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Stay private and persevere: How Jo Horgan made Mecca a retail giant

The retail cosmetics powerhouse lost money for its first four years and was on the verge of shutting down. Now it turns over more than $570 million.

Julie-anne Sprague
Julie-anne SpragueRich List editor

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Jo Horgan was in her late 20s when she decided she’d take on long-established global giants at their own game: selling cosmetics.

Fed-up with men telling women how they should buy make-up and skincare, the former L’Oréal executive decided to open her own store. She called it Mecca. It opened in South Yarra in 1997.

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Julie-anne Sprague co-edits our Rich Lists and covers entrepreneurs, wealth creation and investments. A senior journalist in our newsroom, Julie-anne has covered politics, property, agribusiness, retail and stockmarkets in both the UK and Australia. Connect with Julie-anne on Twitter. Email Julie-anne at jsprague@afr.com

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    Original URL: https://www.afr.com/wealth/people/stay-private-and-persevere-how-jo-horgan-grew-mecca-into-a-retail-giant-20230404-p5cxzl