A Look at Apple's Possible External and Internal Options for Next Retail Chief

With retail chief John Browett having departed Apple just months after his arrival, the company clearly acknowledged that he was not a good fit for the company. Browett's departure was preceded by staffing controversy within the company's retail division amid reports that Browett's focus on profits over customer satisfaction was having a negative impact on both employees and customers.

apple retail specialist ipad
Apple is of course now once again looking for a leader for its retail division, and AllThingsD takes a look at Apple's options, noting that the stakes are higher than ever with Apple unable to afford another miss with this hire. In looking at possible external candidates, AllThingsD notes that international experience may again play an important role as it did with Browett, given Apple's focus on expanding its retail footprint outside of the United States.

“Apple’s next frontier is to really grow the brand Internationally,” Neil Stern, a senior partner at retail consultancy McMillan Doolittle LLP, 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.”

We’ve been asking around for weeks about possible external candidates for Apple’s senior VP of retail job, and have heard largely the same thing, and a few names to boot. They are, in no particular order:

- Burberry CEO Angela Ahrendts
- Victor Luis, president, International Group, Coach
- Jeanne Jackson, president, Direct to Consumer, Nike
- John Culver, president, Starbucks Coffee China and Asia Pacific
- Paul Gainer, executive vice president, Global Disney Store

As for internal candidates, AllThingsD cites the usual three suspects from Apple's retail division: manager Steve Cano, real estate chief Bob Bridger, and vice president Jerry McDougal. McDougal was cited as a solid option during the last round, and Cano gained notice after it was incorrectly reported that he had been chosen to succeed Ron Johnson following Johnson's departure to lead department store chain JC Penney.

Johnson himself issued a brief statement to AllThingsD, noting that Apple will likely take its time in searching for the best possibly candidate.

“I think Tim 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.”

But for the time being, Apple's retail team will continuing operating under the guidance of its experienced group of executives and report directly to Tim Cook.

Popular Stories

iPhone 17 Pro Lower Logo Feature 1

iPhone 17 Pro Coming Soon With These 14 New Features

Monday June 30, 2025 1:08 pm PDT by
Apple's next-generation iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max are less than three months away, and there are plenty of rumors about the devices. Apple is expected to launch the iPhone 17, iPhone 17 Air, iPhone 17 Pro, and iPhone 17 Pro Max in September this year. Below, we recap key changes rumored for the iPhone 17 Pro models:Aluminum frame: iPhone 17 Pro models are rumored to have an...
Apple Watch Ultra Night Mode Screen

Apple Watch Ultra 3 Launching Later This Year With Two Key Upgrades

Wednesday July 2, 2025 1:13 pm PDT by
The long wait for an Apple Watch Ultra 3 appears to be nearly over, and it is rumored to feature both satellite connectivity and 5G support. Apple Watch Ultra's existing Night Mode In his latest Power On newsletter, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman said that the Apple Watch Ultra 3 is on track to launch this year with "significant" new features, including satellite connectivity, which would let you...
A18 Pro Chip

New MacBook With A18 Pro Chip Spotted in Apple Code

Monday June 30, 2025 8:05 am PDT by
Apple is developing a MacBook with the A18 Pro chip, according to findings in backend code uncovered by MacRumors. Earlier today, Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo reported that Apple is planning to launch a low-cost MacBook powered by an iPhone chip. The machine is expected to feature a 13-inch display, the A18 Pro chip, and color options that include silver, blue, pink, and yellow. MacRumors...
iPhone 17 Pro Lower Logo Magsafe

iPhone 17 Pro's New MagSafe Design Revealed in Leaked Photo

Wednesday July 2, 2025 8:37 am PDT by
The upcoming iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max are rumored to have a slightly different MagSafe magnet layout compared to existing iPhone models, and a leaked photo has offered a closer look at the supposed new design. The leaker Majin Bu today shared a photo of alleged MagSafe magnet arrays for third-party iPhone 17 Pro cases. On existing iPhone models with MagSafe, the magnets form a...
macbook air spacegray purple

