Store offers hands-on, interactive retail experience to help customers choose wireless devices, apps, content and accessories to best meet their individual needs

Gulfport, Miss. (June 13, 2013) – C Spire Wireless, the only U.S. wireless provider that offers consumers and businesses a suite of personalized services, today announced the grand opening of its new 3,800 square foot prototype retail store in Gulfport.

The new, state-of-the-art store, located at 9277 Highway 49, features C Spire’s latest open floor plan design, wireless devices, feature and smart phones and accessories, as well as the company’s industry-leading personalization program, which gives customers apps and content that fit who they are, services that anticipate their needs and rewards for using their phone in new ways.

The store, which was previously located at 9471 Three Rivers Road, officially opens today with a 3 p.m. ribbon-cutting, reception and celebration featuring C Spire executives, elected officials and local business and community leaders in Gulfport and Harrison County. Food, prizes and giveaways will also be a part of the grand opening.

The Gulfport store has a state-of-the-art, hands-on design to engage customers and provides a “try before you buy” personalized service experience, according to Cario Armstrong, market manager for C Spire. Armstrong and his 18 -member staff are trained to assist consumer and business customers with individual purchasing decisions, personalized customer service and technical support. Regular store hours of operation are Monday through Saturday 8 a.m. to 7 p.m.

“C Spire is customer inspired and we want customers to feel that from the moment they walk through our doors,” said Graham Miller, regional manager of Retail Operations for C Spire Wireless. “Our new retail design makes it easy for customers to learn more and fully immerse themselves in the personalized wireless experience.”

Miller said the Gulfport store features C Spire’s new open floor plan that removes barriers between the service area and sales floor, making the entire store one environment designed to personalize the customer experience. The store showcases a highly interactive and engaging retail concept and offers consumers a more high-tech, personalized experience, providing them with the latest and most innovative products and services.

Among the new store’s features are:

• A distinctive exterior design that reinforces the unique personalized experience customers receive
• A redesigned entry area where customers can relax as C Spire retail staff help them through every step of personalizing their wireless experience
• Placement and organization of smartphones, tablets, wireless modems, mobile hotspots and other devices along the walls so customers and retail staff can receive more personalized service
• A new Engage area is the hub of store activity with compelling, interactive high-definition screens that demonstrate all of the benefits of personalized wireless available only from C Spire. Customers can interact with the touchscreen displays or browse on tablet computers in the lounge area to learn more about industry-first personalization programs like PERCS, the company’s personalized rewards and customer engagement program; Scout, C Spire’s app personalization tool and Circle, the company’s community forum that engages consumers in a two-way conversation about products, services and their wireless experience.
• A reconfigured consultation area in the center of the store where C Spire retail CREW staff can work alongside customers at casual café style stations to give personalized attention to their wireless needs.

“We’re proud of our new store, but we’re even more excited about continuing to contribute to the economic development of this region,” Miller said. The new retail location builds on C Spire’s significant capital and network investments in Gulfport and the surrounding area, including the roll out of 4G LTE mobile broadband services last fall.

“Expansion of C Spire’s retail operations is good news for consumers and businesses in the city of Gulfport and the surrounding area. C Spire is a great corporate neighbor and we really appreciate the investments they continue to make in our community and in our people,” said Gulfport Mayor-elect Billy Hewes. “This announcement reinforces their high level of commitment to providing our residents and businesses with access to the latest wireless technology, including a strong network, a wide variety of devices, plans, apps and more.”

Local business leaders echoed Hewes’ praise of the company’s decision to select Gulfport as one of the first markets for its new prototype retail store design. “Any opportunity for business growth and enhanced wireless coverage in Gulfport is great for the business community and residents alike,” said Emily Pickering, director of the Gulfport Chamber of Commerce.

“Business development and growth, along with advances in available technology that include expansion and provision of high-speed wireless, services and applications, are all elements that make Gulfport attractive for continued economic development,” Pickering said.

For more information on C Spire’s retail operations, network expansion and overall community investment, visit www.cspire.com.

About C Spire Wireless

C Spire Wireless is a diversified wireless communications company passionately committed to helping customers by personalizing wireless services designed just for them. The company is the first wireless provider in the U.S. to personalize customers’ experience by offering apps that fit who they are, services that anticipate their needs, and rewards for using their phone in new ways – all with seamless ease and at amazingly fast speeds. This news release and other announcements are available at www.cspire.com/news. For more information about C Spire Wireless and its products and services, visit www.cspire.com or follow us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/cspire or Twitter at www.twitter.com/cspire or Google + or www.pinterest.com/cspirewireless