City Spy: Lord Sugar’s no smoothie when it comes to gifts

Lord Sugar is offering questionable present ideas again. Ahead of Valentine’s day, he was plugging buying a cream for your loved one that helps to combat cellulite.

Now the angry boss with the pointy finger has some tips for Mother’s Day from the skin clinic business he co-founded. “At the risk of making Mum look younger than you, why not book her in for @DrLeahTotton facial?” he tweeted.

Anti-ageing cream? Way to make a girl feel special, Alan.

William Hill boss James Henderson isn’t running scared of banker-turned-racehorse owner Rich Ricci as next month’s Cheltenham Festival looms into view.

His Faugheen has been ruled out of the Champion Hurdle but another Ricci big-hitter, Annie Power, which broke punters’ hearts and delighted the bookies with a last-fence fall in the Mares’ Hurdle last year, has been installed as favourite for the Champion.

Says Henderson: “Ricci has got a whole host of great horses and he’s a lover of the sport. I love to see great horses and Ruby [Walsh] is one of the best jockeys. Cheltenham is always a good opportunity for us and it’s the best four days’ racing in the whole year… Bring it on.”

Henderson adds that Hills, going 5000/1 on Leicester City for the Premier League at the start of the season, will take a £2 million hit if the Foxes deliver.

Spy is sure that would be outweighed by the torn-up betting slips on Arsenal, Manchester City and Chelsea.

Ping! An incongruous email invitation lands in Spy’s inbox from heavyweight law firm Clifford Chance to attend an event discussing the dusty subject of anti-trust trends with its cadre of stern-minded lawyers. Serious stuff.

And the venue? Oh yes, Mayfair’s Sexy Fish of course.

Crikey, don’t get on the wrong side of Dixons Carphone chief executive Sebastian James, who tells Management Today in colourful terms about concerns he had over the merger that created the new-look business.

“We were worried it could all turn a bit Game of Thrones — you know, swords-through-the-head type problems. But no. We’ve moved into the boyfriend’s flat, we’re off the honeymoon period and have decided who puts the bins out and who does the washing up.” Phew.