Senior Buyer

T&T Supermarket; Toronto; On-site; CAD 90,000 - 120,000; Full time

Job summary

T&T Supermarket is seeking a Senior Buyer to source quality products, negotiate supplier terms, and manage orders to ensure on-time replenishment and availability. The role emphasizes data-driven decisions, cost control, and strong supplier partnerships within a fast-paced grocery environment.

The candidate should bring 3+ years in retail procurement, fluent English and Chinese, and solid skills in Excel/PowerPoint. Travel may be required to support supplier visits and market reviews.

Qualifications

• 3+ years in retail procurement or category management.
• Fluent in English and Chinese (reading, writing, and speaking).
• Strong product knowledge within assigned category.
• Proficient in Excel, Word, and PowerPoint for data analysis.
• Excellent negotiation and stakeholder management skills.
• Analytical thinker with commercial judgment.
• Inventory management, cost control, shrinkage and margin knowledge.
• Ability to act on sales data and market trends.
• Willingness to travel for business needs.

Responsibilities

• Negotiate pricing, terms, promotions, contracts and supply agreements.
• Prepare and issue purchase orders and monitor delivery schedules.
• Monitor inventory levels and optimize stock to minimize shortages.
• Analyze sales trends, demand, seasonality, market conditions and supplier performance.
• Collaborate with Sales, Operations, Warehouse, Finance and QA teams.
• Maintain supplier relationships and resolve delivery, quality, pricing issues.
• Support product selection, new launches, assortment optimization and margin growth.
• Review purchasing reports, inventory and market intelligence for trends.
• Ensure all purchasing complies with policies and food safety standards.

Skills

Retail procurement experience

Bilingual English-Chinese

Supplier negotiation

Inventory management understanding

Data-driven decisions

Strong business acumen

Time management

Travel willingness

Tools

Excel

Word

PowerPoint

Job description

Reporting to the Category Manager, the Senior Buyer is responsible for sourcing high-quality products, negotiating with suppliers, managing purchase orders, monitoring inventory, and ensuring product availability, quality, and timely delivery. This role plays a key part in driving category performance by balancing cost, quality, customer demand, and profitability. The ideal candidate is commercially minded, analytical, results-driven, and passionate about identifying opportunities to grow the business through strategic purchasing decisions and strong supplier partnerships.

You Will

• Negotiate pricing, payment terms, promotional support, contracts, and supply agreements to maximize value and achieve business objectives.
• Prepare and issue purchase orders while proactively monitoring delivery schedules to ensure timely replenishment and product availability.
• Monitor inventory levels and optimize stock to minimize shortages, overstock, shrinkage, and product waste.
• Analyze sales trends, customer demand, seasonal patterns, market conditions, and supplier performance to support data-driven purchasing decisions.
• Partner closely with Sales, Operations, Warehouse, Finance, and Quality Assurance teams to ensure smooth execution of purchasing activities and category initiatives.
• Build and maintain strong supplier relationships while resolving delivery, quality, pricing, and supply issues in a timely and professional manner.
• Support product selection, new product launches, assortment optimization, cost reduction initiatives, and margin improvement opportunities to enhance category performance.
• Review purchasing reports, inventory reports, sales performance, and market intelligence to identify trends and make informed buying decisions.
• Ensure all purchasing activities comply with Company policies, food safety standards, and applicable regulatory requirements.

You Should Have / Be

• Minimum 3 years of retail procurement, buying, or category management experience, preferably within the grocery or retail industry.
• Fluent in both English and Chinese (reading, writing, and speaking) to effectively communicate with suppliers and cross-functional teams.
• Strong product knowledge within the assigned merchandise category.
• Proficient in Microsoft Excel, Word, and PowerPoint, with the ability to analyze and interpret business data.
• Excellent negotiation, communication, interpersonal, and stakeholder management skills.
• Strong analytical thinking and problem-solving abilities with sound commercial judgment.
• Solid understanding of inventory management, cost control, shrinkage reduction, and margin optimization.
• Ability to make timely purchasing decisions based on sales data, market trends, customer demand, and business priorities.
• Strong business acumen with the ability to balance cost, quality, delivery, inventory investment, and customer expectations.
• Highly organized with the ability to manage multiple priorities in a fast-paced environment and consistently meet deadlines.
• Willingness and ability to travel as required.

This is an active job posting for a currently vacant position. We are recruiting to fill this role as part of our ongoing operational needs.