What if the retail apocalypse was just bad PR? In this episode of REady2Scale, we dive into the misunderstood world of retail and mixed-use real estate with Babak Ziai, founder of BrandView Inc. With over $2.5B in transactions and decades of experience transforming overlooked properties, Babak offers a grounded, data-informed perspective on where the real opportunities lie in today’s evolving retail landscape. If you’ve ever written off retail as yesterday’s asset class, this conversation may change your mind.
Key Takeaways:
- Retail is not one thing: Babak breaks down the diverse categories of retail such as malls, grocery-anchored centers, and street retail, and explains why each responds differently to market forces.
- Why e-commerce didn’t kill retail: Retail isn’t disappearing; it is evolving into a service and experience-based model where human interaction, wellness, and dining are central.
- What makes mixed-use properties work: Learn how thoughtful integration of secondary uses like office or residential around retail can create stronger, more resilient assets.
- How to revitalize overlooked assets: Babak shares his “rent roll 2.0” strategy and explains what types of tenants and experiences drive long-term NOI growth in challenging markets.
- Real-world operations insight: From activating vacant space with pop-ups to building trust with tenants, hear how hands-on property management can become a competitive advantage.
- Misconceptions investors still have: Babak reflects on why retail remains misunderstood and where sophisticated investors are finding opportunities that others miss.
Whether you are active in commercial real estate or simply curious about what’s next for physical retail, this episode offers a thoughtful and nuanced look at an asset class that is far from obsolete.
Timestamps
00:00 Introduction and Episode Overview
00:24 Meet Bobak Zai: Retail Investment Expert
01:44 Understanding Retail Segments
03:58 The Future of Retail in an E-commerce World
07:20 Transforming Overlooked Properties
26:15 Lightning Round and Closing Thoughts
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Credits
Producer: Blue Lake Capital
Strategist: Syed Mahmood
Editor: Emma Walker
Opening music: Pomplamoose
*𝘉𝘭𝘶𝘦 𝘓𝘢𝘬𝘦 𝘊𝘢𝘱𝘪𝘵𝘢𝘭 𝘪𝘯𝘷𝘦𝘴𝘵𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘰𝘱𝘱𝘰𝘳𝘵𝘶𝘯𝘪𝘵𝘪𝘦𝘴 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘰𝘱𝘦𝘯 𝘵𝘰 𝘢𝘤𝘤𝘳𝘦𝘥𝘪𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘪𝘯𝘷𝘦𝘴𝘵𝘰𝘳𝘴 𝘰𝘯𝘭𝘺. 𝘛𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘪𝘴 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘢𝘯 𝘰𝘧𝘧𝘦𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘰 𝘴𝘦𝘭𝘭 𝘢 𝘴𝘦𝘤𝘶𝘳𝘪𝘵𝘺 𝘰𝘳 𝘢 𝘴𝘰𝘭𝘪𝘤𝘪𝘵𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘵𝘰 𝘴𝘦𝘭𝘭 𝘢 𝘴𝘦𝘤𝘶𝘳𝘪𝘵𝘺. 𝘗𝘭𝘦𝘢𝘴𝘦 𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘴𝘶𝘭𝘵 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘊𝘗𝘈, 𝘢𝘵𝘵𝘰𝘳𝘯𝘦𝘺, 𝘢𝘯𝘥/𝘰𝘳 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘧𝘦𝘴𝘴𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘢𝘭 𝘧𝘪𝘯𝘢𝘯𝘤𝘪𝘢𝘭 𝘢𝘥𝘷𝘪𝘴𝘰𝘳 𝘳𝘦𝘨𝘢𝘳𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘶𝘪𝘵𝘢𝘣𝘪𝘭𝘪𝘵𝘺 𝘰𝘧 𝘢𝘯 𝘪𝘯𝘷𝘦𝘴𝘵𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘣𝘺 𝘺𝘰𝘶.
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