Christine Magee facts for kids

Christine Magee was born on November 7, 1959. She is a very successful businesswoman from Canada. She is best known as the co-founder and president of Sleep Country Canada, a popular store where people buy mattresses and beds.

Who is Christine Magee?

Christine Magee helped start Sleep Country Canada in October 1994. She began the company with her business partners, Stephen K. Gunn and Gordon Lownds. They wanted to create a new way for people to buy mattresses.

By 2004, their company had grown a lot. It had 89 stores and more than 600 employees. Sleep Country Canada was operating in three different provinces across the country. Today, Christine Magee also serves on the boards of other big companies like McDonald's Canada, Cott Corporation, and Telus.

Her Early Life and Education

Christine Magee went to school in Ontario, Canada. She attended Clarice Montage Public School for her elementary years. Later, she went to Erindale Secondary School in Mississauga, Ontario.

Starting Her Career

In 1982, Christine Magee finished her university studies. She earned a special degree in business administration from the Richard Ivey School of Business in London, Ontario.

Her first job after university was at Continental Bank of Canada. She worked as a commercial accounts manager, which meant she helped businesses with their money and loans. In 1985, she moved to the National Bank of Canada. There, she became a senior manager, still helping companies with their loans and finances.

Building Sleep Country Canada

In 1994, Christine Magee and her business partners opened the first four Sleep Country stores. They started in Vancouver. One of her partners, Gord Lownds, said that Christine had a lot of "entrepreneurial spirit." This means she was very good at coming up with new business ideas and making them happen.

The company quickly grew. In 1996, they opened 19 stores in Toronto. Over the next year, more stores appeared in Southern Ontario and Calgary. By 2001, Sleep Country had more than 100 stores. They were in six different parts of Canada. The company controlled about 40% of the mattress market in those areas.

Today, there are over 200 Sleep Country stores. They also have 17 places where they store and send out products. These stores are in eight Canadian provinces: British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, Ontario, Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, and Quebec. In Quebec, the stores are called Dormez-vous?.

In 2006, Christine Magee was very active in her community. She was the Retail Chair for the United Way of Canada of Greater Toronto. She was also part of several other important groups and councils, including those for business leaders and health systems.

Awards and Recognition

Christine Magee has received many awards for her business success:

• 1997 – She was named one of Canada's Top 40 Under 40. This award recognizes young, successful Canadians.
• 1998 – The Financial Post newspaper named her and Stephen Gunn the Ontario Entrepreneur of the Year for Retail/Wholesale.
• 1999 – She was chosen as the Consumers' Choice Toronto Business Woman of the Year.
• 2003 – She was a special speaker at the Annual Influential Women in Business Speaker Series.
• 2005 – She was added to the Canadian Retail Hall of Fame by the Retail Council of Canada. This is a big honor for people who have done great things in retail.
• 2006 – She received the CIRAS Henry Singer Award for her excellent leadership in retail and service businesses.

Personal Life

Christine Magee lives in Oakville, Ontario. She lives there with her husband and their two children.