Article · Wikipedia archive · Last revised Jul 17, 2026

Mecca (company)

Mecca is an Australian beauty retailer. The company was founded by Jo Horgan in 1997. There are over 110 Mecca stores across Australia and New Zealand, in addition to an online store. Mecca employs more than 8000 people, with products from 200-plus brands.

Last revised
Jul 17, 2026
Read time
≈ 5 min
Length
1,252 w
Citations
43
Source
Wikipedia ↗
Mecca
TypePrivate
IndustryRetail
Founded1997 (1997) in South Yarra, Australia
FounderJo Horgan
Headquarters
Richmond, Victoria
Number of locations
110+ (2025)
Area served
  • Australia
  • New Zealand
  • United Kingdom
Key people
  • Jo Horgan (co-CEO)
  • Peter Wetenhall (co-CEO)
Number of employees
8000+ (2025)
Websitemecca.com

Mecca is an Australian beauty retailer. The company was founded by Jo Horgan in 1997. There are over 110 Mecca stores across Australia and New Zealand, in addition to an online store. Mecca employs more than 8000 people, with products from 200-plus brands.1

History

Mecca was founded in 1997 when Jo Horgan, then 29 years old, used the funds from the sale of her house to open the company's first store in the Melbourne suburb of South Yarra.2 The company launched with seven brands unavailable in Australia including NARS, Stila and Vincent Longo.13 In its first four years, the business lost money.4

Mecca launched its online store in 2001.2 Horgan's husband Peter Wetenhall joined her as co-CEO in 2005.5 The first Mecca store in New Zealand opened in 2007.6

In 2017, Mecca discontinued its Kit beauty product brand and closed its related stores.78 The same year the company launched its Mecca Max brand.3 In 2018, the company held its first Meccaland, a three-day beauty festival.1

In late 2019, the company faced allegations of discrimination, bullying and favouritism from some former and then-current employees. The company pledged to make changes, including establishing a complaints hotline and appointing an external culture specialist.9

The onset of the COVID-19 pandemic led Mecca to temporarily close all its stores for part of 2020 and shift its business focus to online.1011 In August 2020, Mecca began selling into China through the ecommerce platform Tmall Global, although it pulled out in November 2023.12

In July 2021, the company launched a podcast called Mecca Talks.13 In August 2022, Mecca relaunched its Kit brand as a gender-neutral, plant-based skincare range.7

In 2023, an independent review commissioned by the company found that 1600 current and former employees had been underpaid between July 2016 and July 2022 and were owed a combined total of about $560,000. The company paid back the employees.14

In June 2023, Mecca expanded to the UK by selling its best-selling product, the To Save Face SPF50+ Superscreen, on its UK website.15

In August 2025, Mecca opened its new Melbourne flagship store on Bourke Street.16 Spanning 4,000 m2 (43,000 sq ft) over three levels, it is the biggest beauty store in the world.1 Mecca launched its first Mecca Apothecary concept as part of the store.17 The space incorporates services such as consultations with naturopaths from health collective Melbourne Apothecary, ear seeds, and products ranging from teas to tongue scrapers.118

In January 2026, Mecca announced it would close its Myer concession stores by September 2026.19 In March, three companies associated with Mecca were fined a total of $594,000 fine by ASIC for failing to lodge audited financial reports for 2024 on time.20

Operations

Jo Horgan leads the business with her husband Peter Wetenhall who is co-owner and co-chief executive.2 The company's headquarters and support centre is located in Richmond.21 Horgan was named Melburnian of the Year in the 2025 Melbourne Awards.22

There are over 110 Mecca stores across Australia and New Zealand.23 Mecca has three types of stores: Mecca Cosmetica, the original prestige boutique concept; Mecca Maxima, aimed at younger consumers; and Mecca, which combines both concepts.1 Additionally, Mecca has concessions in seven Myer department stores, as of 2023.24 Some Mecca stores also offer services such as ear piercing, facials, injectables, brow shaping and blow dries.25

The company stocks products from over 200 brands, a majority of which (around 80% in 2025) are exclusive to the company in Australia.1 Mecca manages sales, marketing and distribution for the brands.25 Mecca's private label brands are Mecca Cosmetica, Mecca Max, Kit and Mecca-ssentials.1

The company has over 8000 employees, of which 95% are female.231 Staff receive 200 hours of training in their first year.2 Meccaversity—the company's beauty education portal—was developed and launched for employees in May 2020 and later opened up to customers.261 Mecca's loyalty program is called Beauty Loop. It has 2.9 million members, as of 2025.27

