Lafarge to sell its Romania cement plants as part of Holcim merger

French group Lafarge will sell its assets in Romania as part of the large scale merger with Swiss competitor Holcim, the group announced. Lafarge didn’t mention which are the exact assets to be sold, if these are only the two cement plants that the group holds in Romania or if these include also the aggregates and concrete businesses as well. Lafarge currently owns two cement factories in Romania, one in Medgidia, Constanta county, and one in Hoghiz, close to Brasov. The company also has a grinding station in Targu Jiu. Lafarge has been operating in Romania since 1997, when it bought local producer Romcim. In 2013, Lafarge had a EUR 155 million in sales and a net profit of EUR 10 million. Swiss group Holcim is currently the largest cement producer in Romania. Last year, it had a turnover of EUR 202 million and EUR 1.4 million losses. Holcim also operates two factories in Romania, one in Campulung, Arges county, and the other one in Alesd, close to Oradea. The company also has a grinding station in Turda. According to the announcement, Lafarge will also sell assets in Germany, Austria and the UK, while Holcim will give up its assets in France, Hungary and Serbia. The future LafargeHolcim group will have some 20 percent of its revenues generated in Europe. Andrei Chirileasa, andrei@romania-insider.com