OKA has relocated its headquarters to the UK’s largest innovation community, Milton Park, Oxfordshire, marking a return to the innovation campus where its growth journey began in 2009.
Following the brand’s 25th anniversary, OKA has relocated its head office function into a 12,971 sqft office, which has been customised to showcase the brand’s signature style and heritage.
Founded in 1999 by Annabel Astor, Sue Jones and Lucinda Waterhouse, OKA began as a mail-order business, born out of a shared passion for sourcing unique, ethically made homeware from quality artisans in India and China. The company has since grown into a national brand, with 13 retail locations and a digital and high street presence. When the company outgrew Annabel’s barn, the team relocated to Milton Park in 2009, where it stayed until 2021.
Returning to Milton Park four years later, the new 152 Brook Drive headquarters has brought together OKA’s support functions under one roof. The new single-storey, open-plan space has created a more collaborative and agile way of working for the team, says the retailer, adding that the move follows several significant milestones for OKA. The company has relocated its outlet store from Didcot to Bicester Village, moved warehousing operations to an AIT facility, and opened its first new UK store in eight years, at Redbrick Mill in Batley, Yorkshire.
These milestones mark the start of an ambitious new phase of growth for the company, says OKA, with further physical stores and omnichannel developments planned.
Aalish Yorke-Long, OKA’s chief customer officer, says: “We have been able to curate and design a home of our own here at Milton Park, one which really reflects us as a brand and allows us to realise our future growth ambitions as we look towards our 30th anniversary.
“The Milton Park team provided us with a real blank canvas and welcoming space that we have been able to transform. It has brought our departments together under one roof in a way we’ve never had before, and into a space which embodies our open, collaborative and design-led brand values.
“We’re grateful to Tom and the Milton Park team for making our move so smooth. Since relocating back to Milton Park, we’ve had a real boost in our team’s wellbeing, creativity and connection. We needed a space that feels like home, is flexible and fits the way we work, and Milton Park has given us just that.”
Tom Booker, commercial manager at MEPC Milton Park, adds: “We’re thrilled to welcome OKA back to Milton Park and help support their future growth ambitions, providing a customised space which reflects the brand's heritage and collaborative values. Importantly, partnering with OKA has provided us with an opportunity to improve the building's green credentials, resulting in an EPC A+ rating and a new rooftop solar panel system. OKA now joins a thriving group of consumer brands on the park, and we’re excited to support them in their next chapter."
