Vicat Announces Acquisition of Cemex’s Concrete and Aggregates Businesses

Vicat, a leading player in the mineral and biosourced building materials industry, has announced plans to acquire Cemex’s ready-mix concrete and aggregates operations in South-Eastern France. The proposed transaction, which involves the acquisition of Cemex Granulats Rhône Méditerranée, Cemex Béton Rhône Alpes, and Cemex Béton Sud Est, would significantly bolster Vicat’s presence in the region. The acquisition will see Vicat take over a network of 48 ready-mix concrete plants and 9 aggregates quarries, along with related services and certain interests in joint ventures. This strategic move is expected to be completed before December 31, 2026, subject to the approval of the competent competition authority.

The transaction is seen as highly complementary, given the geographical complementarity with Vicat’s existing footprint. Vicat’s regional presence is set to be further strengthened, generating industrial, commercial, and logistics synergies, particularly with the cement business. Additionally, the acquisition is expected to accelerate the deployment of lower-carbon solutions by enabling Vicat to further control concrete mix designs and promote the use of supplementary cementitious materials incorporated into the production of low-carbon concrete.

The assets concerned benefit from an attractive geographical positioning in South-Eastern France, spanning both the Rhône corridor and the Riviera, and are highly complementary to Vicat’s existing operations. The transaction will enable Vicat to further enhance its proximity to customers while accelerating the deployment of its lower-carbon solutions.

The acquisition is part of Vicat’s broader strategy to achieve carbon neutrality in its value chain by 2050. Vicat, which has been operating in the industry for over 170 years, now operates three core lines of business: Cement, Ready-Mixed Concrete and Aggregates, and related activities. Present in 12 developed and emerging countries, the Group employs 10,500 people and has generated consolidated sales of €3,854 million in 2025. With its strong regional positions, Vicat is developing a circular economy model beneficial for all and consistently innovating to reduce the construction industry’s environmental impact.

In addition to the strategic and environmental benefits, the transaction is expected to have financial implications. Vicat has updated its deleveraging target for the 2026-2027 period, aiming to maintain a financial leverage target of between 1.3x and 1.5x. This target reflects the company’s commitment to disciplined balance sheet management, having successfully reduced its financial leverage from 2.8x at year-end 2022 to 1.5x at year-end 2025.

The preliminary Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) entered between Cemex and Vicat provides for consultation with employee representative bodies, with discussions to continue over the coming weeks to finalize the transaction documentation.

The transaction is expected to represent a significant lever to accelerate the deployment of lower-carbon solutions by enabling Vicat to further control concrete mix designs and promote the use of supplementary cementitious materials incorporated into the production of low-carbon concrete. Vicat’s commitment to sustainability and its strategic growth plans make this acquisition a pivotal step in the company’s long-term vision.