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AT&T set to open 'destination' store at 600 N. MichiganAug 30, 2012 (Chicago Tribune - McClatchy-Tribune Information Services via COMTEX) -- AT&T is opening a Michigan Avenue flagship retail store on Saturday that will be the only one of its kind in the U.S. The 10,000-square foot store at 600 N. Michigan Ave., outfitted with reclaimed teak wood and modern white plastic, replaces an Ann Taylor store that has moved half a block south. AT&T was planning its Magnificent Mile location for two years, said Kent Mathy, president of the North Central Region for the wireless carrier, and many of the 40 employees at the store were brought in from other locations around the country. AT&T was attracted to Michigan Avenue for its iconic nature and draw as a retail destination, Mathy said. Unlike traditional AT&T stores, which consumers typically visit to make a purchase or get a problem fixed, "the point of the (flagship) is for customers to learn, explore and have fun," Mathy said. The store is designed to catch the eye of passersby. Large windows let pedestrians peek at the displays, which include a simulated living room to show off AT&T U-Verse services and a simulated kitchen to demonstrate AT&T's not-yet-launched home security and automation service. Plenty of real estate is also devoted to smartphones and tablets, with AT&T setting up sections to highlight social networking, productivity and fitness. The fitness area, for example, provides information about health-related mobile applications and displays the FitBit, a small digital sensor that clips on a waistband to track a users' physical activity. In a nod to the Magnificent Mile's pedigree as a luxury retail hub, the back of the AT&T flagship store has high-end cases for smartphones and tablets from designers such as Orla Kiely and James Marshall, a Chicago artist who works under the street art name Dalek. These products are available exclusively at the flagship, Mathy said. Last year, AT&T opened a concept store in Arlington Heights that served as a testing ground for retail ideas the company could roll out to its 2,300 other stores around the country. Some of the lessons from the Arlington Heights store were applied to the flagship, Mathy said. For example, the flagship has no cash registers. Instead, employees will roam around with tablets to check out customers. In other cases, AT&T tweaked ideas that proved unsuccessful in Arlington Heights. The concept store had a bar area for employees to hold consultations with customers. But visitors said they wanted more privacy, so the flagship store has small clusters of low chairs and tables instead. The AT&T flagship is located just blocks from the Apple store at 679 N. Michigan Ave. This means that consumers rabid for the upcoming new version of the iPhone, which is expected to go on sale next month, will have another option for camping out. "We would expect lines when we get really cool products," Mathy said. [email protected] -- Twitter @VelocityWong ___ (c)2012 the Chicago Tribune Visit the Chicago Tribune at www.chicagotribune.com Distributed by MCT Information Services |