Apple Planning to Launch Low-Cost MacBook Powered By iPhone Chip

Monday June 30, 2025 3:20 am PDT by
Apple is planning to launch a low-cost MacBook powered by an iPhone chip, according to Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo. In an article published on X, Kuo explained that the device will feature a 13-inch display and the A18 Pro chip, making it the first Mac powered by an iPhone chip. The A18 Pro chip debuted in the iPhone 16 Pro last year. To date, all Apple silicon Macs have contained M-series...
iOS 18

Apple Releases Second iOS 18.6 Public Beta

Tuesday July 1, 2025 10:19 am PDT by
Apple today seeded the second betas of upcoming iOS 18.6 and iPadOS 18.6 updates to public beta testers, with the betas coming just a day after Apple provided the betas to developers. Apple has also released a second beta of macOS Sequoia 15.6. Testers who have signed up for beta updates through Apple's beta site can download iOS 18.6 and iPadOS 18.6 from the Settings app on a compatible...
Wi Fi WiFi General Feature

iOS 26 Adds a Useful New Wi-Fi Feature to Your iPhone

Wednesday July 2, 2025 6:36 am PDT by
iOS 26 and iPadOS 26 add a smaller yet useful Wi-Fi feature to iPhones and iPads. As spotted by Creative Strategies analyst Max Weinbach, sign-in details for captive Wi-Fi networks are now synced across iPhones and iPads running iOS 26 and iPadOS 26. For example, while Weinbach was staying at a Hilton hotel, his iPhone prompted him to fill in Wi-Fi details from his iPad that was already...
maxresdefault

Five Features Coming to AirPods Pro 3

Friday June 27, 2025 10:52 am PDT by
Apple hasn't updated the AirPods Pro since 2022, and the earbuds are due for a refresh. We're counting on a new model this year, and we've seen several hints of new AirPods tucked away in Apple's code. Rumors suggest that Apple has some exciting new features planned that will make it worthwhile to upgrade to the latest model. Subscribe to the MacRumors YouTube channel for more videos. Heal...
replay all time playlist apple music

Apple Music Debuts All-New Personalized Playlist

Monday June 30, 2025 7:16 am PDT by
As part of its 10-year celebrations of Apple Music, Apple today released an all-new personalized playlist that collates your entire listening history. The playlist, called "Replay All Time," expands on Apple Music's existing Replay features. Previously, users could only see their top songs for each individual calendar year that they've been subscribed to Apple Music, but now, Replay All...

Top Rated Comments

Tankmaze Avatar
163 months ago
Hire back ron johnson ?
Score: 12 Votes (Like | Disagree)
crackbookpro Avatar
163 months ago
Hire within :apple:
Score: 8 Votes (Like | Disagree)
TheAustrianGuy Avatar
163 months ago
Amusing

What I still find very amusing is the fact that every single UK poster in this forum who knew Browett's former company said that he's not the right guy and that he won't last long at Apple.

While the main site is rightfully called MacRumors, this forum should be renamed to MacPredictions. ;)
Score: 6 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Confuzzzed Avatar
163 months ago
Hire someone from John Lewis rather than PC World
Score: 6 Votes (Like | Disagree)
macnerd93 Avatar
163 months ago
all Apple needed to do was to send some reps out to a PC World or Curry's to see how bad the service was in their and they'd have understood lol.
Score: 6 Votes (Like | Disagree)
WeegieMac Avatar
163 months ago
No doubt Apple'll ensure they won't make another Browett style mistake. No one could believe it when Apple hired him... Any Brit who's been in PC World/Currys knows exactly what I mean.

Yeah, but we were told, "Hey, Tim knows his stuff, he knows more than you".

Now, I am well aware Tim Cook knows infinitely more than me when it comes to the tech business.

However, as a UK consumer who's shopped in, and been burned by both Curry's and PC World, this was one topic which we were MORE than equipped to talk about.
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)