Michael J. Knell
MONTREAL — Mega Group has become the exclusive distributor of Ireland’s Kaymed visco-

elastic sleep products to its network of 450 independent retailers across Canada.

Mega, this country’s largest furniture and bedding buying and marketing group, signed the agreement with Kayfoam Woolfson during a trade mission to Canada headed by Micheál Martin, minister for enterprise, trade and employment for the Republic of Ireland.

“This is an exclusive agreement to supply all their members with our product,” said Barry Navan, Kayfoam Woolfson’s vice president of sales for North America.

Kayfoam and Mega also are set to launch a comprehensive joint marketing effort to promote the Keymed brand throughout Canada. This campaign will kick off next week with a series of ads in two of Quebec’s largest newspapers, La Presse and the Montreal Gazette.

Currently, the product found on Mega floors is Kaymed’s original line, but plans are in the works to introduce the company’s higher-end Numuru line in coming months.

Kaymed products currently are being sold by four Mega member stores in Quebec, including two Multi Meubles stores and a Sleep Experience outlet. The line will be rolled out to members from across the country at the Canadian Home Furnishings Market in Toronto next January.

The relationship between Kayfoam Woolfson and Mega Group began when managers met and began talking at Furniture/Today’s Bedding Conference in Las Vegas earlier this year. 

Kaymed is the visco-elastic bedding division of Kayfoam Woolfson, the family-owned Irish mattress maker.
“This agreement allows both companies to focus on core strengths, with Mega distributing, training and merchandising Kaymed product across their retail membership,” Kayfoam Woolfson said in a statement. “It will support the growth of independent retailers in Canada by offering them exclusive access to Kaymed’s world-class product range.”

Kaymed’s niche has been the development of pressure-relieving mattresses. Recent innovations include the Kaymed Visco AirLayer, a micro-climate control layer that promotes comfortable sleeping temperatures whether a room is warm or cold, working in balance with an individual’s body.

The Mega-Kaymed deal doesn’t include Kayfoam Woolfson’s other offerings, such as innerspring mattresses, pillows and other sleep products.

“At the moment, the only division we’re exporting from Ireland is the visco-elastic,” Navan said.