Apple Inc has roped in Burberry's chief (now former) Angela Ahrendts as the head of its retail operations. Ms. Ahrendts will join the company in mid-2014.

The move comes in wake of Cupertino company's efforts to increase sales of its flagship products Iphone 5, iPhone 5S and iPad in the Chinese market. Even though the bulk of Apple's sales come from outside United States, China currently accounts for only 5% of the total Apple sales.

Angela Ahrendts joined Burberry as CEO in 2006 and together with the creative marketing director Christian Bailey led Burberry into becoming one of the major  brands worldwide in the high-end fashion market.

Ahrendts successfully deployed the digital media technology, particularly the social media platforms to popularize the brand in Asian markets. The logistics picked up as well making Burberry products accessible in all parts of the world.

Under Ahrendts' apt supervision, Burberry's brand value increased 350% to £7 billion approx. Tim Cook chose Burberry's CEO to spearhead the retail operations with a focus on the emerging markets, particularly China.

"She shares our values and our focus on innovation, and she places the same strong emphasis as we do on the customer experience," said Apple Chief Executive Tim Cook.

Apple products are marketed as high-end luxury items whose aesthetic value is important as the technological competencies.

The cheaper version of the highly popular iPhone 5, iPhone 5c was designed specifically to lure the Chinese consumers, but the sales so far have been not up to the mark.

The industry is abuzz with the news of Angela Ahrendts' Apple, even as Burberry's shares dropped 4% after the exit of the favorite CEO with a Midas touch. Christian Bailey will take over as the new CEO of Burberry, in addition to discharging his role as the creative director.