Penneys is soon to begin a major expansion in the USA, with the news that Primark have agreed a major deal with US retail giant Sears to open seven stores on the other side of the Atlantic.

Primark have previously agreed a deal to open a store in Boston, at the Burnham Building in the city centre.

Over the next 12 to 18 months seven Primark stores will open across the US. Primark will lease roughly 520,000 square feet of space from Sears. The stores will be Sears stores in shopping centres across the United States. Sears will still have a presence at six of the stores.

The first of the new stores will be at the King of Prussia Mall in Philadelphia, the largest shopping centre on the American east coast.

Another location will be a store in a shopping mall on Staten Island in New York City.

Sears has been under financial pressure in recent times, leading to cost-cutting measures and the sale of assets.

Primark currently operates 275 stores across Ireland, the UK and Europe. The company was recently valued at $30 billion.