Builders Merchants Journal – BMJ Publishing to Builders Merchants and the UK merchanting industry for more than 95 years
Building materials giants Tarmac and Lafarge may not be able to merge as planned now that the Competition Commission has provisionally ruled that the proposed joint venture could limit competition in the construction materials market.
Anglo American, Tarmac’s parent company, and Lafarge want to establish a 50:50 joint venture in the UK.
However, the Competition Commission believes that such actions could mean reduced competitiveness in a number of areas.
These are:
Construction Enquirer reports Chairman of the Anglo/Lafarge Inquiry Group, Roger Witcomb, as saying: “We have a number of concerns about this joint venture.
“In bulk cement there are currently only four UK producers, and there is evidence that the market is not as competitive as it could be.
“Prices and profit margins haven’t been affected in the way we would have expected following the big falls in the demand for cement in the past few years.
“We are concerned that the proposed tie-up would increase the susceptibility of this market to coordination.”
