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Anyone who A) likes Apple and B) has ever been in a Dixons store in the UK will be overjoyed with the other departure, Browett (head of retail and previous Dixo

Anyone who A) likes Apple and B) has ever been in a Dixons store in the UK will be overjoyed with the other departure, Browett (head of retail and previous Dixons CEO) who is leaving immediately (compared to Forstall's year long "transition" departure). Dixons is everything that Apple should never be; terrible customer service, clueless minimum wage staff, horrible retail experience, and generally used only by people who desperately need something immediately or are too naive to find another store. Recent news out of Apple regarding "cutbacks" at retail suggested he was nudging them in the same direction. Given that he got his first stock disbursement last week and was due $58 million over the next few years if he hung around, I'm guessing he was pushed. Great decision from Cook if that was the case.

nagrom 14y ago
It's worth noting that Dixon's eventually scaled back its high-street presence completely and is now found only in airports. If his role at Dixon's was what got him a job at Apple, I'd be really surprised!
- bruceboughton 14y ago
  Not exactly. Dixons branches were re-branded as Currys.digital and there are plenty of those.
- aes256 14y ago
  Dixons is just one brand of Dixons Retail (formerly DSG International) which also owns Currys, PC World, etc. They rebranded all their high street stores to Currys.digital, and although store numbers have been declining, they are still a regular fixture on high streets.
  - mibbitier 14y ago
    That would explain why Currys and PC World are also ridiculously awful. Every time I go into one of those shops, it's because I need something immediately, to take away. They never have it in stock, and ask if I'd like to order it. If I wanted to order it, I'd do it myself, online.
    - aes256 14y ago
      I can't believe it's still a viable business model. Granted they provide convenience and the ability for customers to use products in store before purchase, but I can't believe people still pay the price premium. I've only stepped foot in their stores twice in the last couple of years; once to try out the new Retina MacBook Pro and once to inspect televisions before buying one online for ~£400 less than their price.
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mukaiji 14y ago
Dixon was DRI for those dreadful apple genius ads over the summer. Good move indeed
w0utert 14y ago
>> Anyone who A) likes Apple and B) has ever been in a Dixon's store in the UK will be overjoyed with the other departure, Browett (head of retail) who is leaving immediately (compared to Forstall's year long "transition" departure). Dixon's is everything that Apple should never be; terrible customer service, clueless minimum wage staff, horrible retail experience, and generally used only by people who desperately need something immediately or are too naive to find another store. I agree, the one thing that irks me though, is that I remember reading the guy was able to convert a sizable part of his Apple stock options only a few weeks ago. That's a quick & cool few million $$$ he made in one year at Apple without any apparent positive contribution :-/
- glhaynes 14y ago
  Cost of doing business. In Steve's words: "What can I say? I hired the wrong guy."
- Bud 14y ago
  Viewed from the other side, though, he did convert $3 million, yes, but Apple saved $57 million. Apple can afford to lose the three mil. They'll make that back in a few days once somebody who actually gets Apple's retail concept is running the show again. Somebody who respects the model that brought Apple top-of-the-charts customer service ratings. Somebody who respects that if you're making more money per square foot than any other retail store in the world, you might be doing something right.
- mathattack 14y ago
  Many times this type of fast vesting is to compensate for options lost elsewhere. Yes he was a crappy executive, but hiring ex-CEOs is costly.
- ivv 14y ago
  Considering that Ron Johnson's stint at JCPenney hasn't been going so well, wonder if he'll end up back at Apple.
rdl 14y ago
I had the misfortune of shopping UK retail for a few years, and especially in electronics, I can't imagine anyone using it as an example of a great way to structure anything, let alone a premium brand like Apple. The only UK retail brands which don't seem horrible are high-end department stores (Selfridges, etc.) and grocery stores, and neither really seems like a good background for running Apple retail.
- olliesaunders 14y ago
  (Assuming you're American) what specifically makes retail in the US so much better?
  - nzjames 14y ago
    I'm from New Zealand but have travelled in the US and lived in the UK. The difference is service. You get it in the US. I remember it in every store. Initially I thought it was intimidating because I was not used to it. But after a few months and some great experiences I really enjoyed it. You don't get it in the UK. High street stores, especially noticeable in places like shoe stores where you need service to complete a transaction. You could easily wait 10 minutes until someone was available to help you. And it could take another 10 minutes per pair of shoes you wanted to try on. So painful.
    - navs 14y ago
      I'm curious what you think of New Zealand stores. I too live here and I have yet to find a store comparable to Apple's. Then again I don't get out much.
    - lostlogin 14y ago
      I never got into the helpful staff thing. I dislike being helped when in shops. Clearly I have been in New Zealand too long. Something that really irked me in the US was the way taxes worked. I never knew what I was going to pay, as taxes weren't included in the label price. It wasn't a large percentage, but I never could quite understand why anyone would take the time to make a price label which showed a price different to what I would pay. Does anywhere else do this? i have travelled a fair bit and have never encountered it before (My US experience was limited to California I should note).
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nilsbunger 14y ago
But why did someone like this Dixon guy get in to begin with? He seemed like an odd choice from day 1, but I figured maybe apple knew something the rest or us didn't. Apparently not. Apple retail head is one of the most desirable executive positions on the planet. Why couldn't they recruit a true superstar? I'm a little confused and worried ...
- waiwai933 14y ago
  > Apple retail head is one of the most desirable executive positions on the planet. Why couldn't they recruit a true superstar? I think the problem is identifying the superstar in the first place. Quite frankly, there is no company whose retail comes close to Apple, and so there isn't anyone who has a track record of being able to do the SVP Retail job. In addition, the Apple SVP Retail job is different from head of retail at other companies (e.g. s/he doesn't have control over inventory [1]), and so when it comes down to the end of the day, it's really hard to find someone who has done a similar job in the past, let alone done that job well. In all likelihood, Tim Cook had some idea of the downfalls of hiring Browett, but decided to bet on it. I would also guess that given the worries around that time that Cook wouldn't be able to handle the CEO job also made the hiring rather more urgent that it should have been. [1]: http://tech.fortune.cnn.com/2011/08/25/how-apple-works-inside-the-worlds-biggest-startup/ http://tech.fortune.cnn.com/2011/08/25/how-apple-works-insid...
  - alwaysinshade 14y ago
    > I think the problem is identifying the superstar in the first place. I'd look towards fashion - for example the Japanese clothing store Uniqlo [1]. Their stores are quite similar to Apple's in terms of layout and space, the way that they encourage you to come in and look around, and they always have helpful service on hand. The problem is Tadashi Yanai [2] is too rich and successful to leave his current post. I see a parallel with Apple making (subjectively) luxurious electronic devices available at prices for the masses the way Uniqlo makes (subjectively) luxurious fashion available at prices for the masses. I grabbed a bunch of French linen shirts in Tokyo for ~25 AUD each (though the AUD was doing well against the JPY at the time). [1] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Uniqlo http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Uniqlo [2] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tadashi_Yanai http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tadashi_Yanai
nikcub 14y ago
> Great decision from Cook Cook hired him, which many commentators pointed out was a mistake in the first place.
- raverbashing 14y ago
  People make mistakes, good that he could recognize he made a mistake.
  - Tyrannosaurs 14y ago
    Absolutely. Unless you can hire someone you 100% know will never make a mistake, you should be interested in how they deal with them when they do. Cook seems to have given him enough time to prove himself (or as it seems otherwise) and has then taken steps to right his mistake.
  - ksec 14y ago
    The problem is it took him too long to know this as a mistake.

