King’s Award for SMART by Foxway recognises compliant refurbishment at scale

Foxway Circular UK Ltd, part of Foxway Group, has been formally presented with the King’s Award for Enterprise: Innovation for SMART by Foxway, its cloud platform for compliant Microsoft Windows licensing on refurbished devices. His Majesty’s Lord-Lieutenant of Essex, Jennifer Tolhurst, presented the award at Foxway’s UK operations centre in Braintree, where SMART was developed. 

Compliant licensing has long been a barrier for refurbishers. The Microsoft Authorized Refurbisher programme provides the legitimate route, but has traditionally required on-premise servers, specialist knowledge and significant volumes. SMART removes that barrier. Refurbishers register as Third Party Refurbishers, buy genuine licences and install them from the cloud, with no infrastructure required. 

SMART also tackles the issues that cost refurbishers time and margin: 

• SMARTShield blocks duplicate licence installation. It has protected 75,000 devices, saving refurbishers an estimated £1.5m.  

• Autopilot lock detection flags cached profiles before devices ship, reducing returns and data exposure risk. 

• RapidDriver installs Microsoft-signed drivers during the licensing workflow, cutting bench time. 

• Verification tools (a registration certificate, website badge and online check) let refurbishers prove compliance to buyers. 

 

Proven at scale 

• More than 1,150 refurbishers in over 60 countries.  

• More than 1,000,000 genuine Windows licences installed.  

• Winner of the Microsoft Innovation Award 2021 and Microsoft Partner Award 2024.  

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.”