Apple names third retail chief in seven years for post-iPhone era

San Francisco

APPLE INC named its third retail chief in seven years, seeking to shake up store operations for a new era in which the company looks beyond pricey iPhones.

On Tuesday, Apple said company veteran Deirdre O'Brien will replace Angela Ahrendts, who served in the role for about five years. Ms O'Brien is the first insider tapped to run the Apple division since Ron Johnson opened the first Apple store in 2001 and left a decade later.

The departure of Ms Ahrendts, Apple's top female executive, was a surprise. But it also marks a turning point fo…