Ireland’s CRH to buy Lafarge, Holcim assets for US$7.4bil

DUBLIN: CRH has agreed to pay 6.5 billion euros (US$7.4bil) for assets from rivals Lafarge and Holcim, in a deal that will transform the Irish company into the world’s third biggest building materials supplier.

Shares in CRH rose as much as 7% yesterday as investors welcomed a move that will expand the company’s global reach, making it the largest building supplier in central and eastern Europe and doubling its presence in emerging markets.