Materials group acquires the Norman Group as well as Dutch firm Galvano Groothandel and Germany-based Schulte Tiefbau

French building materials group Saint-Gobain has bolstered its distribution arm with bolt-on acquisitions including one in the UK.

It bought four companies in the Channel Islands belonging to builders merchant the Norman Group giving the company its first foothold in the region. It employs 276 people over four branches and generates an estimated turnover of £34m.

In the Netherlands the group acquired Galvano Groothandel, a plumbing heating wholesaler. The company has 177 employees and turnover in the region of £56m.

Finally in Germany, Saint-Gobain picked up a civil engineering distributor. Schulte Tiefbau runs 13 branches specialising in water supply with sales of £41m and 150 staff.

The acquisitions will add around £131m to Saint-Gobain’s annual sales. Its building distribution sector had an estimated turnover £11.6bn in 2006.

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