Apple Retail VP Jerry McDougal Resigns

Jerry McDougal, Apple’s vice president of Retail and a potential candidate for the company’s now-vacant SVP of Retail position, has left the company, Apple confirmed to AllThingsD.

McDougal, who resigned earlier this month, is to be replaced by Jim Bean, formerly Apple VP of Finance. While it’s not clear if this is an exec-for-exec swap, Bean has exactly the sort of operational acumen that would lend itself to the position McDougal’s departure leaves open. Bean will retain his VP title, though “of Finance” may change to “of Retail.”

“Retail has an incredibly strong network of leaders at the store and regional level, and they will continue the excellent work they’ve done over the past decade to revolutionize retailing with unique, innovative services and a focus on the customer that is second to none,” Apple spokesman Steve Dowling said. “Jim Bean is moving to Retail to help support our store teams. Jim has been at Apple for 15 years and is a great leader who understands our culture and focus on customer service.”

McDougal’s departure and Bean’s appointment come as Apple continues its search for a retail head to replace John Browett, the former Dixons exec the company sacked last fall. McDougal, who worked closely with former Apple retail head Ron Johnson on the launch of Apple’s retail store strategy, was widely considered a candidate for that job, though is now clearly out of the running. What’s not clear is if his departure was somehow related to the search for a new SVP of retail and his candidacy for it. People with knowledge of the situation who declined to be named would say only that McDougal wanted to spend more time with his family.

News of McDougal’s resignation was first reported by IfoAppleStore.