Scaling Emotion: Mecca's Business Model
and they're not chasing the short-term metrics with that
Previous edition: “How DingDong Fresh Reinvented Grocery?"
This time, we go to Australia to meet the country’s leading prestige beauty retailer, MECCA Brands. Joined by their Chief Retail Officer, Ian Burl, we explore how the brand is scaling beyond products, stores, and revenue. They also scale emotion, empathy, and human connection.
From Ian’s weekly store visits to MECCA’s commitment to investing 4% of its revenue in team education, this conversation offers a look into how the brand design its customer experience starting with one key question: “How should this feel?”
We hope this episode brings fresh inspiration to you and your business.
In this edition:
1. About the business
2. About the guest
3. Our episode highlights
4. Where can you watch/listen
1. About the business
They were founded in 1997 by Jo Horgan in Melbourne, Australia. Today, 28 years later, they have grown into the category leader, with a team of over 5,000 across 110+ retail stores, distribution centers, and a support hub.
“So my challenge to everybody is that let's use the technology, right, to find ways to drive this experience better. And the way to make an experience better is by considering the emotions involved. Don't be going after efficiency the way that we always have in the past in retail.” Ian Burl, Chief Retail Officer at MECCA.
MECCA is home to 150+ global beauty brands and its private label. The company continues to grow through new store openings. Its formats range from the curated MECCA Cosmetica to the more playful MECCA Maxima, and every part of the business is designed to deliver on its core purpose: helping people look and feel their best.
2. About the guest
Before joining MECCA, with over 25 years of experience, Ian brings a rare mix of operational precision and emotional intelligence to the role. He held executive leadership positions in grocery at Coles Australia, where he led transformational workforce strategies and major operational shifts. Earlier in his career, he held various management roles at Somerfield in the UK before becoming Regional Manager.
In this interview, Ian reflects on his transition from the grocery sector to the world of beauty retail. In his previous roles, success was often defined by optimizing efficiency in every aspect of the business.
At MECCA, the focus is different: emotion takes the lead, and the customer is at the center of every decision, from store design and team culture to customer care. The impact? A brand that not only grows but regularly receives heartfelt letters from customers moved by the experience.
3. Highlights
At MECCA, customer experience isn’t just about convenience or efficiency; it’s about how you make people feel. Everything is built to create moments of joy, empathy, and connection.
After hearing from Ian, one thing becomes clear: MECCA isn’t just talking about emotional retail, it’s scaling it with a level of intention and consistency rarely seen in the industry.
Some of our highlights:
1. Emotion is the Experience: At MECCA, customer experience isn’t just about convenience or efficiency; it’s about how you make people feel. From store design to team training, everything is built to create moments of joy, empathy, and connection.
2. Investing in People, not just Technology: The company dedicates around 4% of its revenue to team education and engagement, an unusually high percentage in retail. Staff are trained not only in beauty, but in emotional intelligence, active listening, and care.
3. Tech That Enhances, Not Replaces: Rather than rushing to automate, MECCA introduces technology only when it supports, not replaces, human interaction. Think fragrance diagnostics or clienteling apps that deepen the one-on-one connection.
4. Why EQ matters more than IQ in the age of AI: While tech optimizes processes, it’s EQ that builds connection. As Ian said “The human interaction is going to become a real luxury, I think the intimacy can only exist between two people connecting deeply”.
4. Where can you watch/listen
Find the full conversation and valuable insights on our YouTube channel, Spotify, or Apple Podcasts. Choose your favorite podcast provider below:
1. YouTube:
2. Spotify:
3. Apple Podcasts:
And the episode has already resonated with our audience:
Next Tuesday (July 29th, 7 AM GMT), we’re launching one more episode of our APAC series, this time, our first live episode where our host Paula Macaggi brilliantly moderated an interview with Panchalee Weeratammawat, Chief People Officer at Central Retail, and Mia Anderson, GM of Retail and Channels at 2degrees.
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