Built to Perform with James Hallworth – Ep.12: Rob Insley on Retail & Partnerships

In this candid and powerful episode of the Built to Perform Podcast, host James Hallworth speaks with Rob Insley (Head of Operations, Bloobloom) to address the core struggles and friction that exist in the Landlord-Tenant relationship and the culture of retail.

Rob shares his journey from 30 years in corporate retail (Vision Express) to working with a high-performing startup, revealing why the old corporate KPIs and legacy decisions are no longer relevant.

Key Insights for CRE & Retail:

The Side Hustle Lie: Rob delivers a controversial truth, calling the belief in side hustles and passive income "one of the biggest lies we're feeding to the younger generation". He stresses that true success is built on sheer hard work and dedication.
Fixing the Friction: Rob argues that the adversarial Landlord-Tenant dynamic has to end. The solution is for every landlord to initiate direct, human contact with the business founders to develop a relationship and mutual trust.
The Data Gap: Retailers desperately need tailored data (like zonal footfall and customer demographics) to succeed, but landlords often provide only meaningless, arbitrary financial numbers.
The Partnership Model: Rob believes that a bad landlord is detrimental to a retailer's success. Conversely, the most successful estates treat every retailer as part of a "family of businesses".
This episode is essential for anyone who wants to move beyond the transactional mindset and learn how to foster high-performing, human-centric partnerships in commercial property.

Timestamps:

00:00:32: Introduction & Rob Insley’s Career Journey

00:04:48: The Corporate Wall: Moving from Vision Express to the Bloobloom Startup Mentality

00:10:07: The Adversarial Relationship: Landlords, Tenants, and the Feudal Hangover

00:19:15: The Brand Test: The Difference a Landlord’s Due Diligence Makes

00:23:13: The Bad Landlord Effect: Why Lack of Support Kills Retail Success

00:29:46: The Data Gap: Why Arbitrary Footfall Numbers Are Useless to Retailers

00:33:57: Change Management: The Importance of the Human Element and Active Listening

00:43:51: The Side Hustle Lie: Why Passive Income is a Myth and Hard Work is the Only Path

00:48:54: The Fix: Why Landlords Need to Have Direct, Human Contact with Tenants

00:51:04: Evolution or Revolution? Why Evolution is Better for the Industry's Story