Search on for Apple retail boss

When Apple CEO Tim Cook officially took over the reins of the company in August, one of the biggest tasks facing him was finding a replacement for the company’s retail boss, Ron Johnson, who had tendered his resignation in June.

At the beginning of this month, Johnson took up his new role as CEO of retailer JC Penney, with no sign Cook has had any luck finding a successor.

Recruitment firm Egon Zehnder International is reportedly handling the search.

However, according to a Bloomberg report, there is a high chance the final selection will be made internally, given how few retailers there are in the world operating on the same scale as Apple.

The company has stated only that the search is under way, and it has received ‘lots of interest’.

Johnson, who came to Apple from Target in January 2000, is credited with pioneering the usage concept in Apple stores, whereby products are sold according to how they can be used rather than what their specs are.

His successor’s role will be quite different, with Apple now targeting overseas growth, particularly in China. Less than a third of the company’s stores are currently outside of the US, according to Bloomberg, although 30 of the 40 opening in 2012 will be in other countries.

Image: Tim Cook.