Foxway Circular wins King's Award for Enterprise

The ceremony was held at Foxway’s Braintree site, where the Lord-Lieutenant and Councillor Karen McIvor, Chairman of Essex County Council and Councillor Cllr Richard van Dulken, Chairman of Braintree District Council toured the facilities and met staff.

The company won the award, the UK’s highest business honour, for SMART by Foxway, software developed in Braintree. SMART helps companies that refurbish used laptops and PCs install genuine Windows licences, so devices can be resold and reused instead of thrown away. It is now used by more than 1,150 refurbishers in over 60 countries.

The business started in Braintree in 2016 with three staff, trading as Global Resale. It now employs around 150 people and was one of 13 Essex firms to win a King’s Award this year - more than any other county outside Greater London. 

“We’re enormously proud that Essex has achieved 13 King’s Awards this year, it reflects our county, we’re full of dynamism and entrepreneurial spirit.  It’s not an easy thing to achieve a King’s Award, to be able to present that award to Foxway today is a significant moment.”  Mrs Jennifer Tolhurst, Lord-Lieutenant of Essex.

Ben Daniels, Head of Software & Licensing Solutions at Foxway Circular UK, said: “When people think about refurbishing technology, the focus is often on the physical condition of a device, how it looks and feels. But there's an equally important process happening behind the scenes, from software and licensing to drivers, automation and compliance. With SMART, we've set out to bring that same level of attention to detail to the software side of refurbishment, making what can be a complicated process simpler, more consistent and scalable. To see something we originally developed to solve challenges in our own refurbishment operations now being used by more than 1,150 refurbishers across 60 countries is incredibly rewarding. Receiving the King's Award for Innovation is a fantastic recognition of what we've achieved and the direction we're continuing to take.”

Martin Series, Snr. Director, Global Services Solutions at Foxway Circular UK, said: “Today was about our people. SMART was built here in Braintree to solve a problem on our own refurbishment floor, and its success is thanks to the people who developed and grew it, together with the refurbishers around the world who have embraced the platform and helped shape its success. Having the King’s Award presented here, in front of the team who made it happen, is something we will all remember and can be incredibly proud of.”

Patrick Höijer, CEO, Foxway Group said “Our ambition at Foxway is to enable circular tech by keeping devices in use for longer. SMART demonstrates how innovation can support refurbishment and circularity at scale, and the King’s Award is fantastic recognition of the Braintree team who made it possible.”

The firm is recruiting locally, particularly for operational roles, and hopes the award will raise its profile as a Braintree employer. https://jobs.foxway.com

Its Braintree site processes more than five million electronic items and parts each year, prioritising reuse and refurbishment before recycling.