U.K. retailer Tesco is launching its own smartphone

British supermarket giant Tesco says it is planning to launch its own smartphone before the end of this year, as it looks to build on the success it has seen with the Hudl tablet, which has sold over 550,000 units. Chief executive Philip Clarke told the BBC Radio 5 that a “Tesco phone” would launch before the end of the year. The company is also planning to introduce the Hudl 2, a follow to its original £119 tablet, in September.

Tesco is to launch its first own-brand smartphone by the end of the year. The BBC understands the phone will run Google’s Android software, and the specification will be comparable to the Samsung Galaxy S5, Chief executive Philip Clarke told BBC Radio 5 live’s Wake Up to Money programme 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, Mr Clarke said. The Hudl tablet entered the the lower end of the market, priced at £119 and competing with devices that had relatively low specifications.