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Apple's VP of Retail and SVP hopeful Jerry McDougal leaves company

Apple's VP of Retail and SVP hopeful Jerry McDougal leaves company

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Apple Store SoHo STOCK
Apple Store SoHo STOCK

Apple’s Vice President of Retail, Jerry McDougal has resigned, the company confirmed to All Things D. McDougal was a potential candidate for the SVP of Retail position left vacant late last year when John Browett was let go; part of the same executive shuffle that saw the ouster of SVP Scott Forstall. McDougal will be succeeded by Jim Bean, former Apple VP of Finance.

When Tim Cook became CEO… one of his first priorities was to fill the retail job

Apple has been struggling to find the right person to head up its retail operations since former SVP Ron Johnson left the company for JC Penney in 2011. When Tim Cook became CEO later the same year, one of his first priorities was to fill the retail job, which he gave to former Dixon's CEO Browett — a decision mired in controversy. Browett imposed a massively unpopular new "staffing formula" that included a large number of layoffs and major cuts in employee hours. In a quick about-face from Cook, the new retail head was let go just seven months after landing the job.

According to a report from ifoAppleStore, McDougal is leaving the company to spend more time with his family. Apple issued the following statement to ATD regarding his departure:

"Retail has an incredibly strong network of leaders at the store and regional level, and they will continue the excellent work they’ve done over the past decade to revolutionize retailing with unique, innovative services and a focus on the customer that is second to none. Jim Bean is moving to Retail to help support our store teams. Jim has been at Apple for 15 years and is a great leader who understands our culture and focus on customer service."