Press Release

Morgan Lewis Advises CRH plc on €6.5bn Asset Acquisition from Lafarge and Holcim

Thursday, February 5, 2015

LONDON, February 5, 2015 - Global law firm, Morgan Lewis is advising the international building materials group CRH plc (“CRH”) on the global merger control and antitrust issues of its recently announced binding commitment to acquire certain assets from Lafarge S.A. (“Lafarge”) and Holcim Ltd (“Holcim”) for an enterprise value of €6.5bn. The acquisition takes place in the context of the planned merger of Holcim and Lafarge and completion is expected for mid-2015.

Holcim and Lafarge are disposing of assets in France, Germany, Hungary, Romania, Serbia, Slovakia, the United Kingdom, Canada, the United States, the Philippines and Brazil.

CRH manufactures and distributes a diverse range of products servicing the breadth of construction needs with operations in 34 countries worldwide. It is the largest building materials company in North America, a regional leader in Europe and has a growing presence in the Asian economies of India and China.

Commenting on the acquisition, Izzet Sinan, Morgan Lewis Antitrust partner, said: “We are delighted to be working with CRH on this very significant international acquisition, which has positioned CRH as a truly global player in the sector.”

The principal transaction counsel to CRH plc is Irish firm Arthur Cox, with whom Morgan Lewis is also collaborating on the French aspects of the transaction.

In addition to Antitrust partner Izzet Sinan, the Morgan Lewis team, comprising lawyers from the firm’s Brussels, Paris and London offices, includes Corporate and Business Transactions partner Stephen Walters, Employment and Benefits partner Sabine Smith-Vidal and associates Irene De Beni, Martin d'Halluin, David Brenneman, Noelia Martinez, Xavier Haranger, Charles Dauthier and Allison Soilihi.