If it wins the order, Thales plans to build the two 270 metre vessels in five separate “superblocks” and then assemble them as one in a single yard, probably Harland & Wolff in Belfast BAE is due to announce details of its bid today.. Moss Bros, the beleaguered formalwear retailer that has again become the subject of takeover speculation, yesterday parted company with its finance director in favour of a turnaround specialist. Mr Murray will receive a basic salary of £135,000 a year plus an additional 50 per cent as a performance-related bonus.Adrian Wright, the chief executive who joined Moss Bros in March from Bluewater shopping centre, said the new team would be able “to address the critical business issues we have identified and drive improved performance”.One retail analyst expressed his surprise at the reshuffle, noting it had been Mr Scott who signalled the need to abandon Moss Bros’s ill-fated attempt to enter the leisurewear market through its Code brand. “He may have been pushed,” the analyst said.A spokesman for Moss Bros said: “The next stage of Moss Bros’s recovery programme [based on re-embracing its suit hire business] needed a recovery specialist.”It emerged this week that Moss Bros is being stalked by Harold Tillman, the colourful rag trade entrepreneur.. TBI, the owner of Luton airport, has put in a bid for the former Vauxhall car plant which lies nearby as part of an ambitious plan to expand operations at the site. But he would not say whether TBI planned to build new terminal facilities on the site.Luton handled 6.6 million passengers last year but its single runway has the capacity to take 20 to 30 million passengers. Other development plans include a direct link to the airport from the M1 motorway and TBI is examining the possibility of introducing a rail link direct into the airport.Mr Brooks said TBI was urging ministers to remember that Luton is London’s fourth airport when they publish proposals later this year for additional runway capacity in the South-east of England.News of TBI’s offer to buy the Vauxhall site came as the group reported a trebling in profits at Luton to £21.6m for the year to the end of March.

The improved performance at Luton, which TBI bought in March last year, helped the group to increase overall pre-tax profits by 26 per cent to £16.6m.The increase in profits at Luton was largely due to an increase in landing charges paid by its biggest operator, easyJet, from £2.20 to £6.17 a passenger. Mr Brooks said TBI had also reduced costs at the airport by £5m since the takeover. Operating profits from Belfast International airport fell, however, by 14 per cent to £15.8m following the withdrawal of services by British Airways and bmi British Midland.The withdrawal of the services reduced passenger numbers by 600,000 but Belfast has since more than made up the difference by attracting new services operated by low-cost airlines.Profits from Cardiff airport increased by £500,000 to £12.5m although passenger numbers remained flat at 1.5 million. TBI is considering approaches from several low-cost carriers to begin services from Cardiff.TBI, which also owns a small number of overseas airports, saw off a hostile bid from the French group Vinci last year worth 90p a share.

But Vinci still owns a 14.9 per cent stake and Mr Brooks said TBI would respond to any fresh approach from the company with “alacrity”.. Jean-Marie Messier’s position as chairman of Vivendi looked increasingly threatened yesterday when a key ally quit as a company director. The board was due to meet last night.Mr Arnault, a major figure in the French business establishment, was seen as being close to embattled chairman and chief executive of Vivendi and is even said to have a New York apartment in the same Park Avenue block where Mr Messier famously got his company to buy a $17m flat for his use. However, it is thought that Mr Arnault had felt increasingly shut out from discussions at Vivendi.