Meet the Member: Hazaar
Zero waste marketplace Hazaar is welcomed to Exchange
No postage, no packaging, no travel miles.
Hazaar is the new zero-waste marketplace made for students, by students. Fed up with wastage from online shopping, student Harriet Noy launched a marketplace where students can buy and sell anything from clothes, textbooks, and household items that they no longer need in a sustainable way. Students simply advertise their goods, buy online and then hand them over in person, cutting down on wasteful packaging and travel miles.
Hazaar successfully launched at the University of Birmingham in January 2020 as a Facebook marketplace and has been growing ever since. In the first 24 hours after launching, the page had 4,000 members, with 470 listings and £14,000 worth of goods being purchased on the site. Launching social media was the initial key to growth for the start-up as a simple campaign which included posting the question, ‘If you want to bring Hazaar to your university then get in touch’, led to 37 pages launching at different universities across the UK.
The business has gone on to develop an app that is now available on the app store for free download and is live at the University of Birmingham. The app has been developed by a team of three app developers who began work in September 2020. Despite the pandemic, they have managed to develop the app and the marketplace has continued to see steady growth across the individual university pages. The continual rise in the number of listings and members shows just how popular and innovative Hazaar is!
By joining Exchange, Hazaar will have access to the state-of-the-art facilities of Department Bonded Warehouse where the team can collaborate with other members, get advice from David Levine, the Entrepreneur in Residence, and attend business workshops tailored to tech and creative startups.
Harriet Noy, Founder of Hazaar said: “For the last five years I’ve been trying to reduce my single-use plastic consumption which led me to set up a plastic-free society at my university. Over time I was getting increasingly frustrated by the endless deliveries going to student houses when someone two doors down probably already owned the item. I launched the marketplace to help students live a more sustainable and easier life.
“I am so excited to join Exchange and meet the other members. Networking is huge when starting a business, so it will be great to work with other like-minded individuals who will be able to help us in many ways. As for Bonded Warehouse, I love the environment of relaxed surroundings that will no doubt inspire creativity”.
Most recently, Hazaar has received £150,000 worth of investment to help further develop the app and launch it in the target 30 universities. With the aid of Exchange, Hazaar hopes to expand the team and finally start making revenue!
Another exciting member to add to the Exchange roster.
To find out more about Hazaar, visit the website, Instagram, LinkedIn or Twitter