Buyer Technology

London Drugs Limited • Richmond, BC

12d • Onsite

About The Position

London Drugs is seeking a Buyer, Technology to join their team. This role is responsible for leading the development of compelling product assortments, building strong vendor partnerships, and ensuring products meet customer needs while supporting financial goals. The Buyer will translate customer insights and market trends into profitable, commercially viable assortments that drive sales, margin, and customer satisfaction. This position requires strong merchandising judgment, financial acumen, and the ability to collaborate effectively across various departments.

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
• Employee Discount Program
• Employee Recognition Program
• Company matched RRSPs
• Ongoing In-House Training & Education Courses
• Employee Family Assistance Program
• Community Involvement

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Mid Level
• Education Level: Associate degree