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Dixons vet John Browett may not have been the best executive fit for Apple’s retail stores, but you can bet that CEO Tim Cook won’t be making the same mistake twice. But who might be the next head of Apple’s retail division?
AllThingsD published an interesting look at Apple’s search for a new vice-president in charge of the company’s retail stores, following the departure of Dixons executive John Browett a mere nine months after stepping into the shoes of Ron Johnson, who moved on to become CEO at JCPenney.
Johnson is widely praised as the man who helped make Apple’s retail chain what it is today, and CEO Tim Cook is likely finding those big shoes somewhat difficult to replace. After all, it took Cupertino seven months to find Browett, who was summarily dismissed from the position a mere nine months later.
The dilemma is made worse because Apple has to look beyond the U.S. for future growth, making potential candidates a rather short list indeed.
“Apple’s next frontier is to really grow the brand internationally,” retail consultant Neil Stern told AllThingsD. “So brands like Nike, Coach, Burberry and Starbucks spring to mind as being ‘models,’ perhaps, of where an individual might have that experience.”
The report names five such candidates said to have the right stuff to become Apple’s next senior VP of retail, including names from popular retail brands such as Nike, Starbucks and Disney Store. But it won’t be that simple, according to a source close to Apple.
“Any one of these people would be terrific for that job,” the unnamed source said. “But none of them would ever take it. They’re retail people, and Apple is not a true retailer. It’s a consumer-products company.”
Former Apple retail boss Johnson concludes the search may last for some time, but feels the company is in good hands until then.
“I think Tim [Cook] will take his time with this,” Johnson told AllThingsD. “The internal team is very strong and capable of running well until he finds the right person.”
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