Cement sales volumes dropped 17.5% in the first half of the year, compared with the same period in 2012, while prices and product mix brought a plus of 2.5%.
In the second quarter of the year, Lafarge cement sales volumes in Romania fell 20% due to lower infrastructure costs and a competitive operating environment, the report reads.
Lafarge estimates a 3% to 6% decline of the cement market in Romania in 2013, while estimates for Central and Eastern Europe (CEE) range from a 3% contraction to stagnation.
Sales of Lafarge Group in CEE declined 13% on the year in the first half of 2013, from EUR561 million to EUR488 million. Cement sales volumes fell 8%, from 5.9 million tons to 5.4 million tons, concrete sales volumes decreased by 12%, from 700,000 cubic meters to 600,000 cubic meters, while sales of aggregate materials declined 13%, from 9.1 million tons to 7.9 million tons.
On group level, sales fell 5% in the first half of the year, from EUR7.6 billion to EUR7.25 billion. Lafarge group reported net profit of EUR84 million in the first six months, compared to loss of EUR21 million in the same period in 2012.
Lafarge’s competitors on the Romanian market are Germany’s HeidelbergCement and Switzerland’s Holcim.