Deals of the week 23.08.2001

Highest-bidding deal: City firm Gouldens advised the shareholders of auctioneer Bonhams & Brooks in its proposed merger - awaiting clearance from the European Commission - with Phillips auction house, whose owner, LVMH Hennessy Louis Vuitton, was advised by Freshfields.

Best communicated deal: London firm Lewis Silkin acted for Abbott Mead Vickers Group in the sale of its PR company, Freud Communications, to Freud's management team, represented by Osborne Clarke.

Most shapely deal: Surrey firm Mundays acted for Octagon Group in its 105 million acquisition of property developer Octagon Developments and associated management buy-in.

The 30% shareholder, John Laing Homes, was represented by Macfarlanes.

DLA advised the Bank of Scotland Integrated Finance, which arranged the funding package.Most bankable deal: Clifford Chance acted for Lloyd's of London in the sale of its landmark 1958 building to British Land for an undisclosed sum.

SJ Berwin advised the buyers.Most consumerist deal: Macfarlanes acted for Kingfisher and its specialist retail property subsidiary, Chartwell Land, in the 614 million sale of 182 high- street properties.

The buyers, a partnership between London & Regional Properties and Goldman Sachs Whitehall, were advised by Stephenson Harwood and Howard Kennedy on real estate issues, and Linklaters & Alliance on tax and banking.Most chemical deal: Baker & McKenzie acted for BP Chemicals in the swap of its engineering polymers business for Solvay's polypropylene business.

US firm Sullivan & Cromwell advised on competition matters.

Solvay was represented by Freshfields and US firm Fulbright & Jaworski.

Most complementary deal: Berwin Leighton Paisner advised Tesco on its 3 million acquisition of a majority stake in complementary medicine specialists Nutri Centre, which was represented by Marriott Harrison.

Best dressed deal: Ashurst Morris Crisp acted for the management of clothing manufacturer Lee Cooper Group in the 45 million sale of the group to Matalan.

Travers Smith Braithwaite acted for the sellers, Bridgepoint Capital (Nominees), while Clifford Chance advised Matalan.Friendliest deal: Linklaters acted for Merrill Lynch in the 3.7 billion demutualisation and initial public offering (IPO) of Friends Provident Life Office, the largest IPO in the UK this year.

Herbert Smith acted for Friends Provident.