Breakfast briefing: Retail news on Aldi, Selfridges and Dunnes

Aldi enters budget tablet market with Medion Lifetab E7316 launch

Discount supermarket chain Aldi has marked its entry into the budget tablet market by partnering with electronics firm Medion to launch the Lifetab E7316, The Independent reported. Priced at £79, Aldi will release the Medion Lifetab E7316 on December 8 in reportedly limited quantities. The device comes with 7-inch screen, a 1.6GHz quad-core processor, low-resolution at 1024 x 600 pixels, 1GB of RAM, 8GB of internal memory as well as front and rear camera of 0.2 and 2.0 megapixels respectively. The Lifetab operates on the Android 4.2.2 Jelly Bean system, and has a USB host function as well as Wi-Fi and Bluetooth connectivity.

Selfridges inches closer to taking control of Arnotts

Selfridges has stepped up its plans to take control of Irish department store Arnotts. Selfridges is believed to be providing financial backing to investment company Fitzwilliam Finance Partners, which has purchased loans worth €140m owed by Arnotts to Ulster Bank, according to The Irish Times. Fitzwilliam has been cleared by KPMG to bid for the loans after securing backing from Selfridges. Fitzwilliam and Selfridges are understood to be committed to the Arnotts brand and hope to boost its employee headcounts by making an investment in the existing store and expanding into the site around it.

Dunnes seeks voluntary redundancies at head office and stores

Ireland’s second biggest retailer Dunnes Stores is looking at several voluntary redundancies at both its head office and at store level, the Irish Independent has learnt. It is unknown precisely how many redundancies the firm is seeking, however the plan has been communicated to staff within the past week. The intended redundancies, thought to be limited in scale, come as Dunnes battles with competitors in the run-up to Christmas.