Dixons Carphone eyes 500 stores in US tie-up

THE retail group behind Carphone Warehouse and PC World has unveiled plans to launch up to 500 stores across the US under a tie-up with telecoms firm Sprint.

Dixons Carphone is the newly created company behind PC World and the Carphone Warehouse. Picture: Getty

Dixons Carphone said its Connected World Services (CWS) division has agreed to open and manage a “significant” number of stores under the banner of Sprint, the third-largest mobile operator in the US.

In the initial phase, Dixons Carphone will supply its “mobile phone retail expertise” to Sprint, which will open about 20 stores. If these prove to be successful, the pair will move to the second phase, with CWS investing equally with Sprint in a joint venture to support the rollout of up to 500 stores.

During the second phase, Dixons Carphone will invest up to $32 million (£20.5m) for a 50 per cent interest in the venture, while Dixons Carphone will also provide support to Sprint.

CWS chief executive Andrew Harrison said: “This is a very exciting venture for us, and is a significant step in growing our CWS business in the US. We bring specialist knowledge and skills to this partnership and will be looking to deliver innovation and outstanding customer service under the Sprint brand.”

Dixons Carphone was formed in August last year by the merger of Carphone Warehouse with the owner of Currys and PC World.