OFMA Names Mega Group Retailer of the Year

March 20, 2007  by in UnCategorized   

By Home Furnishings Business in Furniture Retailing on March 2007 Mega Group has been named the 2007 Retailer of the Year for the Canadian residential furniture industry by the Ontario Furniture Manufacturers Association.

Michael Graydon, president and chief executive officer of Mega Group, will accept the award at a gala dinner scheduled for Aug. 13.

Mega Group is Canada’s largest co-operatively owned buying and marketing group serving independent furniture, bedding, household appliance and electronics retailers. It is headquartered in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, and has branch offices in Mississauga, Ont., and Boucherville, Quebec.

“Mega Group has helped to change the face of independent furniture retailing in this country,” said Laine Reynolds, chairman of the OFMA’s board of directors. “Through spirited leadership and innovation, they have given independent retailers the tools they need to compete in an ever-changing competitive environment dominated by national and multi-national giants.”

Mega Group as it’s known today formed in 1992 when V.I.P. Stores entered into a strategic alliance with its Quebec-based counterpart, Magasins D’Ameublement B.V. Inc. For the next eight years, they worked to improve the services they offered while maintaining their individual identities and autonomy. In 2000, both groups agreed to fully integrate into one, creating the largest member-owned group in Canada.

Currently, Mega Group has more than 600 members representing 714 retail storefronts with total estimated retail sales of close to $2 billion, and operates three well-known retail brands: Countrywide Stores, Multi-Meubles and Sleep Experience. Mega Group also has strategic alliances providing support services to other retail organizations including the Allied Home Furnishings Network, Les marchands PAS, Dufresne Retail Solutions Group, The Appliance Alliance, Audio Video Unlimited and Stereo Plus.

Earlier this year, Mega acquired Brand Source Canada and entered into a new strategic alliance with the California-based AVB Brand Source. For the past seven years, Mega has been recognized as one of Canada’s 50 Best Managed Companies and recently received the prestigious Platinum Award. In 2007, Mega Group was named one of Canada’s Top 20 Employers for the second year in a row.