In this episode, we go behind the scenes at the Melbourne-founded beauty giant Mecca Brands.

Having grown from a single 180sqm shopfront in 1997 to a chain of more than 100 Mecca Cosmetica and Mecca Maxima stores including 1800sqm flagships – not to mention an entirely new concept launched this year in Mecca Aesthetica – the prestige beauty retailer is without doubt one of our industry’s great success stories.

Fuelling the company’s impressive momentum is founder and co-CEO Jo Horgan, and her largely female workforce of customer experience-obsessed retail professionals. Here, with characteristic energy and passion, the entrepreneur shares her take on the value of e-commerce to in-store innovation, explains how services have become a key pillar of the Mecca offering and what it means to break with tradition.

Stay tuned for more instalments in 2024.