Senior Buyer-Pharmacy

Why Superdrug?

Passionate about Beauty and Health? Want to be part of an innovative, trend setting retailer? Our vibrant Head Office, based by East Croydon station is a fantastic environment filled with hundreds of brilliant personalities.
We’re a team that puts our customers and our teams at the heart of everything we do. At Superdrug, we aim to be the best in accessible health & beauty, loved by our customers for value, choice, friendly advice, service and fun.

Our success comes from our people – they make the difference. We’re all about personality, we have fun, and we work hard to deliver That Superdrug feeling.

The Senior Buyer for Pharmacy will manage a team of buyers responsible for developing and improving our pharmacy offer. They will have a passion for improving our commercial proposition across POM and P meds and improving efficiency within our pharmacy estate. A detailed understanding of NHS and pharmacy profitability. Highly analytical and organized, this person will be comfortable meeting and negotiating with big pharmaceutical suppliers and wholesalers as well as systems and technology providers.

This role reports into the Head of Trading – Pharmacy.

Key Responsibilities

Interacting with a variety of internal stakeholders: Store/pharmacy operations, Insights, Finance, IT, Clinical Excellence, Marketing and commercial functions across the business
Stakeholders from outside the BU: Key Suppliers and potential new partners
Working with the Head of Trading – Pharmacy to build strong strategic plans for categories consistent with business direction and goals, driving sales, profitability, customer satisfaction and market share both in store and online
Working closely with the Retail Health buyers and Healthcare services team in ensuring our pharmacy offer complements the overall health offer and drives overall sales and profitability
Undertaking detailed analysis on margin and deals, understanding and identifying areas of improvement and executing plans accordingly
Reviewing BED deals and negotiating additional and improved ones through working closely with the team and supply base
Ensuring the P&L is as accurate as possible, identifying and correcting cost and tariff discrepancies
Improving NHS and Branded margin
Improving availability
Working with the Head of Trading - Pharmacy to direct the buying team to measure and report on performance against budget and optimizing plans to grow sales, margin and market share
Working in collaboration with the GOBE team to develop, agree and deliver the strategy to grow own brand and exclusive participation
Working in partnership with marketing to ensure brand plans are executed to full potential
Assisting the team in supplier negotiations, building collaborative relationships and putting plans in place to deliver collective objectives
Working with the merchandising team to build merchandising plans that inspire our customer and are aligned with the plans of the total business
Commercially upskilling, coaching and engaging the team
Partnering with the Healthcare operations team and pharmacy superintendent to ensure we are meeting and operating within regulatory legislative requirements
Helping develop the Pharmacy Customer strategy to make Superdrug the patient’s choice for pharmacy
Working in partnership with the Ops team to improve and simplify pharmacy operations
Working with store and pharmacy teams to ensure they have up to date knowledge of new products coming into store to support them to give the best possible healthcare advice to our customers
Supporting the Head of Trading – Pharmacy with analysis and presentations

This job is a good fit for you if:
You are passionate about delivering sales and margin growth and embedding strong commercial excellence
You are both strategic and analytical
You thrive in a fast paced, ever changing environment
You are confident in analysing complex numbers and presenting recommendations, comfortable presenting to heads of department, the Healthcare Director and CEO
You have a background in pharmacy buying and understand the pharmacy market
You always strive to do the right thing for the customer
You have developed the ability to motivate people and see the opportunity in any result
You have an ability to help keep the team focused and give clear direction
You have a genuine interest in coaching and developing people
You know you can add value through your ability to build great relationships with suppliers and external contacts that’ll keep us ahead of the competition
You have an ability to identify and implement more efficient ways of working
You have managed online and in store product ranges
You have mastered the art of influencing that will engage potential new partners and enhance the priority of Superdrug with existing partnerships
You are curious on how your customer behaviors shapes the market.

What you’ll need:
An understanding of current economic situations, impacts of potential threats and competitors.
Sound in depth knowledge of the market, brand positioning and trends.
You have experience of retail buying
A core capability
A strong understanding of data and can read between the lines to identify trends
Excellent organizational and time management skills

Here's what's in it for you

33 days holiday rising to 38 days with length of service (inclusive of bank holidays)
Being part of more! We are part of a group who work closely with Savers, The Perfume Shop and Three UK.

We are part of A.S. Watson Group, the world's largest international health and beauty retailer with over 15,700 stores in 25 markets!
2 staff discount codes for yourself and a family member or friend
30% discount on Superdrug Own Brand Products both in store and online
You will be working in a stylish, modern and collaborative office close to East Croydon Station
Company pension matching and bonus
Unrivalled Learning and Development programmes
Come and be part of something special.
Hours: 37.5 | 9.00am - 5.30pm

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