AN international research firm with a base in Oxford, has taken the first steps in its move from Headington to a new site on Oxford Business Park.

Nielsen, which is leaving its home of more than 60 years, at London Road, near Thornhill Park & Ride, held a ground-breaking ceremony at the site of the new building in Cowley, on Wednesday, with staff invited to celebrate the occasion.

The event included the recreation of a photograph from the original ground-breaking event which took place in January 1956 at the site of their current offices.

Managing director Steve Smith joined the event and said the firm had been a part of Oxford for decades. He said the new facilities would be a boon to the area.

He said: “We have been part of the Oxford community for over 60 years, when we built the original office on London Road.

“We are really excited about how this will benefit our Oxford staff and our clients, visitors, as well as the kudos such a project brings to the Oxford business community.”

Also attending the ceremony were a number of special guests, including Nielsen’s longest serving member of staff, Fiona Griffiths, who has been with the company as a personal assistant for 38 years.

She was joined by its newest member of staff, sales director Rachel White, who had been with Nielsen for just seven days.

Ms Griffiths said: "I'm really looking forward to our move. We're a different company than we were even when I started. As working practices have changed and technology evolves, we've outgrown our space.

"It will be fantastic to have a new office with an open plan, which will help us work better across teams, with lots of collaborative and creative working space for meetings and new amenities such as a cafe, electric car charging points, and lots of room for cycle parking."

The company's move to the site, off Garsington Road, is part of a larger expansion by the business and will include room for more than 400 employees with new facilities including a dedicated broadcast room and a so-called 'tech cafe'.

The new building at the business park will also host a garden restaurant terrace, digital conference screens, a business lounge, shower rooms and electric car charging stations on site.

Work is scheduled to be completed in January 2018 and the site has been designed by Goodman Management. It is being built by construction firm Kier.

The old London Road site is set to be developed with 93 homes after controversial plans to transform the building were approved by councillors despite concerns over congestion.