Dive Summary:

• Former VP of Apple retail Ron Johnson has been dismissed as chief executive of J.C. Penney after failing to turn around the discount retail chain, presiding over a 27% year over year drop in sales – the lowest in two decades.
• The retail guru is credited with developing Apple’s retail brand strategy from scratch and is credited for much of the brand’s storefront retail success, raking in retail’s highest revenues per sq. ft.
• Reports confirm that Johnson and Apple both have interest in restoring Johnson to his former position

From the article:

Not only was Johnson said to urge Jobs to build "a store for all Americans," but he also insisted that Apple's original plans for its first retail stores were all wrong, resulting in a reworking around a premium experience that displayed products by how they'd be used, rather than just grouping them by product category.