I would guess that Tim Cook knows when he's talking to a logistics expert, and that Apple needs one with a world outlook, or failing that, a pan-European outlook.
My limited experience with U.K. electronic and electrical retail is that has yet to be brought into the Best Buy age, which may be a good thing, but also that it must be a logistical Gordian Knot to solve every day. Stuff pulled in from around the world on 19th century streets and back roads, once the lorries leave the Motorways. Tax and trade rules in spades. Repair and returns? Unimaginable difficulties.
Mr. Browett may have what it takes to double and triple the retail operation in the near future, now that the style is established.
But then I am something of a professional optimist.
I would guess that Tim Cook knows when he's talking to a logistics expert, and that Apple needs one with a world outlook, or failing that, a pan-European outlook.
My limited experience with U.K. electronic and electrical retail is that has yet to be brought into the Best Buy age, which may be a good thing, but also that it must be a logistical Gordian Knot to solve every day. Stuff pulled in from around the world on 19th century streets and back roads, once the lorries leave the Motorways. Tax and trade rules in spades. Repair and returns? Unimaginable difficulties.
Mr. Browett may have what it takes to double and triple the retail operation in the near future, now that the style is established.
But then I am something of a professional optimist.
The thing is that getting the product to the store is not under his remit - that is part of operations. His job will be running the stores.
I would have much preferred that they hire someone with higher-end retail experience (e.g., a Harrod's executive) than someone who seems to have little to offer other than some experience in consumer electronic sales. Hopefully, the "tone" of the Apple Stores is set and not something he will be allowed to tinker with.
I certainly understand everyone's concern about this new hire but I think it might be unwarranted. He's not being hired to fix apple retail like Ron Johnson was to fix JC Penneys. I think he was hired because he would be trainable.
I certainly understand everyone's concern about this new hire but I think it might be unwarranted. He's not being hired to fix apple retail like Ron Johnson was to fix JC Penneys. I think he was hired because he would be trainable.
Agreed. The comparisons to Dixions are irrelevant. Apple is not a reseller where prices are manipulated or unethical sales practices are deployed. The price is always the same no matter where you buy Apple products except a few online outlets where there are small discounts. Apple stores are an extension of the Apple.com store.
I see a lot of travel in this guys future. Making deals regarding location, leases, tenant improvements, employment agencies and the like. I don't think we will see any significant changes in the current Apple retail store model.
Wow - Dixons Retail certainly getting a kicking here.
As someone who currently works in the Vision department of a Currys/PC World Megastore (previously a Mac Buddy for our Apple Shop-in-shop), this is very disappointing to see.
There has been a real push towards raising Customer Service standards (through the FIVES initiative) and KnowHow Services to offer a more tailored solution to our customers.
Things aren't perfect but I have seen improvements.
Anyway, I've met John Browett a few times and I can say he is a very nice guy. Good luck to him.
The thing is that getting the product to the store is not under his remit - that is part of operations. His job will be running the stores.
I would have much preferred that they hire someone with higher-end retail experience (e.g., a Harrod's executive) than someone who seems to have little to offer other than some experience in consumer electronic sales. Hopefully, the "tone" of the Apple Stores is set and not something he will be allowed to tinker with.
Yes the tone must be engraved in stone by now.
Re his remit, I was merely suggesting that running tech stores in the UK must be good training in international strategies, maybe better than anyone gets in the US.
But then maybe not. We're all speculating from a great distance. Might as well be speculation on the positive side, for a change.
Sounds exactly like Steve Jobs, in fact. I hated when Steve gave Stevenotes fully shaved; his stubble was the best.
Just a question unrelated to this thread. When/if the next iPhone is called iPhone 5, will you apologize? WHat will your response be? This question also goes to everyone else who exhibit a shrieking, condescending, insulting, patronizing reaction towards any who believe it probably will be called such. WIll you ban yourself? Serious question. Or will you just shrug your shoulders, delete your quote, and move on, after all the harassment that you gave people for predicting the obvious name?
Just a question unrelated to this thread. When/if the next iPhone is called iPhone 5, will you apologize? WHat will your response be? This question also goes to everyone else who exhibit a shrieking, condescending, insulting, patronizing reaction towards any who believe it probably will be called such. WIll you ban yourself? Serious question. Or will you just shrug your shoulders, delete your quote, and move on, after all the harassment that you gave people for predicting the obvious name?
This has nothing to do with the thread, so I'll answer you in PM.
