As former Dixons (Curry's) CEO moves to Apple, BrandIndex data suggests this is a good move
We learnt yesterday that Apple had poached John Browett, former chief executive of Dixons, to head their worldwide retail operations. A look at YouGov’s BrandIndex, which tracks public perception of brands, suggests that this could be a good move for both Apple and Browett.
Apple have secured themselves a man who kept Dixons as the leading player in the difficult electronic retail sector in the UK, and Browett himself now has the opportunity to move from a struggling sector to a booming one, joining one of the leading players within it.
Firstly if we look at the Index Score (which is a composite of six key perception measures) of Dixon’s biggest brand, Curry’s, over the past couple of years we can see a very slight decline (all of which came last year) from +11 in December 2009 to +8 this week.
This, however, needs to be taking in the context of a sector that has been in general decline with Curry’s remaining just above Comet, having seen off the challenge from Best Buy.
Apple, of course, operates in a very different arena, where the mood is positive and perception scores high; Apple’s Index score has been consistently in the mid +30s over the past two years. Browett’s role is a global one and it is not just in the UK where his new brand is popular.
For example, Apple’s index score currently stands at +43 in the US, +29 in Germany, +38 in Denmark and +44 in Chile, all of which are good scores and point to a brand with a high level of consumer sentiment around the world.
At Dixons, Browett proved himself a man for difficult times. The question now will be whether he can help an already very strong brand further capitalise on its position.
