The man responsible for building Apple’s retail empire, Ron Johnson, is to leave the company to become CEO of US department store chain, JC Penney.
Johnson said that the move fulfilled a lifelong ambition. ‘I’ve always dreamed of leading a major retail company as CEO, and I am thrilled to have the opportunity to help JC Penney re-imagine what I believe to be the single greatest opportunity in American retailing today, the Department Store,” he said.
Apple’s response was brief: ‘Ron is excited about this opportunity and we hope it goes well for him,’ it said in a statement.
Johnson, a Harvard MBA graduate, joined Apple from discount retailer, Target, in January 2000. Over the last 11 years, under his leadership, Apple has opened over 300 retail stores worldwide, including 29 in the UK.
Last year, Apple’s retail stores served 233 million customers, generating $9bn in revenue and 2.4bn in profit.
