FASHION entrepreneur Shami Ahmed is to continue his fight for control of menswear retailer Moss Bros.

The Joe Bloggs founder, who first signalled an interest in Moss Bros late last year, had aimed to table a cash offer of at least 40p-per-share.

But the board ended talks at the weekend, saying the potential offer was "wholly inadequate" when compared to the prospective value of the company.

Moss Bros, which owns the Cecil Gee and Blazer brands, also cited a lack of committed funding and said it was making a complaint to the Takeover Panel about the process. The firm disapproved of a request by WestLB Panmure, the German bank acting for Mr Ahmed, for access to the books prior to putting in an offer.

But Mr Ahmed said: "The reaction of the board of Moss Bros to our approach is very disappointing.

"The company's recent trading history has been lamentable. It has been littered with strategy and management changes, profit warnings and increasing losses. I believe a cash offer for the company would be in the best interests of shareholders."