Farmers Trading Company Ltd (branded as Farmers) is a New Zealand mid-market department store chain. Headquartered in Flat Bush, Auckland, Farmers operates 58 stores across New Zealand, specialising in family fashion, beauty, homewares, furniture, large appliances and whiteware.

Robert Laidlaw founded Laidlaw Leeds in 1909, which sold agricultural supplies through mail order catalogues, following a successful American model. In 1910, a group of Auckland members of the Farmers Union formed the Farmers Union Indenting and Trading Association. The Clevedon branch, for instance, approved the formation of such an association at a meeting held in July 1910. In 1916, the trading association was converted into the Farmers' Union Trading Co (Auckland) Ltd.

In 1917, the Farmers' Union Trading Company approached Laidlaw Leeds with an offer to merge, which Laidlaw accepted; he became the managing director of the new venture, the Farmers' Trading Company. The company soon expanded into retail and adopted the department store model. There had also been an unrelated, older Farmers Department Store in Sydney, Australia.

The centre of operations was a high-rise warehouse and office complex in Auckland's Hobson Street. In 1920 a retail space was opened to the public in the building. The co-op also bought many local stores in the Auckland province in 1920, by which time it had 32 stores, and offered preference shares to urban members.

In the 1930s a large wing was built onto the older 1914 building which included the Harbour View Tea Rooms. The architect involved, R. A. Lippencott, also gave the enlarged building a new facade in the new modern Art-Deco style. Hobson Street was not a very good position for a department store, so copying similar arrangements by stores in American cities, Laidlaw arranged for a free bus to shuttle people from Queen Street to the Hobson Street store. This was later augmented by a free tram to Karangahape Road.

Over successive years the adjacent sites were covered with warehouses and administration blocks for the growing business. Laidlaw, a teetotaler, made a point of buying the pub directly next door, The Grosvenor, and turning it into offices.

As well as the store's rooftop playground and tearooms, Farmers was also noted for its high-rise parking building connected to the shop by an elevated skyway. Like many buildings from the 1920s onwards, it had electric lifts which multiplied in number as the building grew in size.^{[citation needed]} The store also boasted the first escalators in Auckland which were opened in 1955 by the Mayor of Auckland City, Mr. J H Luxford and his wife. The Mayor cut the ribbon and the official party travelled up the escalators followed by a crowd of curious Aucklanders, along with the store's mascot Hector the parrot. The eight banks of escalators were the largest installation in the Southern Hemisphere.^{[better source needed]}

In 1970, Farmers acquired Calder Mackay, a Christchurch-based department store with branches around the South Island. Following the purchase Farmers became the largest department store chain in New Zealand.