O2, Westfield London

Things in tech trend towards getting smaller rather than larger. But mobile phone retail O2 is going against the grain with its two new oversized retail concept stores.

The stores, on Manchester’s Market Street and in London’s Westfield White City, each boast footprints of over 2,300 square feet, allowing plenty of room to get on board the brand’s shift in emphasis towards customer exploration.

Open and spacious, the stores encourage circulation and engagement – and allow for flexibility during events and demonstrations. Stripped-back murals above the stores’ product offerings provide visual interest while helping tell the brand’s story; deliberately eclectic and mismatching modernist furniture lends a DIY feel reminiscent of warehouse maker settings.

London-based retail design agency Dalziel & Pow has combined living room and maker space with mobile retail, with chic, lifestyle-focused results.

An open wifi network encourages users to settle in and use their devices however they wish – whether it’s to quickly check their email, charge their phones, or to grab a complimentary coffee and spend some time working at the community table.

New technology demonstrations and tutorials delivered by expert staff, along with interactive ‘inspire zones’, now form a core part of the stores’ offerings, and are designed to encourage customers to return on a regular basis.

Interest is further created by a series of rotating monthly interactive ‘themes’, which range across topics from wearable technology through to public-friendly tech-relevant media offerings, such as the recent Star Wars release.

It’s a customer-focused, lifestyle approach breathing new life – and O2 – into the mobile world.