Christchurch site for first Mecca Maxima

Mecca Maxima's store in central Melbourne. The brand will have an outlet in ANZ centre under construction in Christchurch.

Australian cosmetics brand Mecca Maxima is to open its first New Zealand store at the inner city Christchurch ANZ Centre that is being built by Tim Glasson of the listed national Hallenstein Glasson fashion retailing chain.

Glasson Hallenstein Glasson will open a flagship store across two levels, while the ANZ and Becca have taken the bulk of the office space with only two small leases remaining.

The retail spaces are expected to be trading by next Christmas with the office tenants operating by early 2017.

Formerly known as the Triangle Centre, the site is in the heart of the new retail precinct opposite Ballantynes and The Crossing.

Founder and CEO of Mecca Maxima, Jo Horgan, says the company is looking forward to opening its flagship New Zealand store in Christchurch in time for Christmas 2016. Opening onto Cashel St, the store will cover 155 sq m and sit directly opposite The Crossing, where TopShop recently announced it will open an outlet.

"We are delighted to be opening our first Mecca Maxima store in New Zealand within Christchurch's ANZ Centre in 2016," Horgan says in a press release. "New Zealand is an important market for Mecca Brands and we look forward to introducing our Mecca Maxima concept and unique brand mix to Christchurch."

Mecca Maxima was established in Australia in 2010 and will have 23 stores across the Tasman by the end of this year. The company brings together leading products from around the world offering a "brand-neutral service" for shoppers.

Glasson is quoted as saying he is delighted that high profile Mecca Maxima has committed to the retail precinct and says he is in discussion with several other top brands.

"The deals are starting to get done now. It takes a while to gain momentum, but now retailers can see that more and more office tenants are set to return to the CBD and that talk of having 15,000 workers back in the inner city within two years is far more than a pipedream. Retail needs critical mass to achieve sustained success and that is what's starting to happen."