Comcast is doubling down on retail in Atlanta.

The telecommunications giant is planning to open nine new Xfinity retail stores across the metro area this year, including locations in Morrow, Marietta, Kennesaw, Peachtree Corners, Sandy Springs and Duluth. Once the new batch is open, Comcast will operate 18 stores in Metro Atlanta.

The Xfinity stores can take up to 4K SF and offer customers ways to service their accounts, sign up for new service, return and buy equipment and other accessories, such as Bluetooth speakers and phone cases.

But the move is part of a Southeastern effort by Comcast, which purchased NBCUniversal in 2011, to help repair and improve its often-criticized image among consumers. This is part of a larger retail trend where companies are using a physical retail presence as a branding opportunity.

“They're servicing and they're enhancing their brand from some of the challenges they had previously under Comcast,” Dave Dochter, the co-founder of D.C. retail firm Dochter & Alexander, previously told Bisnow. “They're completely rebranding. They're getting away from a lot of the negative connotation to Comcast.”

Comcast, based in Philadelphia, opened a high-profile regional headquarters at The Battery at SunTrust Park in 2017.