“Apple is gearing up to open its third store in Beijing on the famous Wangfujing shopping street,” Josh Ong reports for TNW. “Taking the title as the largest store in Asia, the three-story location demonstrates Apple’s heavy investment to court the Chinese market.”
“The Next Web (in conjunction with the Beijinger) attended a media preview on Thursday where Apple Senior Vice President John Browett discussed the company’s commitment to China,” Ong repots. “Browett went so far as to say that, in his opinion, the new location is the best store Apple has built in Asia so far. That would presumably take the unofficial title from the IFC Hong Kong store, which was Apple’s most expensive store to date when it opened last year. It also surpasses a Shanghai store that was formerly the largest in China.”
Ong reports, “Apple says it is staffing the Wangufjing location with 300 retail employees, bringing the total number in Beijing to more than 800… Beyond Shenzhen, Apple is already planning more stores in other cities. Browett says the company’s goal is to eventually serve ‘every customer in every city’ but he admitted that it’s going to take ‘some time.'”
Read more in the full article here.
MacDailyNews Take: Next week John plans to cut the staff by 10%, eliminate all overtime and promotions, and make each remaining employee pay a monthly fee for their badges. Just kidding… we hope.
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After being Browettized, Apple Retail touts numbers – August 20, 2012
Apple newbie John Browett brings Dixons to Apple Retail Stores – August 17, 2012
Dear Tim Cook: Apple’s retail focus should be on delighting customers, not generating cash – August 16, 2012
Apple Retail Store chief Browett: ‘We messed up’ with Dixons-eque staffing gamble; refutes layoffs – August 16, 2012
Apple retail chief Browett to get $56 million golden hello – May 27, 2012
Apple grants 100,000 shares to new retail head John Browett – April 25, 2012
Tim Cook emails UK customer: John Browett’s role isn’t to bring Dixons to Apple Retail – February 1, 2012
Eyebrows raised over Apple’s hiring of Dixons CEO to run Apple Retail Stores – January 31, 2012
Apple hires Dixons CEO John Browett as new retail chief – January 31, 2012
Apple Inc.: The most profitable retailer in America – August 15, 2012
Apple’s retail juggernaut is magical and revolutionary in its own right – May 25, 2011
Apple Retail Stores hit 10th anniversary (with video of Steve Jobs’ tour of 1st store) – May 18, 2011
Apple Store: ‘The best damn retail experience in America!’ – December 2, 2010
Apple’s retail stores generate huge sales – December 27, 2007
Piper Jaffray finds ‘gravitational pull’ at Apple Retail Stores – November 26, 2007
Apple thinks different with cash register-less retail stores that bring in billions – November 23, 2007
Apple makes retail seem ridiculously easy – May 29, 2007
How Apple’s Steve Jobs is revolutionizing Manhattan retail – May 08, 2007
Fortune: Apple Inc. is America’s best retailer – March 08, 2007
How Apple Retail Stores beat Best Buy, Neiman Marcus, and Tiffany – December 19, 2006
Browett needs to go. Now!
Browett is the second worst thing to happen to Apple since Android and Browett was self inflicted by Apple. (some may say that Android was self inflicted by allowing a mole on the board of directors.)
Absofuckinglutely! Browett is a potential catastrophe far Apple if they don’t cut him loose soon. But they have had enough time since the most recent screwup’s by him so we are left to wonder if this is the direction Apple is going in the future? Is this a conscious decision by those now in charge at Apple? If he stays that is a big yes. Apple, it’s just a huge corporation. It’s not anybody’s best buddy. And it is obviously run to make a profit. It’s not a non-profit goody-goody company that is out there trying to be everybody’s friend. And profit is good. I love it. I invest in apple. I want it to make money. I’m not a fanboy. I love Apple’s stuff and have used them forever. But I’m no fanboy. I invest in Apple to make money. But Browett creates the potential roadblock for investors. He will screw up customer service and the Apple retail experience so bad that Apple’s value to shareholders will drop precipitously in the future. Of this I am absolutely certain. Get his dumb ass out of there Tim Cook! Now! MDN, you need to do something about this. Run another survey. Help create a firestorm. Complain about things that are really important regarding Apple. Quit whining about everything else.
I am not defending Browett, because I don’t know enough about his day-to-day contributions at Apple to know if he is doing a good job.
Browett’s early move with respect to Apple retail personnel was a significant mistake. I charitably chalked it up to the new manager being hasty to make a mark for himself. That personnel action was reversed, and I am not aware that he has done anything terrible since.
Are you still basing your firing recommendation on that early mistake? Or do you have something new to contribute regarding Browett’s performance?
What? That wasn’t enough? Does he need to walk around with an Android phone? He’s the man in charge. He needs to go
Mr Browett is just checking out the country which had the ‘death by a thousand cuts’. Hmmmmmm, something in that!
There’s something wrong with a manager who arrives on the scene of his new job and immediately perpetrates FUD (fear, uncertainty and doubt) as his management style. That act proves: (A) Inferiority on the manager’s part; (B) A lack of adequate experience; (C) Zero worthwhile experience at the other end of the management and employee relationship.
It would be great if Mr. Browett has turned his dire blunders and resulting HATRED from his employees into a learning experience. But then I have to ask: Why was he hired, if he has to learn his way into his job? This is a Vice President of Apple? Unworthy.
And then there’s that next step in the sense-of-inferiority cycle. The fact that the manager’s acts result in HATRED from the employees, provides further incentive to feel inferior. Thus the fallout from the sense of inferiority is magnified. A raging flameout is common at the end of these cycles. Not good. Not good at all.
Clue: NEVER let anyone from marketing manage anything, not ever the marketing division. There are wonderful exceptions whereby we find remarkable leaders who can crossover and communicate between productive people and marketing people. I consider Steve jobs to be one of them.
So Apple: Hire some Steve Jobs types please! Let THEM run your marketing and everything else.