Grafton Group

M&A Activity • Nov 18, 2016

National Storage Mechanism | Additional information

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RNS Number : 5148P

Grafton Group PLC

18 November 2016

Grafton Group plc

Agreement to Acquire Tools, Fixings and Ironmongery Business

in the Netherlands

Grafton Group plc ("Grafton" or "the Group"), the merchanting and DIY Group with operations in the UK, Ireland, the Netherlands and Belgium, is pleased to announce that it has signed an agreement to acquire Gunters en Meuser B.V. ("G&M"), the market leader in the distribution of tools, fixings and ironmongery in the Greater Amsterdam Area.  Completion of the transaction is subject to approval by the Dutch competition authority and is expected to take place in January 2017.

G&M trades from 14 branches and reported revenue of €33.4 million for 2015.

Grafton entered the Netherlands market in November 2015 with the acquisition of Isero. The acquisition of G&M will significantly strengthen and complement the market position of this business.  The combined business will trade from a network of 53 branches and it will become the market leader in the Netherlands tools, fixings and ironmongery market where it will have strong positions in the country's five largest cities.

Commenting on the agreement, Gavin Slark, Chief Executive Officer of Grafton said today:

"The acquisition of G&M is a unique strategic opportunity for our existing business in the Netherlands to gain a strong presence in the Greater Amsterdam Area.  G&M is a high quality business and brand that is synonymous with the ironmongery market in Amsterdam where it has traded for 190 years. This will be a further important step in the Group's development strategy in the Netherlands and increases our exposure to the growing Dutch economy. The enlarged business should also provide a good platform to capitalise on other appropriate development opportunities."

Ends

For further information please contact:

Grafton Group plc	+353 1 216 0600
Gavin Slark	Chief Executive Officer
David Arnold	Chief Financial Officer
MHP Communications	+44 20 3128 8100
James White
Murray	+353 1 498 0300
Pat Walsh

About Grafton

Grafton Group plc is an international distributor of building materials to trade customers and has leading regional or national positions in the merchanting markets in the UK, Ireland, the Netherlands and Belgium.  Grafton is also the market leader in the DIY retailing market in Ireland and is the largest manufacturer of dry mortar in the UK.  Grafton trades from circa 650 branches and has circa 11,000 employees.  Its portfolio of brands include Selco, Buildbase, Plumbase, MacBlair and CPI EuroMix in the UK; Chadwicks, Heiton Buckley and Woodie's in Ireland; Isero in the Netherlands and YouBuild and MPRO in Belgium.

This information is provided by RNS

The company news service from the London Stock Exchange

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