Deals of the week 23.11.2000

Best travelled deal: Allen & Overy is advising Preussag and West LB - which own 78% of travel company Thomas Cook - on the 440 million sale of Thomas Cook's global financial services business to Travellex, advised by Dechert.

Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer is acting for Carlson Companies, which owns the remaining 22% and is leading the sale process.

It has an option to buy Preussag and West LB's shares.

The deal is the first stage of Thomas Cook's restructuring as it focuses on its core travel business.Whitest deal: Lewis Silkin acted for Integrated Dental Holdings in its purchase of the Whitecross Dental Care chain, advised by Finers Stephens Innocent, for an undisclosed sum.

The deal creates Europe's largest dental group - with 134 practices, 600 dentists and sales of 60 million - and precedes a planned flotation next year.

Most melodious deal: Rowe & Maw advised EMI on its pioneering European partnership with Tornado Group to test infrastructure for music downloads from the Internet.

Tornado, which provides the system to do so, was represented by Taylor Joynson Garrett.

Most fattening deal: North-west firm Davies Wallis Foyster acted for Liverpool-based food and agriculture business Edward Billington & Son on its 7 million acquisition of leading chocolate product supplier Classic Coverture, advised by DLA.Smartest deal: Olswang advised DaimlerChrysler on the launch of its e-commerce initiative for the sale and delivery of 'smart' cars.

Currently, cars can be bought on the Internet but are delivered by car dealers.

The site (www.thesmart.co.uk) will allow customers to buy cars and have them delivered, fully taxed, without the involvement of a third party.Cleanest deal: Eversheds advised the management team of Peter Black, a major Marks & Spencer supplier of toiletries, footwear and accessories, on a 300 million buy-out believed to be the third biggest public-to-private deal ever.

Addleshaw Booth & Co advised funders 3i.Most constructive deal: Clifford Chance advised Canary Wharf Group on a 1 billion real estate construction loan facility - the largest in the UK - to finance the building of offices at Canary Wharf and Canary Wharf South, one of which is to be occupied by Clifford Chance.

Allen & Overy acted for the four banks which acted as joint arrangers.