nagrom 14y ago

It's worth noting that Dixon's eventually scaled back its high-street presence completely and is now found only in airports. If his role at Dixon's was what got him a job at Apple, I'd be really surprised!

bruceboughton 14y ago
Not exactly. Dixons branches were re-branded as Currys.digital and there are plenty of those.
aes256 14y ago
Dixons is just one brand of Dixons Retail (formerly DSG International) which also owns Currys, PC World, etc. They rebranded all their high street stores to Currys.digital, and although store numbers have been declining, they are still a regular fixture on high streets.
- mibbitier 14y ago
  That would explain why Currys and PC World are also ridiculously awful. Every time I go into one of those shops, it's because I need something immediately, to take away. They never have it in stock, and ask if I'd like to order it. If I wanted to order it, I'd do it myself, online.
  - aes256 14y ago
    I can't believe it's still a viable business model. Granted they provide convenience and the ability for customers to use products in store before purchase, but I can't believe people still pay the price premium. I've only stepped foot in their stores twice in the last couple of years; once to try out the new Retina MacBook Pro and once to inspect televisions before buying one online for ~£400 less than their price.

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mukaiji 14y ago

Dixon was DRI for those dreadful apple genius ads over the summer. Good move indeed

w0utert 14y ago

>> Anyone who A) likes Apple and B) has ever been in a Dixon's store in the UK will be overjoyed with the other departure, Browett (head of retail) who is leaving immediately (compared to Forstall's year long "transition" departure). Dixon's is everything that Apple should never be; terrible customer service, clueless minimum wage staff, horrible retail experience, and generally used only by people who desperately need something immediately or are too naive to find another store. I agree, the one thing that irks me though, is that I remember reading the guy was able to convert a sizable part of his Apple stock options only a few weeks ago. That's a quick & cool few million $$$ he made in one year at Apple without any apparent positive contribution :-/

glhaynes 14y ago
Cost of doing business. In Steve's words: "What can I say? I hired the wrong guy."
Bud 14y ago
Viewed from the other side, though, he did convert $3 million, yes, but Apple saved $57 million. Apple can afford to lose the three mil. They'll make that back in a few days once somebody who actually gets Apple's retail concept is running the show again. Somebody who respects the model that brought Apple top-of-the-charts customer service ratings. Somebody who respects that if you're making more money per square foot than any other retail store in the world, you might be doing something right.
mathattack 14y ago
Many times this type of fast vesting is to compensate for options lost elsewhere. Yes he was a crappy executive, but hiring ex-CEOs is costly.
ivv 14y ago
Considering that Ron Johnson's stint at JCPenney hasn't been going so well, wonder if he'll end up back at Apple.

