Deals of the week - 13.02.2003

Most credit-worthy deal: City firm Berwin Leighton Paisner acted for the Office of Government Commerce on a major extension of the government procurement card programme with a tender for the provision of corporate and purchasing cards.

The card is designed to help government departments move away from traditional paper-based methods of procurement.

The winning tender, led by Visa and its consortium of seven UK banks, was advised in-house except for Lloyds TSB, advised by Bristol-based Osborne Clarke.

Most passive deal: Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer acted for BCcomponents Holdings, a leading manufacturer of passive electronic components, on its sale to New York-listed Vishay Intertechnology, advised by City firm Edwin Coe, along with US firm Kramer Levin Naftalis & Frankel, German firm CMS Hasche Sigle and Dutch practice CMS Derk Star Busmann.

Best distributed deal: Milton Keynes firm Kimbells acted for Oxfordshire-based Advanced Marketing (Europe), a subsidiary of a $1 billion US company, on its purchase for an undisclosed sum of book distributors HI Marketing, advised by Guildford firm Dawson Mason & Carr, and Cutsound, advised by London firm Simons Muirhead & Burton.

The two companies had combined sales of 10 million last year.

Most fashionable deal: City firm Gouldens advised the management team on its 30 million buy-out of women's fashion retailer Hobbs.

Addleshaw Booth & Co advised Newco and Barclays Private Equity, while DLA acted for Barclays acquisition finance on the senior debt and bridge financing.

City firm Nicholson Graham & Jones represented the vendors.

Best retailed deal: City firm Herbert Smith acted for property investment boutique CIT on the 325 million purchase of a property portfolio, including 11 town shopping centres, from The Charterhouse Shopping Centre Funds I & II and their operator HSBC Property Fund Management, advised by US/UK firm Mayer Brown Rowe & Maw.