Mecca's newest New Zealand store has just opened in Christchurch. Photo / Supplied
Mecca's newest New Zealand store has just opened in Christchurch. Photo / Supplied
Beauty retailerMecca has this morning opened the doors of its second-largest store across Australasia in central Christchurch - and it certainly lives up to its name, with two levels packed with “blockbuster” brands and an unprecedented service menu.
Keen customers queued up outside the doors on Cashel St eagerly awaiting their first look at the beauty giant’s latest offering, which certainly won’t disappoint those with a love of makeup, skincare, fragrance and the like.
The opening marks yet another major brand taking position in Christchurch’s CBD retail precinct as the city starts to boom again and retailers fight for space.
Crowds waiting to get into the new Mecca beauty and cosmetics store in Christchurch's CBD. Photo / Anna Leask
The new Mecca store is situated where Glassons and Hallensteins used to operate in the ANZ Centre.
You won’t miss it this weekend in particular if you’re in the area between the flocking customers and booming live DJ outside the door.
The Herald was given an exclusive tour of the new store, which was packed with people of all ages and backgrounds filling baskets with goodies and opening day specials.
The first Mecca opened in Melbourne in 1997 and since then the beauty franchise has grown rapidly, now boasting more than 100 physical stores and serving upward of four million customers on both sides of the Tasman each year.
Christchurch customers have been able to peruse and purchase Mecca products at the iconic Ballantynes and nearby standalone store in recent years, but the new site will offer much more of the beauty giant’s range and services - and a swathe of new brands and products.
The new Cashel St site is set across two floors and chief retail officer Ian Burl said, at triple the size of its predecessor, it will house more than 120 cosmetic brands including a “significantly expanded fragrance offering with the most sought-after scents from global perfumeries”.
Christchurch is now home to the second-biggest Mecca store in Australasia. Photo / Supplied
“We are delighted to introduce over 800sqm of beauty in Christchurch, showcasing more than 20 new brands to the store,” Burl said.
“This expansion offers our Christchurch customers unparalleled access to the best of global beauty products.
“Additionally, we’re excited to unveil in-store features like the Mecca Gift Box — a dedicated space offering a handpicked assortment of sets and a gift-wrapping service.”
Burl said the new store also focused on “extending the retail experience beyond the product offering” and taking its service menu to “the next level” - from makeup stations to semi-private skin stations and a fragrance consult table.
Mecca education partner Louise Rae gave the Herald a tour of the store as soon as the ribbon was cut.
It is, in her words, “a one-stop shop” for everything you need from your scalp to your toes and all that’s in between.
The Mecca megastore in Christchurch opened this morning. Photo / Supplied
“You can come and have a beautiful facial with amazing products, get your makeup done, find a fragrance ... it’s literally all here at Mecca,” she says.
Staff are experts on the products they are tasked with showing and selling; from makeup to perfumes, skincare to hair care, each staffer knows their stuff to a high level.
The staff - like Mecca’s customers - are diverse. They represent the people who come through the doors and are all warm and welcoming and want to engage and share what they know and love about beauty products.
They have one thing in common, and that is that they are passionate about what they do.
Rae said their expertise was “next level” and the services they offered were the best in the business.
There are products for every person in every walk of life and the atmosphere in the store conveys that. It’s bright, vibrant and welcoming - something Rae said is deliberate.
“It’s more than just a store ... it’s a journey,” she said.
“We want to elevate the experience ... it’s inclusive, it’s meant to be fun, you feel like you can pick up anything here and try it out.”
What you’ll find at Mecca’s new Cashel St mega-store
More than 120 brands across all categories including Mecca’s signature makeup brands, NARS, Charlotte Tilbury and Westman Atelier; skincare superstars Glow Recipe, Drunk Elephant, and Dr. Dennis Gross.
The most sought-after scents from around the world including Frederic Malle, Diptyque and Maison Francis Kurkdjian.
New Zealand brands Emma Lewisham and Syrene Skincare.
