A retail store can have many focal points: a luxurious display at the entrance, relaxing treatment pods tucked into a back area, rows upon rows of eye-catching gondolas. Mecca, the independent Australian beauty retailer capturing 30% of the continent’s market share and 60% of the addressable market in New Zealand and Australia, is built on the premise that it’s not what’s inside the store, but who is inside it, that matters most.
"Every day is a surprise, and you build surprise upon surprise. 29 years in, it's astonishing. [But] I should never have been astounded that if you put the customer at the very front and center of what you do, that will prevail, and the customer will follow you," founder and co-CEO of Mecca, Jo Horgan said to BeautyMatter on a video call from her Melbourne home.
Horgan defies the CEO archetype, exuding a serene aura. Every answer was preceded by a contemplative pause, a trick she learned from Jim Collins, author of the 2001 business book Good to Great. “Before each question, he paused for about 30 seconds and then answered in the most erudite way. I thought, ‘he's on to something.’” This inner zen and her innate knowing have helped guide Mecca to a $1.43 billion business with more than 110 stores across Australia and New Zealand.
Making business decisions of that magnitude might leave some highly strung and frazzled, but Horgan instead exudes calm and keeps a playful demeanor. Being an entirely independent business for nearly three decades gives her unparalleled freedom.
That autonomy shows in decisions like opening its three-level, 40,000-square-foot Bourke Street flagship store in Melbourne in August 2025. The lease was signed during the COVID pandemic. Considering that Melbourne holds the world record for the longest lockdown with 262 days, the decision was not for the faint of heart. The location is now the largest global freestanding beauty store.
It’s an investment, Horgan stated, that no publicly listed or private equity–backed business would make. "They just wouldn't make such a big bet,” she explained. Rather than playing it safe, the CEO is all about diving in headfirst to seize opportunities. “I don't want to die wondering,” she added.
Horgan called it a “breakout nonlinear move” aided by “clouds and concrete meetings.” “We dreamt up how we could push beauty’s boundaries beyond what had been thought of today. What would we make a pilgrimage to in terms of a beauty experience? It really wasn’t a market research undertaking,” Horgan recalled. Those meetings resulted in a hypersensitivity to the importance of connection, community, and touch. The resulting temple of beauty is certainly drawing in visitors, 50,000+ a week, to be specific. In one year, 3 million visitors walked through its doors; compare that to Melbourne’s population of 5.5 million. In its first year in business, the Bourke Street location is projected to generate $65 million in sales, with 20 percent coming from services.
In terms of services, Bourke Street offers more than just a generic add-on, like a small engraving station or a similar purchase bonus. Inside the store are clinical skin treatments like lasers and injectables at Mecca Aesthetica; naturopathic wellness at the Melbourne Apothecary; a Josh Wood hair salon; a fragrance Scentsorium; and the Mecca Beauty Atelier with hair, skin, and nail services. For those only wanting a nail appointment, there’s a dedicated Trophy Wife manicure station. Florist enthusiasts can get their kicks at Flowers Vasette. Jewelry lovers can get piercings and stock up on jewelry at Maria Tash, or go with less “prickly” options in jewelry & eyewear designer Şener Besim’s section. Those seeking further beauty education can find it at Meccaversity, with space for approximately 150 people to attend master classes and events.
299 Bourke Street was once the Cole’s Book Arcade (founded in 1883) and, just like a good read, Mecca Beauty is all about an enthralling story. Studio McQualter designed the captivating backdrop, reviving and rebuilding the original site’s Aztec-style tiling, decorative plasterwork, and concrete columns. Mecca continues its partnership with the National Gallery of Victoria (NGV) through the MECCA x NGV Women in Design Commission, an ongoing series that displays the work of internationally renowned female architects and designers. If there ever were a store to get lost in, this would be it. The flagship comes prepared for said happy accident with a Mecca Newsroom, which includes a digital installation to deliver beauty content, and Café Mecca, in case you work up an appetite or thirst along the way. It’s the latest chapter in the uncompromising journey of Mecca.
When asked about the store’s evolution from 1997 (when it opened its first location in South Yarra) to today, Horgan says she never could have imagined the retailer would still be here. She sold her house to help finance the opening of that first store, a 65-square-meter space. The store’s exclusive lineup consisted of seven international brands: NARS, Stila, Philosophy, Vincent Longo, Urban Decay, Benefit, and Make Up For Ever. What began as her inner circle has grown to a community of over 6 million, 3.2 million of whom are active members of its Beauty Loop loyalty program. That group is a guiding light for any and every business decision. “You'll never get into trouble for doing the wrong thing for the right reason for the customer," Horgan said.
