The Swiss conglomerate Holcim has finalized the acquisition of Xella and has become the sole owner of the iconic Ytong building blocks

Holcim, the global leader in sustainable construction solutions, has officially completed the large-scale acquisition of the German group Xella—one of Europe’s leading manufacturers of innovative wall systems and insulation materials. The transaction is valued at 1.85 billion euros, BalkanEngineer.com learned from a Holcim press release. The deal, which was initially announced at the end of 2025, received final approval from the European Commission following conditional Phase I approval, which required the sale of certain assets in Romania to preserve competition in the aerated concrete (AAC) block market.

With this acquisition, Holcim adds to its portfolio iconic and widely recognized premium brands in the Balkans, such as Ytong and Hebel (autoclaved aerated concrete), Silka (silicate products), and Multipor (mineral insulation boards). The Xella Group, headquartered in Duisburg, Germany, has a strong presence in 22 European markets (including an extensive network and plants in Southeast Europe) and over 4,000 employees. Xella’s net sales for 2026 are expected to reach nearly 1 billion euros, and Holcim’s projections indicate that the deal will generate synergies of 60 million euros at the EBITDA level by the third year of integration.

The deal will also have a significant impact on the Bulgarian construction market, as both companies have well-established operations in the country. With this acquisition, the plants producing the well-known Ytong blocks near Sofia and Dobrich—operating under the Xella Bulgaria brand—are now coming under the umbrella of the Swiss Holcim Group. In Bulgaria, Holcim owns the cement plant in Beli Izvor and an extensive network of concrete production facilities and quarries for aggregates. The merger will enable the Bulgarian companies to offer fully integrated and “much greener” product systems to the local market.

Holcim CEO Miljan Gutović emphasized that this step is a particularly important part of the corporation’s long-term “NextGen Growth 2030” strategy. Holcim’s goal is to balance its traditional business in heavy construction materials (cement and concrete) and increase the share of complex, high-value-added construction systems focused on the circular economy, energy efficiency, and digital design.

Xella, for its part, confirmed that the operational transition under the Swiss group’s umbrella will not change day-to-day operations with current customers and partners in the region.

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