Tesco to enter tablet market with Hudl Tesco is poised to break into the tablet market with the £119 Hudl, as Britain's biggest retailer attempts to reinvent itself for the digital age. The supermarket chain, which has been trying to overhaul its business and brand after its first profit warning in 20 years and a series of setbacks including its involvement in the horsemeat scandal, will launch the tablet next week. Philip Clarke, chief executive, said the device would make tablet technology accessible and affordable to the three quarters of British households that do not own a tablet computer. We want more of our customers to access the benefits of tablets. They are for the many, not for the few," he said. The Hudl, which will be available across 1,000 of Tesco's biggest stores and online from Monday, September 30, boasts a 7in screen, 16GB of memory, dual band WiFi and uses Google's Android system. A Tesco launch button takes customers to its digital services, including online shopping and banking, Blinkbox films and TV and Clubcard TV, which offers films and TV to members of Tesco's Clubcard loyalty scheme. "If you compare the specification we have put together with the specification of similarly priced products on the market we will beat them hands down," said Mike McNamara, chief information officer at Tesco, who added that the device had been developed from scratch with input from up to 100 customers. Holders of a Tesco Clubcard will be able to double the value of their loyalty reward vouchers and potentially purchase the device for £60. However, Mr McNamara said the product, built by technology manufacturer Wistron, had also been pitched at a "price and specification that will be good for [the customer] and make money for us." Although the Hudl is only available in the UK at the moment, "I would not rule out going to all of our international markets some time in the future," he said. Tesco declined to comment on how much it had invested in the development of Hudl or ongoing support, which will be available in Tesco stores. Consumer adoption of tablet computers such as the iPad or Google Nexus has more than doubled over the past year, with a quarter of UK households owning a tablet as of the first quarter this year, according to Ofcom. Tesco's tablet will cost about the same as other Android tablets but will be significantly cheaper than Apple's iPad Mini, which costs upwards of £269. Benedict Evans, mobile analyst at Enders Analysis, said the Hudl would help Tesco defend its business against ecommerce rivals such as Amazon, which offers the Kindle Fire. "Tesco's strategic imperative is to start building up people's sense that the company is a place to go to get things digitally," he said. The problem for Tesco, Mr Evans said, is that the iPad is getting cheaper, offers a better user experience and a greater range of apps than Android tablets such as the Hudl. "If money was not an object, you would never buy the Hudl," he said. The launch is also the latest in Tesco's efforts to meet the demands of customers who want to shop online and use the latest technology. It has already moved away from building large stores in its home market in favour of investing in smaller stores and online shopping. Clive Black, analyst at Shore Capital, said: "The reality is Tesco does need to change its brand perception in the UK. It can only do that by making its stores and offer more interesting, and by being more relevant in areas where the market is going to move. However, he added: "In a business the size of Tesco . . . Hudl is not expected to single-handedly move the revenue or profit dial any time soon or ever.