History

J.A.Lumley & Son Ltd. was established in 1861 by Jane Lumley. At this time her husband was in ill health and in order to provide for her family she started a grocery shop in Tullamore, Coounty Offaly in the centre of Ireland.

Her husband subsequently recovered and joined Jane in the business, ironically Jane died at a young age whilst her husband William lived for another 40 years.

The second generation to run the business was Joseph Alfred Lumley who gave his initials to the company name. From the late 1800’s to the 1960’s the shop was located in the centre of Tullamore, currently where Galvin’s Menswear is now.

After the First World War, George Cecil Lumley returned home and joined the family business. At this stage the business incorporated a large store along with a successful Bakery providing employment to the people of Tullamore.

During the 1950’s Philip Cecil Lumley was the fourth generation to take hold of the reins and his foresight and modern thinking had positive implications for the future of the business. From 1960 the business expanded and diversified into the packaging of Sugar, Peel and Fruit. Also during this time the shop became the first self service shop in Tullamore.

With the immergence of the modern supermarkets in the late 1960’s the retail arm of the business ceased in 1969 as a Wholesale division had been started a number of years earlier and this was proving profitable.

During the next thirty years the company expanded and moved to new and bigger premises. A fire in 1984 which gutted it's then location did not hinder the company’s progress and after rebuilding the property Philip Lumley invested in modernisation by installing a full computer system which at the time was one of the first in the Wholesale sector in Ireland.

In 1995 Mark Lumley returned to Tullamore and joined the company as the fifth generation to work in the business.