Apple exec John Browett lands at UK Monsoon Accessorize
updated 11:04 pm EST, Thu February 14, 2013
Former Apple Retail chief takes CEO job at UK retailer Monsoon
John Browett, the former head of Apple Retail, has taken a new job. He will become the CEO of UK-based retail chain Monsoon Accessorize. The company says it went through "an extensive search" before settling on Browett, saying he will be able to take the company "to the next level." Browett will be in charge of over 1,000 retail outlets, more than twice as many as Apple has worldwide.
Browett took over from Ron Johnson in April 2012 and departed in October 2012. Before his stint at Apple, Browett was head of UK electronics chain Dixons, and had been the chief executive of Tesco.com.
In a very short period of time, he cut staffing at the stores, fired new hires, reduced payroll, and slashed store budgets including funds allocated for maintenance and redesign. His moves lowered customer satisfaction, and dramatically reduced the amount of time that employees had to spend with customers. He was ousted after the controversial moves left employees and customers feeling he was too profit-oriented.
