Sydney Will Soon Be Home to Mecca's Huge New Four-Level Flagship Store

It has been 23 years since Mecca opened its first store in Melbourne, with the beauty retailer expanding to more than 100 Australian and New Zealand shops over that time. But none of its locations so far can match the company's soon-to-open latest addition — a huge new site in Sydney, which not only marks Mecca's first flagship store, but will also become the biggest dedicated beauty store in the southern hemisphere.

Slated to open on Friday, November 27, the new shop will take over the heritage Gowings building on the corner of Market and George streets — sprawling across four levels and 1800 square metres. That's where Topshop used to sit and, if you're wondering how it compares to Mecca's other digs, it'll be more than twice the size of its current largest store at Highpoint Shopping Centre in Melbourne. It'll also span over 20 times more space than its very first store did two decades back.

All that room means plenty of space for beauty products, of course — including a heap of new brands that the retailer hasn't stocked before. You'll be able to pick up Tom Ford, Moon Juice and Resorè items, which will join a curated lineup of more than 200 brands. Returning favourites range across everything from Nars and Shiseido to Drunk Elephant and Sunday Riley, plus Mecca's own signature lines Mecca Cosmetica and Mecca Max.

As well as shelves upon shelves filled with foundation, lipstick, face creams, mascara, masks and more, Mecca's flagship store is dedicating more than a third of its floorplan to beauty services, too — such as naturopath Anthia Koullouros and hair salon EdwardsAndCo. Jewellery designer Sarah & Sebastian will also be on hand, doing piercing and bracelet soldering.

Mecca's dedicated labs — for skin, makeup and brows — will be a feature, as will its biggest perfumeria yet. And, there'll be a Mecca gift-wrapping bar, which'll be present all-year-round but is obviously perfect for end-of-year shopping.

Plus, the Mecca concierge will help point you in the right direction as you're wandering around the revamped, colour-heavy space, as designed by Sydney's Meacham Nockles. You'll be shopping while surrounded by neon yellow lifts, mosaic walls and a beauty chute — which transports products between levels.

Find Mecca's new flagship store at 45 Market Street, Sydney, from Friday, November 27.

Top image: Maksym Kozlenko via Wikimedia Commons.