What AT&T last year started with a new Chicago flagship store is starting to spread nationwide as the carrier announced its shop in La Grange, Illinois will be the first to receive the new 
concept redesign.
The biggest shift in design will be a move away from traditional point-of-sale purchases. Employees in the new stores will now carry mobile payment-equipped tablets instead.
The new store will be divided into three zones: Connected Experience, Community and Explore. The Connected Experience Zone features “lifestyle vignettes,” which will highlight use-cases like home security and entertainment. The Community Zone is essentially just tables and chairs and the Explore Zone is where the device line-up will be on display.
AT&T has been developing the new store concept for two years and built several physical store shells inside a warehouse in Milwaukee before deploying the real thing. The carrier plans to continue rolling out new stores into 2014.
The retail redesign launch comes as AT&T climbs to the top of J.D. Power’s latest full-service wireless customer care study. It’s the first time AT&T has lead the category among other contract carriers. MetroPCS got J.D. Power’s customer service nod for non-contract carriers.
