About Us

Born in Tyrone in 1875, Thomas Archer was apprenticed to a Dublin builder’s merchants and timber importers.  By 1912, he had established his own outlet in Ballina’s Haymarket, taking over an existing business.

The store flourished; initially managed by son-in-law William Michael, later by grandsons Denis and David Michael. Today Archer’s great grandsons, Garret and William represent the fourth generation of the family to be involved in the business.

In 1928 Archers relocated to Pearse Street, the town centre premises included a sawmill and joinery shop, both extensively fire-damaged in 1941.
Fire and a stop to Scandinavian timber imports during WWII did not deter the family. They purchased a forest near Kiltimagh and began timber production, using a steam engine to power the sawmill, which had been driven from Tipperary at a speed of 4mph!

The Kiltimagh timber sustained the company through the war, with surplus sent by rail to other importers. It was also used to rebuild Pearse Street and was still in perfect condition when the site was redeveloped in 2007.

The sawmills and timber division eventually moved to Bachelor’s Walk and from there to Archers current site on Bunree Road in 1975.
The growing builder’s merchant trade also transferred to the new location in 1981. Relocation of the entire business was complete when the paint, homewares and gardening departments followed in 1999; the year of a total rebuild, creating one of the largest modern multi-department home stores West of the Shannon.

In 2014 Archers acquired an existing Castlebar Agri Feed and Supplies business and in 2019 began the de-development of this site with the addition of building material warehousing and finally a modern Home & Garden store with adjoining Garden Centre.

With the 2 sites offering 800sq mtrs of retail space, Archers is one of the premier independent ‘one-stop-shop’ providers West of the Shannon, offering a broad range Building, Home & Garden solutions, supported by a team of over 75 experienced staff.