The only retail experience this guy has had is low-end, low-cost. Tesco is a supermarket chain that dominates through having expanded its out-of-town drive-to-shop stores during the 1980s, and buying up all the land they could, then getting exclusive planning permissions to build the only out of town supermarket for many medium and large sized UK towns. Dixons/PCWorld/Curry's did the same. THAT's how they got to dominate. It was nothing to do with good service or looking after customers - customers had no choice was what it came down to.
The Dixons Sales Group (or DSG as it is known) has probably the worst reputation of any UK store I can think of, not just in electronics. They have been losing money for years. They may have been good in the 1970s when I used to visit them as a kid, but after their 1980s expansion they rested on their laurels and monopoly type store locations and went downhill as each new top man in the company tried to squeeze more profits out of retail without really adding anything new other than cheap goods, high prices, and high pressure sales techniques.
Tesco has tried expanding into the larger EU, but cannot compete there because their business model is out of touch with modern retailing practices and they can't get cheap out of town monopoly sites. Instead, they expanded internationally by setting up supermarkets in countries such as Hungary or in Asian countries that had no previous experience of what a supermarket should be or do. Clever, but nothing to do with competing head to head, customer service or anything the Apple blurb is pumping out.
DSG tried to enter Switzerland and failed miserably. German Media Markt has a far superior offering and level of customer service. OK, Tesco is a lot better than Dixons at customer service, but are fast being overhauled by competitor Sainsbury and the even faster growing quality brand Marks & Spencer.
My only hope is that this new guy was brought in to Dixons to try to change the culture but didn't manage it so left; but even so, all that time at Tesco doesn't fill me with faith he knows anything about quality goods retailing; Tesco is more in tune with selling low quality, low price than high end, high price.
With a background in low cost, low pay, part-time employee staffed stores, I can only hope he doesn't change the Genius bar, and that the other aspects of Apple's retail store experience remain untouched by this guy trying to make his mark by improving profits as all execs think they can. He's obviously very clever, but is he right for Apple? More likely, Microsoft.
Apple, you did right to look abroad, but sadly you've been bamboozled. Steve would never have been taken in - after all, you can't kid a kidder, right?
Comments
Wow, 5 o'clock shadow, dishevelled collar, wierd haircut. Looks like they found him in a bar.
Sorry, in a pub.
Er, Jony Ive has a shaved head and stubble. He certainly doesn't have the look of a SVP.
Dishevelled collar, I mean, how dare he
He has the top two shirt buttons unbuttoned - that shows he's a rebel.
My limited experience with U.K. electronic and electrical retail is that has yet to be brought into the Best Buy age, which may be a good thing, but also that it must be a logistical Gordian Knot to solve every day. Stuff pulled in from around the world on 19th century streets and back roads, once the lorries leave the Motorways. Tax and trade rules in spades. Repair and returns? Unimaginable difficulties.
Mr. Browett may have what it takes to double and triple the retail operation in the near future, now that the style is established.
But then I am something of a professional optimist.
This can't be good. I give him a year.
I would guess that Tim Cook knows when he's talking to a logistics expert, and that Apple needs one with a world outlook, or failing that, a pan-European outlook.
My limited experience with U.K. electronic and electrical retail is that has yet to be brought into the Best Buy age, which may be a good thing, but also that it must be a logistical Gordian Knot to solve every day. Stuff pulled in from around the world on 19th century streets and back roads, once the lorries leave the Motorways. Tax and trade rules in spades. Repair and returns? Unimaginable difficulties.
Mr. Browett may have what it takes to double and triple the retail operation in the near future, now that the style is established.
But then I am something of a professional optimist.
The thing is that getting the product to the store is not under his remit - that is part of operations. His job will be running the stores.
I would have much preferred that they hire someone with higher-end retail experience (e.g., a Harrod's executive) than someone who seems to have little to offer other than some experience in consumer electronic sales. Hopefully, the "tone" of the Apple Stores is set and not something he will be allowed to tinker with.
I certainly understand everyone's concern about this new hire but I think it might be unwarranted. He's not being hired to fix apple retail like Ron Johnson was to fix JC Penneys. I think he was hired because he would be trainable.
Agreed. The comparisons to Dixions are irrelevant. Apple is not a reseller where prices are manipulated or unethical sales practices are deployed. The price is always the same no matter where you buy Apple products except a few online outlets where there are small discounts. Apple stores are an extension of the Apple.com store.
I see a lot of travel in this guys future. Making deals regarding location, leases, tenant improvements, employment agencies and the like. I don't think we will see any significant changes in the current Apple retail store model.
Strange choice. Shopping at Dixons (and sister store PC World) is a terrible retailing experience.
This the beginning of THE END OF APPLE. Remember this day.
