Buyer, General Merchandise - Internal

London Drugs INTERNAL; Richmond; On-site; CAD 65,000 - 75,000; Full time

Job summary

A retail company based in Richmond is seeking an experienced Buyer for their General Merchandise team. The role focuses on managing the buying cycle, negotiating with vendors, and maintaining inventory levels. The ideal candidate will have a strong retail background, knowledge in financial planning, and expertise in managing inventory. This position offers significant opportunities for career advancement and requires a commitment to achieving company goals while delivering a superior shopping experience.

Qualifications

• Strong retail experience with a merchandising background.
• Knowledge of financial, strategic and tactical planning as well as budgeting.
• Expertise in managing category performance.

Responsibilities

• Manage the full buying cycle, including product selection and inventory management.
• Negotiate pricing and promotions with vendors.
• Support the Merchandise Manager to enhance shopping experience.

Skills

Retail experience

Merchandising background

Time management

Organizational skills

Inventory management

Analytical skills

Proficiency in Word, Excel, Outlook, and PowerPoint

Education

Post-secondary education in Business, Marketing, Procurement, or related field

Job description

As a valued London Drugs family member, the opportunities for career growth are unlimited! Here is a great chance for you to grow your skills and experience.

Our Richmond Head Office currently has opportunities for:

Buyer – General Merchandise

We are excited to hire an experienced buyer to add to our General Merchandise team and further build our leadership and management potential for anticipated future growth. We place a high focus on supporting our team members development and look to reward the high performers. There is great potential for advancement opportunities for those individuals who excel in this role and are looking to grow their career.

Staying current on market trends and responding to shifts in customer demand is essential in this role. Buyers source new merchandise and evaluate existing items to ensure products remain competitive. By fully understanding customer needs, they are able to maximize profits and provide a commercially viable range of merchandise at competitive prices.

What You’ll Do

• Manage the full buying cycle, including product selection, inventory management, advertising, training and any other function required to increase sales, revenues, and results for the company.
• Maintain appropriate inventory levels and buying commitments that support business needs.
• Support the Merchandise Manager and Category Manager to deliver a unique and superior shopping experience at London Drugs.
• Ensure that adequate stock levels exist to support all store inventory requirements and promotional stock requirements. This is considered to be a critical key requirement of the position.
• Negotiate pricing, promotions, and terms with vendors and manufacturers.
• Evaluate and test sample products, providing clear recommendations based on results.
• Identify opportunities to improve profitability through rebates, discounts, and promotional programs.
• Contribute to the development and coordination of advertising and promotional plans.
• Be aware of all relevant product trends and have the ability to brief management as to the significance of such trends and their possible impact on London Drugs.
• Identify any product listing opportunities or possible improvements to the current product listing.
• Maintain vendor lists, company reports, assessments of achieved results, inventory turns, gross margins achieved and return on investments.
• Have a thorough understanding of all competitors in your area of business. Understanding their strengths and weaknesses and most importantly looking for opportunities for competitive advantage.
• Travel throughout Canada, the United States, Europe or Asia upon request by management.

What You Bring

• Strong Retail experience with a merchandising background.
• Knowledge of financial, strategic and tactical planning as well as budgeting.
• Post‑secondary education in Business, Marketing, Procurement, or a related field (an asset).
• You are required to be the foremost expert in every category that you manage. You will need to fully utilize every research opportunity to ensure that you are current and informed at all times.
• Proficiency with Word, Excel, Outlook and PowerPoint.
• Strong time management and organizational skills.
• Proven experience managing inventory and analyzing category performance.

If you are a well organized, self‑motivated, individual who has a positive attitude, a desire to support Company initiatives, and a commitment to achieving Company objectives, then we have the opportunity for you to excel!

If you are interested in exploring opportunities but not sure where to start, talk to your Manager about this posting.

London Drugs is an equal opportunity employer. The above statements are intended to describe the general nature and level of work applicable to this position and are not intended to be an exhaustive list of all responsibilities, duties and skills required.