GENERAL MERCHANDISE NEWS
Tesco to launch own brand smartphone by end of year
6 May, 2014 | by Retail Bulletin
Tesco is to launch its own brand of smartphone later this year following the success of its Hudl tablet in 2013.
The phone will run on Google’s Android software and will have a specification on a par with the Samsung Galaxy S5. It is expected to be released in time for Christmas.
Tesco chief executive Philip Clarke told BBC Radio 5 Live’s Wake Up to Money that the phone will come pre-installed with Tesco services such as Blinkbox, Tesco Bank and online shopping apps.
The supermarket is hoping to replicate the success of its Hudl tablet which has sold half a million units in the UK to date.
Clarke also revealed plans to launch a second version of the tablet – Hudl 2 – in September.
