Christine Magee facts for kids

Christine Magee is a successful businesswoman from Canada. She is best known as the co-founder and president of Sleep Country Canada. This company sells mattresses and other sleep products. Christine started Sleep Country in October 1994 with her partners, Stephen K. Gunn and Gordon Lownds.

By 2004, their company had grown a lot. They had 89 stores and more than 600 employees across three Canadian provinces. Christine also helps lead other big companies. She is on the board of directors for McDonald's Canada, Cott Corporation, and Telus.

Christine's Career Journey

Starting in Business

Christine Magee studied business at the Richard Ivey School of Business in London, Ontario. She earned her degree in 1982. After finishing university, her first job was at Continental Bank of Canada. She worked there as a manager for business accounts. Later, in 1985, she joined the National Bank of Canada. There, she helped businesses get loans.

Building Sleep Country

In 1994, Christine and her business partners opened the first four Sleep Country stores. They started in Vancouver, British Columbia. One of her partners, Gord Lownds, said that Christine had a strong "entrepreneurial spirit." This means she was very good at starting and running businesses. He believed she was the perfect person to lead their new company.

The company quickly grew. In 1996, they opened 19 stores in Toronto. Over the next year, more stores opened in Southern Ontario and Calgary. By 2001, Sleep Country had over 100 stores in six different areas. They became a very big name in the mattress business.

Today, Sleep Country Canada has more than 200 stores. They also have 17 distribution centers across eight Canadian provinces. These include British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, Ontario, Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, and Quebec. In Quebec, the stores are called Dormez-vous?.

Giving Back to the Community

Christine Magee has also spent time helping her community. In 2006, she was involved with the United Way of Greater Toronto. This organization helps people in need. She was also a member of several other important groups. These included the Women Presidents' Organization and advisory councils for business schools.

Awards and Recognition

Christine Magee has received many awards for her work. These awards celebrate her success in business and her leadership.

• 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 named 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 in the retail business.
• 2006 – She received the CIRAS Henry Singer Award for her excellent leadership in retail and service.