DEALS OF THE WEEK 05.04.2001

Flightiest deal: Norton Rose acted for the Airline Group which is made up of Airtours, Britannia Airways, British Airways, British Midland, easyJet, Monarch and Virgin in its successful bid to be the governments strategic partner for National Air Traffic Services (NATS), responsible for UK air traffic control.

Thegovernment will hold 49% of NATS and the Airline Group 46%.

NATS employees will hold the other 5%.

Lovells acted for NATS and Slaughter and May acted for the government.Tastiest deal: North-west firm Davies Wallis Foyster acted for Lancashire-based cake manufacturer Inter Link Foods on a deal to buy Nicholas & Harris for up to 5.4 million (depending on performance).

Nicholas & Harris, represented by Salisbury firm Wilsons, makes Bagpuss, Barbie, Bart Simpson, Bob the Builder, Pokemon and Winnie the Pooh cakes under licence.

Best serviced deal: Paisner & Co acted for ALPHA Retail on its ten-year concession to operate confectionery, tobacco and newspaper stores at RoadChefs UK network of motorway services, a deal estimated to be worth 35 million a year.

Ashurst Morris Crisp acted for RoadChef.

Booziest deal: London firm Boodle Hatfield acted for Blavod Black Vodka on its placing of 4.15 million of new and existing shares, and its admission to the Alternative Investment Market.

Scottish firm Biggart Baillie advised underwriter Brewin Dolphin Securities.Best smelling deal: Manchester firm Chaffe Street advised the shareholders of Surrey-based aromatherapy business Cariad on the sale of the business to Hertfordshire cough mixture maker William Ransom & Son, advised by Kent firm Thomson Snell & Passmore.Fizziest deal: Hammonds Sud-dards Edge has acted on the management buy-out of Coca-Colas Refreshment Spectrum Limited Durham plant by Histogram, which was led by Coca-Cola Great Britains managing director Chris Banks and former plant manager Alan Watson.

Histogram will be independent packers for Coca-Colas Five Alive products.

CMS Cameron McKenna acted for Coca-Cola.