Apple Should Hire One These Eight People To Lead Its Retail Operations

Apple has been pretty hush hush about its search for a new SVP of retail following the unexpected departure of retail boss John Browett.

As John Paczkowski of AllThingsD reports, Apple can't afford to make another hiring mistake. So for the last several weeks, Paczkowski has been poking around to find ideal candidates.

He found three from inside Apple who would be a good fit for the position:

• Steve Cano, Apple's manager of retail stores
• Bob Bridger, Apple VP for Retail Real Estate and Development
• Jeremy McDougal, Apple VP of Retail

His sources are divided over who would be best suited to lead Apple's retail operations. One says McDougal would be best, considering that he already has the VP of Retail title. But another says Cano would be best because he's the most well-rounded out of the three and understands Apple's retail store culture.

Paczkowski also named five candidates from outside of Apple that Apple would be lucky to hire away, given their experience working for global consumer brands:

• Angela Ahrendts, CEO, Burberry
• Victor Luis, President, International Group at Coach
• Jeanne Jackson, President, Director to Consumer at Nike
• John Culver, President, Starbucks Coffee China and Asia Pacific
• Paul Gainer, Executive Vice President, Global Disney Store

However, it would be a hard sell to get these people to leave those powerful positions and join Apple because, as one of Paczkowski's source said "Apple is not a true retailer."

For now, the retail team reports directly to Apple CEO Tim Cook and Cook is expected to take his time to find a replacement.