By Inti Landauro
PARIS-- French construction material maker Saint-Gobain SA
(SGO.FR) Monday unveiled a plan to take control of Swiss peer Sika
(SIK.VX) by acquiring holding company Schenker Winkler Holding AG,
which holds 16.1% of Sika's capital and 52.4% of its voting
rights.
Saint-Gobain offered to pay 2.75 billion Swiss francs ($2.8
billion), for Schenker Winkler.
"Saint-Gobain does not intend to launch an offer for Sika's
remaining shares and has full confidence in the company to continue
developing the business," the French company said Monday in a
statement.
The transaction will be finalized in the second half of 2015,
after securing the approval of all regulators. Saint-Gobain will
immediately include Sika's figures in its accounts.
The French company also said it put the remaining part of
Verallia, its bottle and jar manufacturing unit, up for sale.
Saint-Gobain last year sold Verallia's businesses in North
America.
-Write to Inti Landauro at inti.landauro@wsj.com
Subscribe to WSJ: http://online.wsj.com?mod=djnwires