ots Ad hoc-Service: Wienerberger Baustoffind. <AT0000831706> Wienerberger expands with bricks to cover Northern Europe
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Wienerberger expands with bricks to cover Northern Europe
Wienerberger Baustoffindustrie AG has signed a "Letter of Intent" to purchase the brick business of Optiroc Group AB, a member company of the German Heidelberger Zement Group. This acquisition covers Optiroc's entire brick division with two facing brick plants each in Denmark, Sweden and Finland, one plant each in Norway and Estonia, and a lintel plant in Sweden. The transaction will total roughly EUR 60 million, and is scheduled to take effect in January 2001.
With capacity of nearly 240 million Waalformat (1.85 WF = 1 NF), the Optiroc Group is the leading brick producer in the Nordic countries. The Group is market leader in Finland, Norway, Sweden and Estonia. It has also gained a strong position on the key Danish facing brick market and operates a strategically interesting sales company in Great Britain. With a total of 380 employees, the Optiroc brick division generated sales of EUR 54 million in 1999.
The acquisition of this business will provide Wienerberger with an optimal basis for further expansion in Denmark, a classic brick country, and also in the relatively closed markets of Finland, Norway and Sweden. The brick plant in Estonia is located roughly 200 km from St. Petersburg and is therefore an interesting starting point for future market entry in Russia. The Optiroc sales company in Great Britain has sold facing bricks made by the Wienerberger Terca subsidiary and other associated companies in Denmark and Estonia for a number of years and is therefore a strategically interesting platform for expansion in Europe's most important facing brick market.
For additional information contact: Thomas Melzer, Investor Relations Officer Tel.: +43 (1) 60192-471 (463) E-Mail: investor@wienerberger.com
Original content of: Wienerberger AG, transmitted by news aktuell