The history of BME goes back over 50 years to when BME’s previous owner CRH, an Irish company, laid the foundations for the Group by expanding into mainland Europe. It first established a presence in the Netherlands with the acquisition of Van Neerbos, a builders’ merchant, in 1973.
The acquisition of Raboni builders’ merchants established a position in supplying the residential repair, maintenance, and improvement market in the Île-de-France region.
The company expanded to Switzerland (Richner, Baubedarf, Getaz and RegusciReco), Austria (Quester), Germany (Bauking, Mobau and Paulsen), and Belgium (Creyns). It also acquired Cementbouw, a large and leading Dutch building materials group.
The company established its sanitary, heating, and plumbing (SHAP) business in Belgium (Sax, Schrauwen, Lambrechts) and further expanded GBM via buy-and-build (Halschoor, Heumatop, Costermans, Van den Broeck). Expansions were also made in France (Samse) and Germany (AGP, Krüger & Scharnberg, and Bergmann & Franz). In 2018, our DIY activities in the Netherlands and Belgium (Gamma and Karwei) were sold to the franchise organization Intergamma.
Building Materials Europe (BME) was founded when Blackstone acquired the activities of CRH Distribution Europe.
BME acquired the Detering Group, a distributor of sanitary, heating, and plumbing products in Germany.
2021 was a landmark year for growth, with ten acquisitions completed across five countries. In Germany, we added the Mahler Group (general building products and tiles in Bavaria), Baucentrum Cronrath (general building products), and Heinrichs Fliesenmarkt (tiles in Northern Germany).
In the Netherlands, we acquired Saint-Gobain Building Distribution Netherlands – operating under the brands Raab Karcher, De Jager Tolhoek, Tegel Groep Nederland, Galvano, and Van Keulen – as well as De Jong & Roos, a leading ironmongery distributor.
In Spain, we acquired Grupo BMV (insulation and drylining) and drylining specialists Planasdis and Yesyforma. In France, Silix expanded our infrastructure products offering in the east of the country. In Portugal, we completed our acquisition of Maxmat, a cash-and-carry distributor focused on residential renovation. And in Belgium, Bridts – trading as Gedimat Antwerp – further strengthened our general building products network.
2022 saw eleven acquisitions, continuing to deepen our presence in existing markets. In France, we added Mager (roofing specialist in the Paris area), Home Carrelage (sanitaryware, tiles, and natural stone, also in Paris), and the infrastructure distribution activities of BVP-Socca.
In the Netherlands, Nelemans – a general building products distributor and owner of the TegelMegaStore tile formula – was joined by two ironmongery specialists: GBI Jacob Bakker and Van Engeland. In Germany, Rollwitzer brought sanitary, heating, and plumbing alongside general building materials in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, while Bäthge extended our footprint into Berlin.
In Spain, Villar MC strengthened our drylining offer in the north of the country. And in Belgium, Induscabel added sanitary, heating, and plumbing expertise in the Walloon region, while Bouwpunt Van der Gucht further expanded our general building products network.
Despite a more difficult market environment, 2023 saw four acquisitions across three countries. In Germany, Gebhardt expanded our general building products network in Northern Bavaria, while HeiMö added sanitary, heating, plumbing, and tiles in central-eastern Germany. In Spain, Decoplack strengthened our insulation and drylining offer in the Levant area. And in the Netherlands, Huijskes-Boevink further consolidated our ironmongery presence in the east of the country.
2024 brought four further acquisitions: in Belgium, Sanidel added sanitary, heating, and plumbing expertise in the Walloon region, while Mattheeussen extended our building materials network in the north of Antwerp. In France, Hémistyle strengthened our tiles offering in the southwest of Paris. In Spain, Dycten established our presence in the Canary Islands as one of the leading drylining specialist merchants in the region.
