Vandersanden Group acquires 3 factories in the Netherlands and 1 in Germany

On 14 December 2016, Vandersanden Group signed an agreement in principle for the acquisition of CRH Clay Division Netherlands, Germany and Belgium, part of the Irish listed CRH Group.

On 14 December 2016, Vandersanden Group signed an agreement in principle for the acquisition of CRH Clay Division Netherlands, Germany and Belgium, part of the Irish listed CRH Group. This is subject to approval by the Board of CRH after obtaining positive recommendation from the works council. CRH's main activity is the worldwide production and distribution of building materials, especially cement, aggregates, asphalt and, predominantly, concrete.

The acquisition includes three factories in the Netherlands and one in Germany. In the Netherlands, these are the Bylandt Tolkamer (pavers), Bylandt Kessel (extruded bricks and pavers) and Façade Beek (hand-moulded facing bricks) factories. In Germany, the factory in AKA Oberlausitz (near Dresden) manufactures extruded facing bricks and pavers. Additionally, there is the sales office De Saegher (a renowned stone specialist) in Antwerp, and a sales office in Peine (central Germany). Together, all CRH branches employ a total of 230 people.

The main reason for the acquisition is the enormous synergy between the combined activities. The Belgian Vandersanden family business has long been a market leader in hand-moulded bricks in Belgium, and this acquisition will, in 2017, elevate it to become the market leader in pavers in the Netherlands. Simultaneously, its facing brick range will be expanded with a range of extruded facing bricks and high-quality braised bricks.

This acquisition is part of the overall Vandersanden Group strategy and strengthens its position as one of the largest family-owned brick manufacturers in Europe. Only recently, Vandersanden acquired their sales partner Hoskins Brick in Great Britain. As a result of these acquisitions, Vandersanden Group will employ a total of 600 people in 2017. This will consist of 240 employees in Belgium, 275 in the Netherlands, 15 in Great Britain, 4 in France and 66 in Germany. The annual total production capacity will be more than 500 million bricks. Following the acquisition, which is expected to take place in the second half of January 2017, the consolidated turnover of the Vandersanden Group will be 160 million euros, with the main marketing countries being Belgium, the Netherlands and Germany (with combined sales of approx. 85% of turnover). Additionally, the group exports to more than 20 other areas, including Great Britain, Ireland, France, Poland, Russia, the Middle East and Asia.