Sunday newspaper round-up: Pubs, Ocado, Apple

Boris Johnson will today reveal tough new three-tier lockdown rules for England which will close pubs, bars and gyms for millions living in coronavirus hot spots for up to six months. The Prime Minister will hold an emergency Cobra briefing on Monday morning to hammer out the final details before setting out the new nationwide system in the Commons. Local leaders in Liverpool and Manchester last night railed against the Government's decision, accusing Mr Johnson of not providing enough consultation before introducing the business-battering restrictions. - Mail on Sunday

Another lockdown would be the Government’s “biggest blunder”, according to the chairman of Ocado. Lord Stuart Rose, the former executive chairman of Marks & Spencer, described the 10pm curfew that has been imposed on pubs and restaurants across England, Wales and Scotland for more than a fortnight as “bungled”. It demonstrated ministers’ “lack of foresight and strategic thinking” and risked millions of workers losing their jobs, he claimed. - Sunday Telegraph

British customers who purchase Apple’s new iPhone could struggle to connect to key parts of the country’s 5G network. Telecoms industry insiders have warned that the iPhone, which Apple is due on Tuesday, may not connect to the 700MHz 5G band. This could leave customers searching for 5G coverage, analysts have warned. "If it doesn't support 700MHz then you end up with coverage problems,” said Matthew Howett, principal analyst at Assembly. “The spectrum bands that the iPhone works on are crucially important," he added. - Sunday Telegraph

When companies postpone their annual results, it isn’t usually because they need a bit more time to cram in all the good news. Pub chain Wetherspoon’s should have had its numbers out by now but instead pushed the financial statement back to the coming Friday. Given the storm clouds hanging over the pubs trade – what with curfews, regional “circuit breakers” and social distancing – it’s bound to be a more sombre affair than usual. - Guardian

The new owners of Asda have set up an offshore bid vehicle that means the supermarket will be legally owned in Jersey. Mohsin and Zuber Issa, 49 and 48, two of Britain’s wealthiest businessmen, joined forces with TDR, the private equity firm, to strike an audacious £6.8 billion takeover of Britain’s third largest grocer this month. The deal was trumpeted by Rishi Sunak, the chancellor, as returning Asda to British hands after almost two decades of ownership by Walmart, the giant American retailer. - Sunday Times

One of the world’s biggest hedge funds is eyeing a deal to prop up part of Edinburgh Woollen Mill by snapping up a stake in its Peacocks chain. It has emerged that Davidson Kempner, the American fund, is in talks about investing in the fashion brand, which is the struggling retail conglomerate’s biggest subsidiary. - Sunday Times