Tesco is planning to launch its first own-brand smartphone by the end of the year, running Google’s Android software with a specification will be ‘comparable to the Samsung Galaxy S5’, according to a news report.
Speaking to the BBC, Tesco chief executive Philip Clarke said the device would be pre-installed with Tesco services.
The smartphone plans follow the launch of a Tesco’s tablet, the Hudl – which has sold half a million units so far.
A refreshed version of the Hudl tablet – the Hudl 2 – will be released in September, Clarke said.
Clarke also coined a new phrase – “New Tesco” – to sum up his effort to change the company’s focus away from huge stores and on to smaller shops that are more focused on the particular needs of a local community.
He said Tesco would open 12 big stores in the coming year, but no more of the huge Tesco Extras.