Sustainable Market

Hello, my name is Sarah De Leon, and I am the winner of the 2023 Top 10 Influential CEOs award from IE Magazine. Throughout my 25 years in the retail industry, I have had the great honor of helping start Apple Retail and was hired away by Google to start their journey into hardware. I have opened more than 400 retail stores in 16 different countries. I know and love retail. Now I want to open a new retail store with your help. Sustainable Market is dedicated to connecting startups producing sustainable or Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) focused products with conscious consumers. This new, 100% sustainable product lifestyle store will offer innovative startups a platform to reach new customers in our stores; our custom app will also inform customers of the positive impact their purchases made on the planet and on our e-commerce site.  Our mission is to create innovative and inclusive retail spaces to drive sustainable products to market for a positive global impact. Currently, sustainable retail is defined as organizations taking measures to ensure their business, manufacturing, and production processes don't negatively impact the environment. But we can do better...

Did you know that in the US alone, in 2023, retail was $572.7 BILLION in the industry? Customers spend 30% more, on average, in person than they do online. My previous work experience was helping start Apple and Google Retail, where I learned the importance of integrating technology into customer-facing spaces to drive new products to market. We helped create what is globally known as experience-based design. I pride myself on forecasting retail based on consumer behavior, trends, and analytics. The data shows that consumers want more sustainability incorporated into their lives. And I want you to help me give it to them.  The latest data from the National Retail Federation (NRF) shows that the trend is growing:

Introducing Sustainable Market—an all-sustainable lifestyle marketplace for 80% of the items you use every day.  It provides an omni-channel experience where customers can explore, learn about, and purchase products, enabling them to lead a fully sustainable lifestyle. We've embarked on a mission to empower startups driven by a commitment to crafting products that not only meet market needs but also contribute positively to our planet and humanity. Startups struggle in a market dominated by cheaper yet harmful alternatives to the planet. Customers seek sustainable products but struggle with accessibility. There are a lot of sustainable products and online-only retailers from which you can buy them. However, research shows that customers prefer to touch, smell, and see new material products before they buy. There is also a stigma that sustainable goods are expensive. The challenge isn't adoption; it's accessibility. We aim to disrupt the sustainable retail industry by opening retail stores to make sustainable products more accessible.

With your funding, we plan to open our first retail location in the #1 market for sustainability in the country: San Francisco Bay Area. We will follow the data of the largest sustainable consumer cities in the US to start our rollout. Since my team and I have worked in the retail industry for over 25 years, we know the best suppliers and team members to grow Sustainable Market into a global rollout. We will also manage the design, construction, store operations, and facility maintenance ourselves.  Keeping those functions in-house will help us to manage quality, brand, and budget better as well.  If you are interested in learning more or want to see our pitch deck, please reach out to me directly.