Vandersanden Group buys four brickworks from CRH

The Belgian brick manufacturer, the Vandersanden Group, is acquiring from CRH three brickworks in the Netherlands and one in Germany. In the Netherlands, these are the Bylandt Tolkamer plant (pavers), the Bylandt Kessel plant (extruded bricks and pavers) and the Façade Beek plant (hand-moulded facing bricks). In Germany, the AKA Oberlausitz Klinkerwerke (a brickworks near Dresden) manufactures extruded facing bricks and pavers. In addition, there is a central sales office in Peine (central Germany) and the sales partner “De
Saegher” (a renowned ceramic specialist) in Antwerp, Belgium. Together, all these CRH facilities employ a total of 230 people.

The main reason for the acquisition are synergies between the business activities of the two companies. Vandersanden, the Belgian family-run business, is a market leader in hand-moulded bricks in Belgium, and this acquisition will, in 2017, elevate it to become a market leader in clay pavers in the Netherlands.

In the increasingly important German market, the Vandersanden Group will gain even more openings to meet the needs of the market for façades and pavers.

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 its sales partner Hoskins Brick in Great Britain.

As a result of these acquisitions, Vandersanden Group will employ a total of 600 people in 2017, including 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 mill. 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 mill., with the main sales markets being Belgium, the Netherlands and Germany (with combined sales of approx. 85 % of the turnover). Additionally, the group exports to more than 20 other countries and regions, including Great Britain, Ireland, France, Poland, Russia, the Middle East and Asia.

Vandersanden Group
www.vandersandengroup.com