only considering outside candidates for new SVP of Retail

During itsmajor executive shakeuplast fall, announced that its newly-hired SVP of Retail John Browett would be lving the company. The move wasn’t surprising, as Browett hadcome under hvy firefrom the media following drastic retail strategy changes.What is surprising, though, is that here we are, almost a yr later, and hasn’t filled the job yet. But a new report from The Wall Street Journal this afternoon helps shine some light on the situation, saying the company just simply hasn’t found the right fit yet…The Journal reports:“’s srch for a replacement, handled by recruiters Egon Zehnder International, has gone slowly, people familiar with the matter said, and the company has yet to settle on a finalist after interviewing several external candidates. Among those interviewed but rejected as a poor fit were wireless and telecommuniions-industry executives, one such person said. A CEO of a privately held retailer in France spurned ’s overtures, believing it would be hard to change ’s culture as an outsider, another person said. doesn’t consider internal candidates to be an option, according to a third person familiar with the matter.Some potential retail chiefs are wary about taking charge of stores because they say the top brass hasn’t been clr about plans, said one tech-industry recruiter who knows well.”Since Browett’s departure, Tim Cook has been hding up retail with the help of the arm’s top managers.The tm has been reinstating spending, and reversing policy and other decisions that were unpopular with customers during Browett’s six-month tenure as SVP.“During Mr. Browett’s tenure, employees say, the company’s internal communiions shifted to sales from a focus on customer service—an experience that had finely tuned. The push was so strong, one person said, that staff normally assigned to eduing customers in one store were told to join the sales floor in between classes.Customer-satisfaction s for some stores began falling in the ensuing months, these people said. That bothered many store managers, who had been taught to aggressively monitor poll results.”Some pundits have also noted that the consumer-facing aspect of ’s stores hasn’t changed in a while. Under Ron Johnson—considered to have been singlehandedly responsible for ’s retail success before he left for another job—things changed constantly.“’s lack of retail ldership with vision and operational skills certainly hasn’t helped the stores, saidCraig Johnson, the hd of Customer Growth Partners.The Store experience used to change more regularly, he said. Nrly a decade ago, invented a unique one-on-one eduion program for customers; it switched to iPod Touches as cash registers in 2009 and, in 2011, using iPads as signs for products around the store.“ needs to recrte and reinvent its once novel retail model, which is now not so novel,” Mr. Johnson said.”It seems as if ’s retail side has been in limbo since Johnson left in 2011. Ron served as VP and SVP at the company for several yrs before lving to take on a CEO role at JC Penney. Unfortunately, that opportunity didn’t work out, ashe was firedrlier this yr.I wonder why doesn’t just bring him back.