Holcim to acquire PRB Group expanding Solutions & Products

• Biggest independent specialty building solutions company in France with Net Sales of EUR 340m
   
• Highly regarded brand with leadership in innovation and sustainability
   
• Double-digit annual growth rates driven by advanced energy-efficient and renovation solutions
   
• Accelerates Holcim's growth in Solutions & Products to reach 30% of Group Net Sales by 2025 

Holcim has entered an agreement to acquire PRB Group, France's biggest independent manufacturer of specialty building solutions with 2022 (est.) net sales of EUR 340 million. PRB Group offers a broad range of high performance building solutions, from coatings and insulations to adhesives and flooring systems with advanced energy-efficiency and renovation solutions. With its leadership in sustainability and eco-design, PRB Group is a leading partner to support France's new regulation (RE2020) advancing energy-efficiency in buildings. PRB Group's products and solutions are highly complementary to Holcim's and expand its reach in the high growth repair & refurbishment market.  PRB Group's broad footprint covers the entire French market with more than 700 people and state-of-the-art facilities, including its Research & Development (R&D) Center, 5 manufacturing sites and 26 warehouses, as well as 1300 distributors.

Jan Jenisch, Holcim CEO: 'We are off to a strong start to the new year, on our way to welcoming the PRB Group into the Holcim family. This is another exciting step in the expansion of Solutions & Products, advancing our 'Strategy 2025 - Accelerating Green Growth'. I am highly impressed by the outstanding achievements of the Laurent family as well as by the expertise and passion of the entire PRB team. I look forward to warmly welcoming all employees into Holcim and to invest in our next era of growth together, with a continued focus on innovation, sustainability and branding.' 

Jean-Jacques Laurent, President of PRB Group: 'I am excited that PRB is on its way to joining the Holcim family. As a long-standing and trusted business partner of ours, this is a natural next chapter for us. With both companies sharing the same vision and values, together we can accelerate our growth strategy. Like PRB, Holcim is focused on driving the circular economy and leading the way in sustainable construction. With Holcim's leadership in this sector, we know that our company will be in good hands to reach its next level of performance.'

Founded in 1975, PRB Group has grown to become France's largest independent manufacturer of specialty building solutions. Its innovation-driven portfolio ranges from coatings and insulations to adhesives and flooring systems, with a strong position in premium segments, from energy-efficiency to repair and renovation. An established leader in sustainability, PRB Group's state-of-the-art R&D center is constantly innovating for eco-design and easy-to-use high performance products. With its 'Responsible and Sustainable' line, it offers the industry's first and only complete range of specialty building solutions with a reduced carbon footprint in France. With the French government allocating EUR 7.5 billion to low-carbon construction in its stimulus plan, the housing renovation market has the potential to grow by 18%, establishing a strong growth platform for PRB. 

The acquisition will advance Holcim's 'Strategy 2025 - Accelerating Green Growth' with the goal to expand its Solutions & Products business to 30% of Group Net Sales by 2025, entering the most attractive construction segments, from roofing systems to insulation and renovation. The transaction is in line with Holcim's commitment to strict financial discipline and is subject to regulatory clearance and works council consultation in France. It is expected to close in the second quarter of 2022. 

About Holcim
Holcim builds progress for people and the planet. As a global leader in innovative and sustainable building solutions, Holcim is enabling greener cities, smarter infrastructure and improving living standards around the world. With sustainability at the core of its strategy Holcim is becoming a net zero company, with its people and communities at the heart of its success. The company is driving the circular economy as a world leader in recycling to build more with less. Holcim is the company behind some of the world's most trusted brands in the building sector including ACC, Aggregate Industries, Ambuja Cement, Disensa, Firestone Building Products, Geocycle, Holcim and Lafarge. Holcim is 70,000 people around the world who are passionate about building progress for people and the planet through four business segments: Cement, Ready-Mix Concrete, Aggregates and Solutions & Products.

More information is available on www.holcim.com

About PRB Group
PRB Group is France's number 1 independent manufacturer of specialty building solutions, delivering high performance and first-class service since 1975. It offers a broad range of innovation-driven solutions from coatings and insulations to adhesives and flooring systems with a focus on sustainable and energy-efficient buildings that combine high performance, functionality and aesthetics. PRB's solutions are broadly used for new build and refurbishment applications across all building sectors from housing and education to healthcare and commercial. PRB Group employs more than 700 people across its state-of-the-art facilities, from its Research & Development (R&D) center and 5 manufacturing sites to its 26 warehouses and counts over 1300 distributors across France. With a focus on innovation and sustainability, PRB Group is the first and only specialty building solutions manufacturer in France to offer a complete range of reduced carbon footprint solutions, with its R&D line 'Responsible and Sustainable'.

Important disclaimer - forward-looking statements:
This document contains forward-looking statements. Such forward-looking statements do not constitute forecasts regarding results or any other performance indicator, but rather trends or targets, as the case may be, including with respect to plans, initiatives, events, products, solutions and services, their development and potential. Although Holcim believes that the expectations reflected in such forward-looking statements are based on reasonable assumptions as at the time of publishing this document, investors are cautioned that these statements are not guarantees of future performance. Actual results may differ materially from the forward-looking statements as a result of a number of risks and uncertainties, many of which are difficult to predict and generally beyond the control of Holcim, including but not limited to the risks described in the Holcim's annual report available on its website (www.holcim.com) and uncertainties related to the market conditions and the implementation of our plans. Accordingly, we caution you against relying on forward-looking statements. Holcim does not undertake to provide updates of these forward-looking statements.