Lafarge and Holcim have merged, creating the largest cement producer on the global market. The European Commission approved the merger between France’s Lafarge and Switzerland’s Holcim this week. Under the merger agreement, the companies will offload some of their European businesses. Holcim will sell its branches in Slovakia, the Czech Republic, Hungary, France and Spain, while Lafarge will get rid of its operations in Germany, Romania and the UK. All sales have to be approved by the EC. The merger is expected to be completed by mid-2015. Holcim is the strongest cement producer in Slovakia, with annual revenues around €137m, writes Trend Reality.
