Buyer, General Merchandise

London Drugs Limited•Richmond, BC

13d

About The Position

At London Drugs, we’re more than just a retail store—we’re a community‑driven, 100% Canadian‑owned company that believes in going above and beyond for our customers and our team. We pride ourselves on delivering exceptional service while fostering a supportive, growth‑oriented environment. We’re excited to hire an experienced Buyer – General Merchandise to join our Merchandising team and support continued growth across assigned categories. We place a strong focus on developing our team members and rewarding high performance, with meaningful opportunities for advancement for those looking to grow their merchandising careers. Staying current on market trends and responding to evolving customer demand is essential in this role. Buyers translate customer insights and market trends into profitable, commercially viable assortments that drive sales, margin, and customer satisfaction across the retail network.

Requirements

Retail buying or merchandising experience with strong product knowledge and merchandising judgment
Proven vendor negotiation skills and ability to build productive, long‑term partnerships
Solid understanding of retail financial metrics including margin, inventory turn, GMROI, and Open‑to‑Buy
Strong analytical skills with proficiency in Excel
Ability to manage multiple priorities in a fast‑paced retail environment
Strong communication, collaboration, and organizational skills

Nice To Haves

Post‑secondary education in Business, Marketing, Procurement, or a related field (an asset)

Responsibilities

Develop and maintain product assortments for assigned categories, balancing customer needs, market trends, and financial objectives
Research and identify new products, brands, and vendors to enhance assortments and drive competitive differentiation
Conduct market analysis and competitive shopping to identify pricing, assortment, and merchandising opportunities
Partner with Planning on assortment breadth and depth decisions based on sales potential, inventory constraints, and space allocation
Manage the product lifecycle from introduction through discontinuation, including seasonal transitions and end‑of‑life planning
Build and maintain strong partnerships with vendor partners to secure favorable terms, exclusive products, and promotional support
Negotiate costs, payment terms, minimum order quantities, and promotional funding to optimize margin and inventory investment
Evaluate vendor performance including fill rates, quality, lead times, and service levels, addressing performance issues as needed
Attend trade shows, vendor meetings, and industry events to discover new opportunities and strengthen vendor relationships
Partner with the Pricing team on everyday pricing, promotional pricing, and markdown strategies
Manage Open‑to‑Buy in collaboration with Planning to balance inventory investment with sales opportunities
Analyze category performance including sales, margin, inventory turns, and GMROI
Identify opportunities to improve profitability through assortment optimization, pricing strategies, or cost initiatives
Secure vendor promotional funding and cooperative advertising support
Partner with Marketing on promotional messaging, imagery, and campaign execution
Collaborate with Space Planning on category layouts, planograms, endcaps, and seasonal merchandising sets
Work closely with Planning, Pricing, Supply Chain, and other partners to support forecasting, allocation, and vendor compliance
Provide accurate product information to support item setup, reporting, and data integrity

Benefits

Comprehensive medical, dental, prescription drug and vision coverage for you and your family (Ensuring you and your family are taken care of)
Employee Discount Program (Sharing our success)
Employee Recognition Program (Tangible rewards for great work!)
Company matched RRSPs (Helping you plan for your future)
Ongoing In-House Training & Education Courses (Lifelong learning)
Employee Family Assistance Program (Free confidential counseling)
Community Involvement (Giving back to our communities)

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