“In Romania, cement volumes were up 6% year-to-date. They contracted by 4% in the second quarter, after the early start of projects due to favorable weather in the first quarter,” Lafarge said in a report.
Lafarge posted a 37.4% growth in cement sales in Romania in the first quarter, mainly due to favorable weather conditions that allowed an early start on construction projects.
Globally, Lafarge sales fell 4% in the first six months, to EUR6 billion, while its net profit was at EUR70milion, from EUR84 million in the corresponding period a year earlier.
Lafarge is present in Romania on the cement segment, which accounts for the biggest share of its sales, and on the concrete and aggregate market. Its main competitors locally are Germany’s HeidelbergCement and Switzerland’s Holcim.
Lafarge Romania currently owns approximately 40 production sites, with the most important plants on the cement segment being located in Medgidia, Hoghiz, Targu Jiu.
On the concrete and aggregate segment, Lafarge owns Lafarge Agregate Betoane SA and Lafarge Agregate SRL.
The Romanian assets of French group Lafarge are proposed for sale, ahead of the merger with Swiss-based construction materials maker Holcim, to anticipate potential competition authorities’ requirements.
Lafarge and Holcim recently announced they would merge and create the largest global cement maker with an annual turnover estimated at $40 billion. To get antitrust clearance, the two companies will have to sell several assets, including in Romania.