Ron Johnson, the current head of Apple’s retail stores, will be leaving Cupertino this November to head up department store chain J.C. Penney as their chief executive. Sounds like an odd fit.
Johnson is largely responsible for the look and feel of today’s Apple stores, and is credited with their success. Losing him is a blow to Apple, but analysts believe their retail strategy will stay on track. As for J.C. Penney, it’s not certain how Johnson will bring his philosophy to the department store chain. Maybe zen changing rooms? [NYT via Mashable]