An estimated 1,000 people lined up around the block as MECCA opened its first Launceston store this morning.
Local business owner Robin Smith said it was the “largest store opening I’ve ever seen in Launceston” despite the chilly seven degree morning.
“Must be between 500 and 1,000 people queued,” he said.
The cosmetics giant welcomed customers to 137 and 139 Charles Street, near the Brisbane Street Mall, with a ribbon-cutting ceremony at 9am.
A social media post ahead of the launch asked locals to “set your alarms and inform the group chat” about the opening.
“Your first-ever MECCA opens Friday 7 August and we’re making a moment of it,” the post said.
The store occupies the corner tenancy that was home to Jeanswest for 27 years before the retailer closed in June, along with two neighbouring shopfronts.
It is the second Mecca location in Tasmania, following the Hobart store which opened in 2018.
The billion-dollar beauty empire is owned by Jo Horgan and her husband Peter Wetenhall.
The opening follows months of construction behind boarded-up shopfronts in the mall precinct.
It is part of broader change taking shape in the Launceston CBD.
The $15 million redevelopment of the historic Birchalls building on Brisbane Street Mall is also expected to break ground soon.
