Edible Apple

Key retail executive Jerry McDougal, Apple’s VP of Retail, turned in his papers last Friday according to a report from ifoAppleStore. As opposed to Ron Johnson who wanted to go pursue other opportunities, McDougal’s departure is reportedly nothing more than him wanting to spend more time with his family. The report notes that Apple, not surprisingly, requires its executives at the headquarters level to spend an inordinate amount of time on the job.

McDougal was Johnson’s right-hand man from the moment the chain was conceived in 2000, and there was speculation he might replace Johnson. However, CEO Tim Cook selected outsider John Browett of UK-based Dixons for the position. When Browett was fired last October, speculation again focused on McDougal and others for the Sr. VP position. Instead, McDougal has now departed, and the company says it continues to search for Browett’s successor.

In the meantime, it’s being reported that 15-year Apple veteran Jim Bean (not Beam) will be moving up from his VP Finance position to take on McDougal’s role.

And so, Apple’s search for a new retail head marches on, with one of the leading candidates now out of the picture. If you recall, it was just a few months ago that Apple let go of John Browett who had assumed the head retail position after Ron Johnson left for JC Penney. Browett’s tenure at Apple barely lasted a few months and he was canned just a few months in.

via ifoAppleStore