Innovation is a key part of the company’s philosophy of looking after their customers. Every Monday’s support center meeting ends with customer feedback, which Mecca’s audience appreciates. The company’s Net Promoter Score (NPS)—a loyalty metric measuring how likely an individual is to recommend a store, product, or service—is 76 out of 100, compared to a regional average of 34.
Mecca’s customer-centric focus is a multi-layered enterprise with three store models: Mecca Cosmetica (its luxury beauty offering), Mecca Maxima (a colorful and trend-driven beauty playground), and Mecca (a combination of the two with the widest range of brands, products, and services). There are also three in-house brands: Mecca Cosmetica (its original skincare and makeup line), Mecca Max (a more trend-driven and colorful range), and Kit: (originally a store concept since replaced by a skincare and bodycare range). Intentional origins ensure that none of these concepts or brands cannibalize each other, Horgan remarked.
Mecca Maxima launched in 2008 to some friction, as customers weren’t used to a lower-priced, younger-feeling store; however, they warmed up as time went on. “Mecca Maxima not being successful out of the gate was one of the greatest gifts we've had, so that these new stores that are successful don't rest on their laurels,” Horgan explained. “Big leaps forward are fun, but it is the logical incrementalism and the continual improvement in the spaces that you have that make something successful.”
Such undertakings can’t be achieved alone, and Mecca invests heavily in its team, both professionally and personally. “That comes with a cost, and we think it's a cost that's absolutely not only worthwhile, but integral to what we do. Always have, always will," Horgan added. Building out the team originally began with four or five people in Horgan’s home, with two weeks of education. "I wasn't looking for experts. I was looking for people who were passionate about other people and were curious, who had this energy about life, and that we could teach everything they needed to know about beauty," Horgan said.
One thing she advises her team members is that a lipstick is a lipstick until you breathe life, hopes, and dreams into it. "I believe that storytelling is everything and that the team is the greatest storytellers. A lipstick is an inanimate object that can be as fabulous as it is, but until it is brought to life, discovered, and applied, you're never going to experience the true joy of it. The person who brings you on that journey is just as integral to your experience of it," she said.
In 2026, the onboarding process is larger and longer, with over 7,500 employees (95% of whom are women). The aforementioned Meccaversity is also available as an online learning platform for employees, while the company’s Employee Assistance Program (EAP) offers free services for topics like stress management, depression or anxiety, and financial guidance.
For the last three years, the Mecca x Stanford Leadership Program has invited 40 senior and support center leaders to the Stanford University Graduate School of Business for a week of learning around topics like business strategy, AI, longevity, and unexpected teamwork lessons like learning pit-crew dynamics from NASCAR experts.
Mecca M-Power, Mecca’s social change initiative, founded in 2017, has financially and socially supported 10,000 girls in completing secondary school. Today, M-Power wants to help women of all ages achieve their full potential, and therefore supports 10 organizations, including the Co-Impact Gender Fund, Y25 program, and The Man Cave. According to a 2025 report, M-Power’s cultural & audience reach is over 10 million.
That outside influence continues with M-Pact, its sustainability initiative. It focuses on reducing the company’s CO2 emissions and packaging waste footprint while ensuring sustainability claims are free of greenwashing and that the supply chain is ethical, through a partnership with EcoVadis.
Through its unwavering vision, dedicated customer base, willingness to push the envelope, and long-term exclusivity in entering the Australian and New Zealand market, Mecca didn’t just gain loyal customers but also brand partners. So much so that when Sephora entered the market in 2014, nearly all said exclusive international brands stayed on board with Mecca. These include Charlotte Tilbury, Westman Atelier, Augustinus Bader, Drunk Elephant, Tatcha, and Byredo. Rhode, despite being a Sephora staple globally, decided to launch with the Aussie retailer as well. As a result, 95% of Mecca’s sales are from exclusive brands.
Horgan describes Mecca as a local affiliate office, building brand awareness, equity, and sales without the middlemen or dilution of brand essence. "Our customer obsession, linked with our innate understanding of the Australian and New Zealand customer, how we manage brands and bring beauty to life—our model is pretty unique,” she commented. The regional lens on beauty focuses more on how one feels rather than looks. "When people think of the Aussie sense of beauty, they think of health, a bit of beach, Pilates, and sun. But it's a very diverse population, and it gives Mecca the ability to be multifaceted in its approach to beauty,” she added.
