Apple poaches Dixons boss John Browett to head up retail unit

Apple has poached the head of electronics chain Dixons Retail to head up its retail group and drive the global expansion of its gadget boutiques forward.

John Browett, a former chief executive of Tesco.com, will join the company in April, reporting directly to Apple boss Tim Cook.

Browett's first task could be to transform the store's so-called 'geniuses' from stand-offish super-nerds to customer-friendly sales staff.

"Our retail stores are all about customer service, and John shares that commitment like no-one else we’ve met," said Cook.

Apple has been headhunting a retail boss since the departure of Ron Johnson last June. Johnson was widely credited with helping turn the retail outlets into a veritable money-spinner for Apple.

In its last financial quarter, Apple's retail division delivered revenues of $6.1bn.

Dixons Retail, which owns the PC World and Currys chains, was one of the few UK high street retailers to deliver decent trading figures over the recent Christmas period.

When presenting those results, Browett highlighted the runaway success of Amazon's Kindle devices, which helped shore up sales numbers in an otherwise tough market for consumer electronics.

Prior to his stint with Dixons, Browett was the driving force behind the growth of Tesco's online store, helping turn the fledging operation into one of the world's largest online retailers.