Holcim was interested in HeidelbergCement before Lafarge clipboard
ZURICH, April 5 (Reuters) - Holcim studied late 2013 the possibility of a takeover bid for German HeidelbergCement before opting for its proposed merger with the French Lafarge, reported Sunday the Swiss newspaper SonntagsZeitung.
The then president of the Swiss cement, Rold Soiron, had contacts with the major shareholder of HeidelbergCement, Ludwig Merckle, said the Sunday paper on the basis of two sources.
"Just before his talks with Lafarge, Soiron discussed a merger with Heidelberg," said one of them. "Heidelberg has declined to blame proposal to obtain a merger of equals."
A spokesman for Holcim has declined to comment and HeidelbergCement could not be reached immediately.
The merger between Holcim and Lafarge, expected to create the world's biggest cement, was announced in April 2014 but was plunged into doubt in recent weeks, the Swiss party challenged the terms of the merger.
Holcim and Lafarge agreed to renegotiate a new exchange ratio of more favorable actions for the Swiss part but some investors, including Russian billionaire Filaret Galtchev second shareholder of the Swiss group with 10.8% of the capital, continue to challenge .
The uncertainty also concerns the choice of the Director General of the future group LafargeHolcim, Bruno Lafont, Lafarge's boss, who agreed under pressure to give up this position only to be non-executive co-chairman.
Holcim shareholders will vote on the project on May 8
In an interview published this weekend by the newspaper Le Monde, Bruno Lafont ensures that the merger "is not in danger."