MECCA: Empowering Customers to Look, Feel, and Be Their Best

MECCA had by 2025 become Australasia’s leading prestige beauty retailer, with a 30 percent market share, annual revenues exceeding A$1.2 billion, and a passionate following of four million customers. The company was founded in 1997 by Jo Horgan with a mission to “help people look, feel, and be their best” and it distinguished itself through a customer-centric, experience-driven retail model. Its 7,000-strong workforce was 94 percent female, and its philanthropic initiative, M-POWER, aimed to advance gender equality globally.

This case explores how Horgan and her co-CEO (and husband), Pete Wetenhall, built MECCA into a privately held powerhouse (that outperformed global competitor Sephora in Australia) by investing heavily in education, culture, and customer experience rather than discounting or rapid franchising. The case traces MECCA’s evolution from a single Melbourne boutique to a regional leader, emphasizing its “unapologetically high-performing” culture, values-based leadership, and immersive store environments. As MECCA considers international expansion, digital growth, and succession planning, Horgan faces critical questions: How can MECCA scale globally without diluting its culture—the source of its competitive advantage? Can a founder-led, purpose-driven company continue to balance commercial success with social impact at scale?