rdl 14y ago

I had the misfortune of shopping UK retail for a few years, and especially in electronics, I can't imagine anyone using it as an example of a great way to structure anything, let alone a premium brand like Apple. The only UK retail brands which don't seem horrible are high-end department stores (Selfridges, etc.) and grocery stores, and neither really seems like a good background for running Apple retail.

olliesaunders 14y ago
(Assuming you're American) what specifically makes retail in the US so much better?
- nzjames 14y ago
  I'm from New Zealand but have travelled in the US and lived in the UK. The difference is service. You get it in the US. I remember it in every store. Initially I thought it was intimidating because I was not used to it. But after a few months and some great experiences I really enjoyed it. You don't get it in the UK. High street stores, especially noticeable in places like shoe stores where you need service to complete a transaction. You could easily wait 10 minutes until someone was available to help you. And it could take another 10 minutes per pair of shoes you wanted to try on. So painful.
  - navs 14y ago
    I'm curious what you think of New Zealand stores. I too live here and I have yet to find a store comparable to Apple's. Then again I don't get out much.
  - lostlogin 14y ago
    I never got into the helpful staff thing. I dislike being helped when in shops. Clearly I have been in New Zealand too long. Something that really irked me in the US was the way taxes worked. I never knew what I was going to pay, as taxes weren't included in the label price. It wasn't a large percentage, but I never could quite understand why anyone would take the time to make a price label which showed a price different to what I would pay. Does anywhere else do this? i have travelled a fair bit and have never encountered it before (My US experience was limited to California I should note).

deleted 14y ago

[deleted]

nilsbunger 14y ago

But why did someone like this Dixon guy get in to begin with? He seemed like an odd choice from day 1, but I figured maybe apple knew something the rest or us didn't. Apparently not. Apple retail head is one of the most desirable executive positions on the planet. Why couldn't they recruit a true superstar? I'm a little confused and worried ...

waiwai933 14y ago
> Apple retail head is one of the most desirable executive positions on the planet. Why couldn't they recruit a true superstar? I think the problem is identifying the superstar in the first place. Quite frankly, there is no company whose retail comes close to Apple, and so there isn't anyone who has a track record of being able to do the SVP Retail job. In addition, the Apple SVP Retail job is different from head of retail at other companies (e.g. s/he doesn't have control over inventory [1]), and so when it comes down to the end of the day, it's really hard to find someone who has done a similar job in the past, let alone done that job well. In all likelihood, Tim Cook had some idea of the downfalls of hiring Browett, but decided to bet on it. I would also guess that given the worries around that time that Cook wouldn't be able to handle the CEO job also made the hiring rather more urgent that it should have been. [1]: http://tech.fortune.cnn.com/2011/08/25/how-apple-works-inside-the-worlds-biggest-startup/ http://tech.fortune.cnn.com/2011/08/25/how-apple-works-insid...
- alwaysinshade 14y ago
  > I think the problem is identifying the superstar in the first place. I'd look towards fashion - for example the Japanese clothing store Uniqlo [1]. Their stores are quite similar to Apple's in terms of layout and space, the way that they encourage you to come in and look around, and they always have helpful service on hand. The problem is Tadashi Yanai [2] is too rich and successful to leave his current post. I see a parallel with Apple making (subjectively) luxurious electronic devices available at prices for the masses the way Uniqlo makes (subjectively) luxurious fashion available at prices for the masses. I grabbed a bunch of French linen shirts in Tokyo for ~25 AUD each (though the AUD was doing well against the JPY at the time). [1] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Uniqlo http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Uniqlo [2] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tadashi_Yanai http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tadashi_Yanai

nikcub 14y ago

> Great decision from Cook Cook hired him, which many commentators pointed out was a mistake in the first place.

raverbashing 14y ago
People make mistakes, good that he could recognize he made a mistake.
- Tyrannosaurs 14y ago
  Absolutely. Unless you can hire someone you 100% know will never make a mistake, you should be interested in how they deal with them when they do. Cook seems to have given him enough time to prove himself (or as it seems otherwise) and has then taken steps to right his mistake.
- ksec 14y ago
  The problem is it took him too long to know this as a mistake.