Apple hires U.K.’s Dixons CEO John Browett as SVP of Retail
“Our retail stores are all about customer service, and John shares that commitment like no one else we’ve met,” said Tim Cook, Apple’s CEO.
Dixons is basically the U.K. equivalent of Best Buy. (I’m not 100% sure, but I think it was a Dixons shop I was in at London Heathrow airport a couple of weekends ago, with a cute little “Apple store within a store” in the back corner.) And John was previously CEO of Tesco.com, another huge U.K. retail chain that mixes groceries with some other merchandise. (I once bought a tent for $8 at a Tesco in Prague.)
As Apple’s retail expansion efforts will be increasingly international, I suppose it’s smart to bring in someone with international experience. That may not have been Tim Cook’s priority, but it makes sense.
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