AT&T plans a flagship store in Arlington Heights

AT&T, which has its Midwest headquarters in Hoffman Estates, is expected to open a new flagship store for wireless products in Arlington Heights, possibly in the July-September period.

It’s part of the company’s plan for expansion that includes 10 new retail stores in the Chicago suburban market, including some relocations. There are about 75 AT&T retail stores in Illinois, said AT&T spokeswoman Brooke Vane.

AT&T already has a retail store on Dundee Road in Arlington Heights. But Vane said the company isn’t ready to provide full details on the new Arlington Heights store, since it’s still in the planning stage.

The latest AT&T store opened last month at the Stratford Square Mall in Bloomingdale. The 1,500-square-foot store features hands-on, try-before-you-buy experiences. Customers can learn how to operate the different devices as well as how to download applications.

Verizon Wireless also plans to expand its retail stores, but declined to provide details due to competitive reasons.

Chicago-based U.S. Cellular, which has about 150 sites here, opened a flagship store with state-of-the-art features in Naperville last year. But no new stores are planned for this year, said Chris Rathsack, U.S. Cellular director of sales.

Any retail expansion by wireless providers is due to growing demand for smartphones and other devices, said John Melaniphy Sr., retail analyst and principal with Chicago-based Melaniphy & Associates.

“It’s a hot industry right now,” Melaniphy said. “They’re adding stores because they feel they have a good opportunity here. After all, we’re turning over their phones like gangbusters.”

Surfing: Deerfield-based Walgreen Co. offers a new app for iPhone and Android smartphones that allows you to capture a prescription bar code on your phone and have the pharmacy refill it and have it ready for pick up. See Walgreens.com and click on Mobile Apps.

Ÿ The Chicago Area Entrepreneurship Hall of Fame honored some area inductees on Thursday, including Cary Chessick, president and CEO of Arlington Heights-based Restaurant.com. The 26th annual event was hosted by the Institute for Entrepreneurial Studies at the University of Illinois at Chicago.

Ÿ Kmart, owned by Hoffman Estates-based Sears Holdings Corp., is offering gaming bloggers a chance to attend the 2011 Electronic Entertainment Expo. KmartGamer, an online resource and community for video gamers, is seeking submissions through March 30 from bloggers interested in attending the Los Angeles event. See how to qualify at www.kmartgamer.com.

Ÿ Follow Anna Marie Kukec on LinkedIn and Facebook and as AMKukec on Twitter.