A Breedon Apart - Rock Products Magazine

The news was not totally unexpected, it had been rumored for a while, but it just got real real: Breedon has entered the U.S. construction materials market.

Breedon Group plc, in case you are not aware, is a leading vertically integrated construction materials group in Great Britain and Ireland. Breedon holds “1 billion tonnes of mineral reserves and resources with long reserve life, supplying value-added products and services, including specialty materials, surfacing and highway maintenance operations, to a broad range of customers through its extensive local network of quarries, ready-mixed concrete and asphalt plants,” the company states.

In making a move into North America, the company acquired BMC, which operates five hardstone quarries, seven sand and gravel facilities (including river dredging operations), 44 ready-mixed concrete plants and nine building products facilities. The business is predominantly located in Missouri, with further operations in Illinois and Arkansas.

That is one great acquisition. BMC holds a lot of market respect and a reputation for excellence. I don’t expect this to be Breedon’s only move to build a U.S. business. Look for additional acquisitions after the dust settles on the BMC deal – perhaps an even bigger company.

I reached out to my industry colleague Guy Woodford, editor of Aggregates Business Europe and Aggregates Business International, part of Route One Publishing Ltd, in Dartford, Kent, England, for his perspective, as he has followed the company closely.

“Breedon has been a huge independent UK building materials group success story in recent years,” Woodford said. “It is no surprise to see them expanding into the U.S., significantly building on their eye-catching entry into the Irish market, initially in 2018 after acquiring the Lagan Group, and then as Breedon Ireland after the merger of the Lagan and Whitemountain brands in 2022.

“It will be very interesting to see what approach Breedon takes with BMC and what impact the acquisition has on U.S. building materials market share,” Woodford said. “CEO Rob Wood describes this deal as taking a ‘compelling opportunity’ to enter a large and growing market. He has noted BMC’s impressive margins and experienced management team, who I’m sure Breedon will engage closely with as they look to rapidly grow their third business platform.”

This is going to get very interesting.