Apple announced today the hiring of former Burberry CEO Angela Ahrendts to head up retail operations. Ahrendts will become the only woman on Apple’s executive team, which is currently a pretty homogeneous group, consisting of nine white males. As reported by the washingtonpost.com:
“Ahrendts will fill the newly created position of senior vice president of retail and online stores. She will report directly to Apple chief executive Tim Cook.
“The Indiana native has led Burberry since 2006, and analysts say that she could be a good steward for Apple’s brand as it makes a wider push into the mass market. Carolina Milanesi, an analyst at Gartner, said Ahrendts should be able to help Apple keep its boutique reputation event as it takes steps to reach more consumers with a cheaper version of the iPhone.”
Apple’s retail stores are an integral part of the end-to-end customer experience they provide. The stores serve as the hub for Apple enthusiasts to see and try products, and they’re becoming increasingly important as Apple expands. According to nytimes.com:
“Apple’s retail stores have been crucial to its success. The company years ago abandoned trade shows because its retail stores worldwide became a better showcase for its new products. Asymco, a research firm, estimated that Apple’s stores bring in $13 million per store in revenue a quarter on average.”
In her new role, Ahrendts will attempt to improve the Apple retail experience and focus on keeping up the brand’s high-end perception as it achieves a higher market penetration.
She’s actually the second big name hire from the fashion world at Apple. Earlier this year the company hired former Yves Saint Laurent CEO Paul Deneve, who was speculated to be either working on Apple’s rumored smartwatch or head of the retail division. Now it’s clear that Ahrendts is taking that role, maybe there will be more rumors surrounding the “iWatch.”
Check out the video above about Apple’s new retail head.
