It looks like the next head of Apple's retail empire will know its stores intimately — Cult of Mac is reporting that the new Senior VP of retail will be former store manager Steve Cano. Cano joined Apple in 2001 as manager of the flagship Palo Alto store and has been working his way up the ladder since then, managing stores in New York, Tokyo, and eventually becoming the Sr. Director of International Retail. Cano has overseen serious expansion in both Japan and Europe, so his promotion to the top retail spot is not unexpected, but it's still a pretty amazing ride for a guy who simply managed a single store a decade ago. With the holiday season looming, and self-checkout coming to the stores, it's a good time for a new retail king to step up.