UK electrical gadget and mobile phone retailer Dixons Carphone, has entered into a joint venture with US mobile network operator Sprint which will see the two companies open up to 500 Sprint-branded stores across the US.

Dixons Carphone was created last year by the merger of Carphone Warehouse and Dixons Retail, a plan to create a more profitable, streamlined long term future for the retailers, both operating in categories squeezed by discounters and online stores.

The new US partnership is between Sprint and Dixons’ B2B arm Connected World Services.

Sprint, with some 60 million US customers, has limited retail experience, so the partnership will mix Sprint’s mobile phone network brand recognition with Dixons Carphone’s extensive retail experience.

About 20 stores will be opened initially to test formats before a broader US-wide rollout commences.

“This is a very exciting venture for us, and is a significant step in growing our CWS business in the US,” Andrew Harrison, Dixons Carphone deputy group CEO, said in a statement.