Acquisitions include three US firms and Cheshire-based paving supplier Lunts Heath

Building materials group Wolseley has acquired six businesses for a total of £36m.

The acquisitive company announced today that it bought the three north American and three European firms throughout July and August. The acquisitions include:

  • Certain assests of US firm Martin Architectural Products, which last year had a turnover of £13.9m;
  • Illinois-based Water Works Supplies, which has a turnover of £15.5m
  • US plumbing and heating distributor Palermo, which last year had a turnover of £43.6m
  • French distributor Depont Materiaux (turnover £0.3m)
  • Belgian pipe specialist Marmon Keystone Anbuma (turnover £14.3m)
  • Cheshire-based Lunts Heath Limited (turnover £1.7m)
The deals bring Wolseley’s total acquisition spending for the year ended 31 July 2006 to a record £910m. In the current financial year it has already spent £26m on acquisitions.

Chip Hornsby, Wolseley group chief executive, said: “Bolt-on acquisitions like these are an important part of our successful growth strategy. These new companies will be integrated into our existing operations and will deliver value to us from the outset.”

Claude 'Chip' Hornsby replaced Charlie Banks as Group Chief Executive at Wolseley on 1 August. Hornsby, 50, spent 27 years with Wolseley's Ferguson business in the USA.