UNITED STATES
SECURITIES
AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
Washington, DC
20549
FORM 6-K
REPORT OF FOREIGN PRIVATE ISSUER
PURSUANT TO RULE 13A - 16 OR 15D - 16 OF
THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934
24 August 2017
Commission
File No. 001-32846
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CRH
public limited company
(Translation of registrant's name into English)
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Belgard Castle, Clondalkin,
Dublin 22, Ireland.
(Address of principal executive offices)
____________________________
Indicate
by check mark whether the registrant files or will file annual
reports
under
cover of Form 20-F or Form 40-F:
Form
20-F X Form
40-F___
Indicate
by check mark if the registrant is submitting the Form 6-K in paper
as permitted by
Regulation
S-T Rule 101(b)(1):_________
Indicate
by check mark if the registrant is submitting the Form 6-K in paper
as permitted by
Regulation
S-T Rule 101(b)(7):________
Enclosure:
Development
Update
This
document contains inside information.
Development
Update
CRH agrees $2.6bn divestment of Americas Distribution and
€0.6bn acquisition of Fels in Europe
24 August 2017
CRH plc, the international building materials group, today
announces two significant transactions as part of its continuing
focus on growth and value creation through effective portfolio
management and capital reallocation. The transactions comprise one
divestment in the US and one acquisition in Europe. Both
transactions are subject to regulatory approval.
In the Americas, CRH reached agreement to sell its Americas
Distribution business to Beacon Roofing Supply, Inc. for a total
consideration of $2.63 billion in cash (c.€2.2 billion).
Americas Distribution, which has been part of the CRH Group for
over 20 years, has historically executed a growth strategy based on
focused acquisitions, selective greenfields and investments in
private label products. While the business has delivered
significant improvement in performance and returns in recent years,
the absence of value accretive acquisition opportunities and a lack
of visibility as regards a route to market leadership, has resulted
in CRH's decision to divest this business now at an attractive
valuation. In 2016, Americas Distribution reported EBITDA of
€150 million on sales of €2.3 billion; profit before
tax for the year amounted to €121 million, and gross assets
at H1 2017 amounted to €1.2 billion.
In accordance with the Group's strategy, the proceeds from the
divestment of Americas Distribution will be reallocated to value
creating acquisitions and investments. In this context, CRH's
Europe Heavyside business has agreed to acquire Fels, a leading
German lime and aggregates business, for €0.6 billion (EV).
With nine production locations in Germany and one each in the Czech
Republic and in the Moscow region of Russia, Fels has leading
market positions in the lime markets in each of these areas and
over 1 billion tonnes of high quality limestone reserves. The
Company has been a division of Xella International S.A. since 2001.
CRH is a leading lime producer in the UK, Poland and Ireland with
annual production volumes of 1.2 million tonnes and sales of
€180 million. The integration of Fels with our existing lime
businesses will give CRH a number two position in the attractive
European lime market while providing a platform for further growth.
In 2016, Fels reported EBITDA of €70 million on sales of
€260 million.
These transactions are in addition to the H1 2017 development spend
of €632 million on 13 acquisition/investment transactions,
and disposal proceeds of €145 million, as reported in CRH's
2017 Interim Results announcement today. The planned divestment of
one cement plant and one grinding station in Germany as announced
by CRH on 1st
March 2017, has not
yet completed and remains subject to review by the German
Competition Authority (Bundeskartellamt).
Commenting on these transactions, Albert Manifold, CRH Chief
Executive, said:
"These transactions announced today demonstrate the execution of
CRH's strategy of adding value through the efficient allocation and
reallocation of capital, and in particular the deployment of
capital into an attractive growth market in Europe, while
maintaining our financial discipline. We are pleased that our
Americas Distribution business is being acquired by a highly
respected industry player and we wish our colleagues every success
as they enter this new phase of their development. At the same time
we see significant value creation potential from the Fels
acquisition announced today, which will also be an exciting new
development platform for CRH."
-Ends-
For further information:
Albert Manifold Chief
Executive
Senan Murphy
Finance Director
Frank Heisterkamp Head of Investor
Relations
CRH plc Tel: +353 1 404 1000
This document contains inside information and has been issued
pursuant to Article 2.1(b) of Commission Implementing Regulation
(EU) 2016/1055. The date and time of this statement is the same as
the date and time that it has been communicated to the
media.
About CRH
CRH (LSE: CRH, ISE: CRG, NYSE: CRH) is a leading global diversified
building materials group, employing c.87,000 people at c.3,800
operating locations in 31 countries worldwide. With a market
capitalisation of c.€25 billion (August 2017), CRH is the
largest building materials company in North America and the second
largest worldwide. The Group has leadership positions in Europe as
well as established strategic positions in the emerging economic
regions of Asia and South America. CRH is committed to improving
the built environment through the delivery of superior materials
and products for the construction and maintenance of
infrastructure, housing and commercial projects. A Fortune 500
company, CRH is a constituent member of the FTSE 100 index, the
EURO STOXX 50 index and the ISEQ 20. CRH's American Depositary
Shares are listed on the NYSE.
For more information visit www.crh.com
Registered Office: No
12965. Registered
Office: 42 Fitzwilliam Square,
Dublin 2, D02 R279, Ireland
SIGNATURE
Pursuant
to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the
registrant has duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf
by the undersigned, thereunto duly authorized.
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CRH public limited company
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(Registrant)
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Date
24 August 2017
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By:___/s/Neil
Colgan___
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N.Colgan
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Company Secretary
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