CRH buys Holcim-Lafarge assets

CRH has entered a binding agreement to buy assets that cement makers Holcim and Lafarge need to sell ahead of their planned merger.

The deal will allow the Dublin-based building materials group, which is partnering with KKR & Co, to move into new markets and expand its presence in existing ones.

The builder, which was formed in 1970 through the merger of two Irish companies, already operates in 35 countries with about 76,000 people and has about €18bn in annual sales.