Beauty retailer Mecca announced it will take over a multi-level space in the 91-year-old Gowings Building in the Sydney CBD to create the biggest beauty store in the southern hemisphere.

The Aussie cosmetic giant will create its new flagship store on the 1200sqm three-level space that Topshop currently occupies in the iconic Gowings building, which they plan to unveil in the second half of 2020.  

The new beauty destination, which Mecca is calling the largest beauty store on this side of the world, is part of its plan to invest in experience, beauty and engagement and stay at the forefront of the beauty industry.

Mecca will dedicate 30 per cent of the new store’s floor space to beauty experiences, edutainment and inspiration, with an Australian-first proposition driven by a program of deeply customisable services, brand immersion, masterclasses, pop-ups and blockbuster new brand and product launches.

“I started Mecca with the desire to make every customer look and feel their best,” said Mecca founder and co-CEO Jo Horgan.

“I’m thrilled to be creating a store that embodies our exciting vision for the future of beauty and restores Gowings to its former glory with an experience-led strategy that puts the joy back into shopping. It will be the ‘beating heart of beauty’ in the Sydney CBD,” Horgan said.

The iconic Gowings Building in the Sydney CBD is a heritage-listed site. Sydneysiders’ fondness for the building and the prominence it has both nationally and internationally were deciding factors in taking on the lease,
according to Mecca.

“Gowings is one of Australia’s busiest pedestrian corners, incorporating the elegant State Theatre, award winning QT Sydney Hotel and highly regarded dining establishments Gowings Bar and Grill and the latest Parlour Cucina,” said Jane Hastings, CEO Event Hospitality and Entertainment.

“Mecca is a perfect fit to complement a corner where hospitality, entertainment and beauty set a world class standard of their own.”

Mecca’s long-time collaborator, Sydney design studio Meacham Nockles, has been appointed as the architect on the project.

The new store will include a curation of over 200 of the world’s most coveted brands, including NARS, Morphe, Drunk Elephant, Tatcha and Diptyque, and will include dedicated skin, hair and body treatment areas and private rooms, a makeup artistry Beauty Lab, Mecca’s largest ever Perfumeria, and a multipurpose level devoted to experiences and events.

Mecca’s fragrance, skin and makeup specialists will be on hand to assist shoppers.

By the time it opens, the new Mecca at Gowings is projected to be the business’s 115th store across Australia and New Zealand.