Apple's search for a new retail head inches forward
For about eight months now, the position of Senior VP of Retail at Apple has remained vacant. Back in October 2012, Apple unceremoniously dismissed John Browett from the position after just seven months on the job. Reports at the time indicated that Browett never quite meshed with the culture at Apple and his efforts to focus more on the bottom line than on customer satisfaction were never well received.
Discussing his time at Apple this past March, Browett remarked:
Apple is a truly fantastic business. The people are great; they've got great products; it's got a great culture and I loved working there; it's a fantastic business. The issue there was that I just didn't fit within the way they run the business. It was one of those things where you're rejected for fit rather than competency.
So while Apple retail stores continue to rake in more money per square foot than any other store on the planet, the company is still actively looking for someone to take Apple retail to even greater heights.
According to a recent report in the Wall Street Journal, Apple's search for a new Senior VP of Retail is moving along ever so slowly.
Apple's search for a replacement, handled by recruiters Egon Zehnder International, has gone slowly, people familiar with the matter said, and the company has yet to settle on a finalist after interviewing several external candidates.
Among those interviewed but rejected as a poor fit were wireless and telecommunications-industry executives, one such person said. A CEO of a privately held retailer in France spurned Apple's overtures, believing it would be hard to change Apple's culture as an outsider, another person said.
Interestingly enough, the report relays that Apple isn't considering internal candidates for the position. This of course aligns with reports we previously saw back when Apple was searching for its first replacement for Ron Johnson, namely that Apple is on the lookout for candidates with significant international retail experience.
