Creation of LafargeHolcim completed
Holcim and Lafarge complete merger to create new leader in the building materials industry
HOLCIM and Lafarge have completed their global merger and launched LafargeHolcim, a world leader in the building materials industry. The global launch of the new company will be officially celebrated on Wednesday 15 July 2015.
All conditions for the completion of the merger were fulfilled following last week’s successful completion of the public exchange offer and the issuance of new Holcim shares to Lafarge shareholders. Holcim’s shareholders had previously approved the merger-related resolutions at an Extraordinary General Meeting held on 8 May 2015.
With the completion of the merger the mandate of the new board of directors and of the new Executive Committee with Eric Olsen as chief executive officer has become effective.
LafargeHolcim have also unveiled their new logo and corporate identity, which has been designed to demonstrate that Holcim and Lafarge have united to form one company.
Wolfgang Reitzle, co-chairman (statutory chairman) of the board of directors of LafargeHolcim, described the closing as an historic event – not only for the two founding companies, but also for the industry as a whole.
‘LafargeHolcim has a unique business portfolio, is the industry benchmark in R&D and offers its customers the widest range of innovative and value-adding products, services and solutions – from smallholders to large enterprises and most complex projects,’ he said.
Bruno Lafont, co-chairman of the board of directors of LafargeHolcim, added: ‘This new company is built on the rich history and culture of Lafarge and Holcim and its teams. The merger has not only resulted in a larger and more global company, but brings about a unique set of complementary capabilities to capitalize on.
‘Under the leadership of Eric Olsen, the new Group will foster a new operating model and create more value for all our stakeholders.’
The new LafargeHolcim shares will be traded on the SIX Swiss Exchange as well as the Euronext in Paris as of tomorrow (Tuesday 14 July).
LafargeHolcim will also reopen the public exchange offer to give the remaining Lafarge shareholders the opportunity to also tender their shares. The new offer period will start on Wednesday 15 July 2015 for a duration of 10 trading days until 28 July.
As part of the merger process, operations in Europe, the US, Canada, Brazil, India, the Philippines, and Mauritius are being divested. Completion of these transactions is expected within the coming months.
In the UK, it is understood that the sale of Lafarge Tarmac (with the exception of Cauldon and Cookstown) to CRH is due to complete on 31 July, and that from 1 August 2015 the company will be renamed Tarmac with the brand endorsement ‘a CRH company’ below the Tarmac name.