One thing is for certain, Horgan isn’t afraid to take risks. Mecca operates on the mantra of “fail fast, fail forward.” One such experiment was launching a trial storefront on the Chinese e-commerce platform Tmall Global in August 2020; the storefront closed in November 2023. "It's incredibly important that people feel the permission to try things knowing that not everything is going to work. If we are not failing or breaking things on the way through, we are not bold enough in our aspirations," Horgan said. Failures are talked about, celebrated, and seen as teachable moments, although the founder was quick to note: “We try to make a mistake only once and then move on.”
Part of developing such a fearless approach came from mentorship by industry veterans like the founder of lifestyle brand Country Road, Steve Bennett; Gap and J. Crew CEO Mickey Drexler; and the late President and CEO of the Estée Lauder Companies, Leonard Lauder. Horgan attributed Mecca’s bold ambitions to Bennett’s willingness to bet “on a total unknown.” She described Lauder’s 25-year mentorship as “one of the greatest privileges” and “never a linear conversation.” Shadowing Drexler in his everyday business operations, accompanied by “a thousand questions,” resulted in Horgan bringing some of his energy and curiosity back into the Mecca business. "Education gave me the confidence to believe I could learn on my way through, and mentors shaped the business by pushing me beyond what I could see as possible,” she shared.
She recalls two moments in the company’s journey as putting those possibilities to the test. First in 1999, after one year of operating a highly successful concession space (representing 60%-70% of Mecca’s business at the time) inside Melbourne luxury department store Georges on Collins. The department store went out of business, abruptly shutting the concession overnight. Another moment was closing the Kit Cosmetics store concept in 2016. She was able to revive the concept in 2022 as the product range Kit.
Horgan cited Bourke Street as the most challenging shop location to execute due to its size, and the George Street flagship in Sydney, a four-level, 1,800-square-meter shop that opened in November 2020, as the most difficult to build. Due to the COVID lockdown, the team didn’t see the store until three days before opening.
As someone who trusts her gut in all business decisions, Horgan explained that said instinct is finely tuned over time and with experience, with early moves often being the most impactful. Her husband Peter Wetenhall, a former Partner, Vice President, and Director at The Boston Consulting Group, joined as co-CEO in 2005 to assist with some of those decisions.
Horgan also remarked that Wetenhall was “the walking insurance policy” for the first few years. But she stands by her decision to remain financially independent despite plenty of “very cold and lonely” times. "The exhilaration of being able to do what you genuinely think is the right thing at every twist and turn, and knowing that the only potential fallout will be only on you, is such a joy,” she explained.
Rather than resting on its impressive laurels, Mecca continues to tread into new territory. “The boundaries of beauty are being pushed, and as a result, the boundaries of beauty experience and retail will be pushed. We've just got to stay ahead of them,” Horgan remarked, highlighting dermal skincare, health, wellness, and innovation in its digital channels as some key areas of interest.
Mecca is also going completely solo, announcing the end of its 17-year concession partnership with the Australian department store Myer in January 2026, with the exit to conclude in June 2026. The move increased focus on Mecca’s standalone stores.
In September 2026, it opened its first-ever duty-free store inside the Heinemann Tax & Duty Free precinct at Sydney International Airport (T1). Horgan said it was the most challenging location to secure to date.
Through the past three decades, Horgan learned not to be as linear in her business plans, maintaining humility. “The minute you start actually thinking you're okay is the minute that you stop the pursuit of excellence," she added.
That said, the broader horizon still shows that sense of risk-taking and bravery as Mecca aspires to be the world’s most-loved beauty destination. “We've been tapping away for 29 years, and we're going to continue tapping away until the next opportunity presents itself in the way that feels right,” Horgan explained. With guts, conviction, and independence, Mecca is nothing short of a retail iconoclast, carving out its own mighty stake in the Australian and New Zealand market. That stake is only set to grow, bringing its retail premise to a global audience.
For now, Horgan is planning the retailer’s 30th anniversary. Like its 20th anniversary Meccaland festival, she is planning something “a bit bonkers and a bit different in how we show up.” In true Mecca fashion, the retailer isn’t done with the surprises.