Laois man is teaming up with Mattress Mick to open new Portlaoise store

Laois man John O'Neill is set to bring a new choice to people furnishing their homes in Portlaoise and around the county, thanks to a partnership with one of Ireland's most successful but also colourful businessmen.

Mr O'Neill, who lives in Portlaoise but has Stradbally roots, is in the final stages of opening a Portlaoise branch of the bedding business chain Mattress Mick.

The Laois man confirmed to the Leinster Express / Laois Live already runs a Mattress Mick store in Roscrea and is in the final stages of opening a Laois branch on the town's Dublin Road in the commercial complex opposite the entrance to the Midland Regional Hospital Portlaoise.

Mr O'Neill said he is looking forward to providing more choice to Laois shoppers and sees potential to be a success thanks to the growth of the town and the large number of new homes being built in Portlaoise.

He anticipates employing two to three people in the store, which he expects will be open by early November in time for the Christmas trade and Black Friday.

He added that he is looking forward to welcoming the founder of Mattress Mick, Michael Flynn, to town for the grand opening.

Mr Flynn began selling mattresses after the property crash and has since opened successful outlets around the country. He has put himself front and centre of promoting his business employing some novel marketing techniques and publicity stunts to grab the attention of shoppers.

He recorded a rap song as Mattress Mick, which went viral and one of his ads included a song with Richie Kavanagh. He also produced a Star Wars-themed advertisement. He was named as one of the most popular Irish accounts on TikTok in 2022. MORE BELOW VIDEO.

Flynn was the subject of the 2016 movie Mattress Men, which he starred in. The movie won the George Morrison Feature Documentary award in the Irish Film and Television Awards in 2017. A musical based on his life ran at the Liberty Hall Theatre in 2023.

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His most recent project is an autobiography called 'Bouncing Back: Memoirs of a Mattress Salesman'.

It tells his story of being a struggling furniture salesman from Pearse Street, who reinvented himself to become one of Ireland's most beloved national business figures.