlined in the agreement, with scope expected to expand across EcoOnline’s broader software portfolio over time.

The tie-up reflects a wider trend in corporate risk management as companies try to connect compliance systems, workforce communication and emergency planning. Employers in sectors with dispersed staff, hazardous environments or isolated roles have faced growing scrutiny over how they monitor risk and respond to incidents.

EcoOnline’s survey also suggests worker expectations are shifting. Some 77% of respondents said an unsafe workplace could prompt them to change employer, placing safety alongside pay and flexibility as a retention factor.

Risk pressure

For crisis readiness, the partnership aims to improve access to plans and co-ordination during disruption. For lone worker protection, it focuses on oversight, communication and escalation when an employee is operating alone in a higher-risk setting.

Both companies argue that risk has expanded faster than the systems many employers use to manage it, leaving some organisations reliant on disconnected processes for workplace safety, emergency response and employee protection.

Kris McKenzie, chief revenue officer at EcoOnline, linked the partnership to the survey findings. “Workers are already aware of how broad operational risk has become. What they’re less confident in is whether their employer has the plans, processes, and visibility to deal with it,” said McKenzie. “J.S. Held’s hands-on advisory expertise amplifies the impact of our intelligent automation, giving organisations a clearer path to future-proof their readiness and protect their people.”

J.S. Held said the partnership fits its approach to advising businesses on connected operational risks, particularly where safety, resilience and supply chain issues overlap.

Andrea Korney, vice president of sustainability and supply chain at J.S. Held, said businesses were dealing with increasingly intertwined threats across day-to-day operations.

“We work with businesses facing more complex, connected risks across safety and operations,” said Korney. “Our role is to help them understand that complexity in context and act with confidence. EcoOnline’s comprehensive suite of out-of-the-box safety and sustainability software gives customers a practical foundation to implement faster, strengthen oversight, and build a more unified operational picture.”

The partnership gives EcoOnline a way to pair its software with consultancy support at a time when employers are under pressure to show that safety systems are understood in practice, not just documented in policy. For J.S. Held, it adds a software layer to advisory work for clients seeking more consistent visibility over incidents, staff exposure and emergency procedures.

Both companies present the alliance as a response to a workplace risk landscape that no longer sits neatly within separate departments. The data they cite suggests many workers already see that shift, with accident rates, lone working concerns and weak understanding of crisis plans pointing to the same problem: employers may have tools or procedures in place, but staff do not always trust that they are connected or effective.

Japanese owned Aioi R&D Lab uses artificial intelligence and advanced data science to turn cutting‑edge academic research into real‑world commercial applications.

By combining Japanese expertise with British research excellence, the Lab is developing solutions to major global challenges and emerging risks, including those arising from AI data privacy, fraud, autonomous driving, ageing populations and supply chain disruptions.

Since 2020, Aioi has invested nearly £50M in Oxford-based AI and technology ventures.

Around 40 people are currently employed at its R&D Lab in Oxford, with its workforce expected to double by the end of the year, creating highly skilled roles in AI, data science and engineering.

Former chief scientific adviser Sir Patrick Vallance, during a media briefing in Downing Street on (Image: PA)

In April, the foreign secretary visited Japan to discuss opportunities to work on joint priorities, including economic growth.

Collaboration on fast‑growing technology sectors was also at the centre of conversations between prime minister Sir Keir Starmer and Japanese prime minister Sanae Takaichi this weekend.

During the visit, the leaders agreed a new UK-Japan Frontier Tech Partnership which will see British research translated into scalable technology with Japanese investment, from AI to robotics, quantum, space and defence tech.

The UK’s total bilateral trade with Japan is now worth £34.6 billion., with over 1,200 Japanese companies in the UK in 2022, providing over 150,000 UK jobs.

Minister for the Indo-Pacific, Seema Malhotra, said: “Aioi R&D Lab in Oxford is a powerful example of how the UK’s international partnerships support growth at home – attracting investment, creating high‑skilled jobs, and translating world‑class research into real‑world impact.

“By strengthening collaboration with Japan in priority sectors like AI and data science, this work supports our growth mission and reinforces the UK’s position as a partner of choice for global innovation.”

Originally launched as a partnership between Japanese insurer Aioi Nissay Dowa and Mind Foundry, an Oxford University spin-out, Aioi fully acquired the AI consulting business from Mind Foundry last year.

The Oxford Lab’s expansion has been backed by the UK Government, including support from the British Embassy in Tokyo, which has helped showcase its work to major Japanese corporates at a number of large-scale events.

Following introductions from the UK Government, Aioi has also invested in several other Oxford spinouts, including Natcap, a nature intelligence provider; OXA, a world-leading autonomous driving software developer; and Macrocosm, a complexity economics modelling company.

Junichi Ikagami, chief executive of Aioi R&D Lab, said: “One of the UK’s key strengths is its world-class AI and research capability.

“Combining this with our extensive client base across industries creates a powerful opportunity for innovation.

“Supported by the strong and stable relationship between the UK and Japan, we have successfully turned emerging technologies into real-world solutions, and we look forward to delivering even greater impact in the years ahead.”

UK science minister Lord Vallance said: “Aioi is demonstrating what is possible when you combine world-class British research with international expertise, and this expansion will bring a further boost to jobs and create opportunities for new spinouts in Oxfordshire.”