As someone who currently works in the Vision department of a Currys/PC World Megastore (previously a Mac Buddy for our Apple Shop-in-shop), this is very disappointing to see.
There has been a real push towards raising Customer Service standards (through the FIVES initiative) and KnowHow Services to offer a more tailored solution to our customers.
Things aren't perfect but I have seen improvements.
Anyway, I've met John Browett a few times and I can say he is a very nice guy. Good luck to him.
Bring on Apple TV!!!
This the beginning of THE END OF APPLE. Remember this day.
Uh, oh. Suddenly Newton has been infected with the Slapppycillus Pneumcoccial bug.
The only known cure? Watching Apple continue to succeed.
Uh, oh. Suddenly Newton has been infected with the Slapppycillus Pneumcoccial bug.
The only known cure? Watching Apple continue to succeed.
"May God keep us from single vision and Newton's sleep!" -- William Blake
The thing is that getting the product to the store is not under his remit - that is part of operations. His job will be running the stores.
I would have much preferred that they hire someone with higher-end retail experience (e.g., a Harrod's executive) than someone who seems to have little to offer other than some experience in consumer electronic sales. Hopefully, the "tone" of the Apple Stores is set and not something he will be allowed to tinker with.
Yes the tone must be engraved in stone by now.
Re his remit, I was merely suggesting that running tech stores in the UK must be good training in international strategies, maybe better than anyone gets in the US.
But then maybe not. We're all speculating from a great distance. Might as well be speculation on the positive side, for a change.
Sounds exactly like Steve Jobs, in fact. I hated when Steve gave Stevenotes fully shaved; his stubble was the best.
Just a question unrelated to this thread. When/if the next iPhone is called iPhone 5, will you apologize? WHat will your response be? This question also goes to everyone else who exhibit a shrieking, condescending, insulting, patronizing reaction towards any who believe it probably will be called such. WIll you ban yourself? Serious question. Or will you just shrug your shoulders, delete your quote, and move on, after all the harassment that you gave people for predicting the obvious name?
Just a question unrelated to this thread. When/if the next iPhone is called iPhone 5, will you apologize? WHat will your response be? This question also goes to everyone else who exhibit a shrieking, condescending, insulting, patronizing reaction towards any who believe it probably will be called such. WIll you ban yourself? Serious question. Or will you just shrug your shoulders, delete your quote, and move on, after all the harassment that you gave people for predicting the obvious name?
This has nothing to do with the thread, so I'll answer you in PM.
The only retail experience this guy has had is low-end, low-cost. Tesco is a supermarket chain that dominates through having expanded its out-of-town drive-to-shop stores during the 1980s, and buying up all the land they could, then getting exclusive planning permissions to build the only out of town supermarket for many medium and large sized UK towns. Dixons/PCWorld/Curry's did the same. THAT's how they got to dominate. It was nothing to do with good service or looking after customers - customers had no choice was what it came down to.
The Dixons Sales Group (or DSG as it is known) has probably the worst reputation of any UK store I can think of, not just in electronics. They have been losing money for years. They may have been good in the 1970s when I used to visit them as a kid, but after their 1980s expansion they rested on their laurels and monopoly type store locations and went downhill as each new top man in the company tried to squeeze more profits out of retail without really adding anything new other than cheap goods, high prices, and high pressure sales techniques.
Tesco has tried expanding into the larger EU, but cannot compete there because their business model is out of touch with modern retailing practices and they can't get cheap out of town monopoly sites. Instead, they expanded internationally by setting up supermarkets in countries such as Hungary or in Asian countries that had no previous experience of what a supermarket should be or do. Clever, but nothing to do with competing head to head, customer service or anything the Apple blurb is pumping out.
DSG tried to enter Switzerland and failed miserably. German Media Markt has a far superior offering and level of customer service. OK, Tesco is a lot better than Dixons at customer service, but are fast being overhauled by competitor Sainsbury and the even faster growing quality brand Marks & Spencer.
My only hope is that this new guy was brought in to Dixons to try to change the culture but didn't manage it so left; but even so, all that time at Tesco doesn't fill me with faith he knows anything about quality goods retailing; Tesco is more in tune with selling low quality, low price than high end, high price.
With a background in low cost, low pay, part-time employee staffed stores, I can only hope he doesn't change the Genius bar, and that the other aspects of Apple's retail store experience remain untouched by this guy trying to make his mark by improving profits as all execs think they can. He's obviously very clever, but is he right for Apple? More likely, Microsoft.
Apple, you did right to look abroad, but sadly you've been bamboozled. Steve would never have been taken in - after all, you can't kid a kidder, right?
Yes but we want to be raped by Apple Stores.
Sure is better than the banks!