References

References

  1. Sams, Lauren (27 March 2025). "'We don't want to die wondering': Jo Horgan on Mecca's biggest bet yet". Australian Financial Review. Retrieved 20 April 2026.
  2. Mitchell, Sue (6 August 2019). "Jo Horgan, the accidental cosmetics queen". Australian Financial Review. Retrieved 24 February 2024.
  3. Rippon, Remy (6 April 2018). "Mecca Cosmetica's Jo Horgan on the business of beauty and being at the helm of a multi-million dollar operation". Vogue Australia. Retrieved 25 February 2024.
  4. LaFrenz, Carrie (30 November 2023). "Rich Lister Jo Horgan's Mecca spits off $12 million dividend for 2022". Australian Financial Review. Retrieved 24 February 2024.
  5. Sprague, Julie-anne (16 April 2023). "Stay private and persevere: How Jo Horgan made Mecca a retail giant". Australian Financial Review. Retrieved 17 December 2024.
  6. Shaw, Aimee (20 February 2018). "Mecca opens two new Auckland stores". NZ Herald. Retrieved 17 December 2024.
  7. Joyce, Emma (2 August 2022). "After Five Years, Australian Beauty Brand Kit Is Back with a New Look and Gender-Neutral, Plant-Based Products". Broadsheet. Retrieved 24 February 2024.
  8. Hui-Miller, Jo-Anne (16 August 2022). ""Think lab coat meets nature": Mecca reimagines long-lost sister brand Kit". Inside Retail Australia. Retrieved 24 February 2024.
  9. Powell, Dominic (17 November 2019). "'It's all fake': Beauty giant Mecca facing bullying claims". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 24 February 2024.
  10. Ruzzene, Michelle (30 March 2020). "Mecca, MAC latest companies to fall victim to Covid-19". Retail Beauty. Retrieved 17 December 2024.
  11. Weil, Jennifer (6 June 2021). "Mecca Cosmetica's Chief on Building the Store of Tomorrow". WWD. Retrieved 17 December 2024.
  12. Sams, Lauren (18 August 2020). "Mecca makes play for Chinese market". Australian Financial Review. Retrieved 24 February 2024.
  13. Abaño, Joyce (22 July 2021). "Listen up: Why Mecca is tuning in to the world of podcasting". Inside Retail Australia. Retrieved 25 February 2024.
  14. Koehn, Emma (23 March 2023). "Beauty retailer Mecca discovers it owes staff $560,000". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 24 February 2024.
  15. Conti, Samantha (16 June 2023). "Australia's Mecca to Debut in Europe With Bestselling SPF Cream". WWD. Retrieved 24 February 2024.
  16. "The opening of a megastore reflects the revival of retail in Melbourne's CBD". ABC News. 8 August 2025. Retrieved 17 November 2025.
  17. https://www.afr.com/life-and-luxury/fashion-and-style/we-don-t-want-to-die-wondering-jo-horgan-on-mecca-s-biggest-bet-yet-20250219-p5lddf
  18. Souza, Nicole de (7 July 2025). "The Highly-Anticipated Multi-Level MECCA On Bourke Street Is Now Open". Secret Melbourne. Retrieved 17 November 2025.
  19. Booth, Harry (5 January 2026). "Mecca ends 17 year partnership with Myer". Inside Retail Australia. Retrieved 19 April 2026.
  20. Glover, April (31 March 2026). "Mecca hit with $600k fine for failing to lodge financial reports on time". 9news. Retrieved 19 April 2026.
  21. Xidias, Angelica (19 July 2023). "Office tour: inside Mecca's functional and light-filled support centre". Vogue Australia. Retrieved 24 February 2024.
  22. "Beauty empire founder named Melburnian of the Year | City of Melbourne". www.melbourne.vic.gov.au. Retrieved 17 November 2025.
  23. Visontay, Elias (14 November 2025). "Mecca defends signing up kids without parents' permission". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 19 April 2026.
  24. Traill-Nash, Glynis (24 October 2023). "How Mecca Dominates the Australian Beauty Market". The Business of Fashion. Retrieved 19 April 2026.
  25. Sams, Lauren; Sprague, Julie-anne (4 June 2021). "How two Melbourne entrepreneurs stole the beauty market". Australian Financial Review. Retrieved 24 February 2024.
  26. Hui-Miller, Jo-Anne (17 September 2021). "Class is in session: Get schooled on skincare at MECCAversity". Inside Retail Australia. Retrieved 24 February 2024.
  27. Sams, Lauren (5 June 2025). "Mecca Brands revenues up 25pc to $1.2b but profits stay flat". Australian Financial Review. Retrieved 19 April 2026.
External links

Media related to Mecca (company) at Wikimedia Commons