Lafarge Tarmac Quarries, cement plants and asphalt production sites, including Dunbar, are set to change hands in a £4.9billion Irish takeover.
Dublin-based CRH is buying the UK’s biggest cement maker, Lafarge Tarmac, which was formed in January 2013 following the merger of Anglo American and Lafarge’s cement, aggregates, ready-mixed concrete, asphalt and asphalt surfacing operations in the UK.
The disposal will help French building material giant Lafarge and Switzerland’s Holcim, which owns Aggregate Industries in the UK, secure regulatory clearance for their planned merger.
In order for the Lafarge Tarmac sale to CRH to proceed, the operation’s 50% owner Anglo American will first sell its stake in the business to Lafarge.
The deal will give CRH, Irelands biggest company, the number one market position in the UK in cement, aggregates, ready-mix concrete, asphalt and construction.
The process is expected to complete by the end of June 2015.
The planned takeover should not affect jobs at the Dunbar plant. A spokesman for the company said: “Lafarge Tarmac is a successful company and we do not expect any impact on jobs or investment.”