Swiss cement producer increases turnover by 7.8% in Romania

Swiss cement producer Holcim increased its sales in Romania last year by 7.8% compared to 2013.

This was due to the large projects developed in the Bucharest area.

Cement prices dropped by 1.2% in Romania in 2014, whereas the aggregate sales went down by 6.1%, but prices increased by 13.6%. Aggregates include crushed stone, gravel, and sand.

In Europe, the cement sales dropped by 1%, to 26.4 million tonnes last year, compared to 26.7 million tonnes in 2013.

"In Europe, the volumes slightly increased in the fourth semester, supported by the activity in the UK and Romania, which compensated for the loss on various markets such as France, Belgium and Switzerland," reads a group report, cited by local Wall-street.ro.

Holcim and French building material producer Lafarge are seeking to create a building material producer giant. The merger is estimated at USD 40 billion.