Breedon Group
Breedon Group is a United Kingdom-based construction materials company supplying aggregates, cement, asphalt, ready-mixed concrete and related infrastructure services.
Last updated August 27, 2026
AI crawler reads
No AI crawler has read this profile since Oct 28, 2026.
Overview
Breedon Group is a British construction materials and infrastructure-services company headquartered at Breedon on the Hill in Leicestershire, England. Its activities cover the extraction and processing of natural minerals, the manufacture and distribution of cement, the production of asphalt and ready-mixed concrete, and selected highway and traffic-management services. The company supplies materials for roads, buildings, commercial developments, housing, civil-engineering projects and specialist surfaces. The business is historically associated with quarrying at Breedon on the Hill, where limestone and gravel extraction has taken place since the late nineteenth century. The quarry and the related Breedon Hill and Cloud Hill operations were acquired by the Midlands aggregates company Ennstone in 2000. Ennstone subsequently entered administration during the financial pressures of 2009. Its operations were acquired and reorganised by Marwyn Materials, an investment vehicle associated with Peter Tom and Simon Vivian. The reorganised business adopted the Breedon Aggregates identity and pursued a strategy based on acquiring regional and family-owned operators in a fragmented sector with substantial barriers to entry. During the early and mid-2010s, Breedon expanded through a series of acquisitions and asset purchases. These included the rescue and acquisition of C&G Concrete, the purchase of Nottingham Readymix, and the acquisition of Scottish aggregates assets from Aggregate Industries and Marshalls. The company also broadened its geographic and product coverage through purchases such as Sherburn Minerals Group, Pro Mini Mix and Humberside Aggregates. Its most significant transactions included the acquisition of Hope Construction Materials in 2016, the purchase of the Lagan Group in 2018, and a major portfolio transaction with Cemex completed in 2020. The Hope acquisition increased Breedon's scale in cement, aggregates, ready-mixed concrete and related operations. Because of competition concerns, the Competition and Markets Authority required the divestment of 14 ready-mixed concrete plants before clearing the transaction. A later exchange of assets with Tarmac involved the transfer of quarries and an asphalt plant to Breedon and the transfer of ready-mix plants and cash to Tarmac, following a further competition review. In the Cemex transaction, Breedon acquired dozens of ready-mix plants, quarries, asphalt plants, depots, a cement terminal and concrete-products operations, again subject to regulatory scrutiny. Breedon's product portfolio includes crushed rock, sand and gravel, agricultural lime, bulk and packed cement, asphalt, bitumen and specialist ready-mixed concrete. The company also markets distinctive materials such as Golden Amber Gravel, used for pathways and driveways, and speedway shale, developed for motorcycle speedway track surfaces. In addition to materials manufacturing and quarrying, the group has interests in road-maintenance and traffic-management activities, including a stake in BEAR Scotland, a road operating company working on behalf of Transport Scotland, and a majority interest in Alba Traffic Management. Through Mobile Concrete Solutions, it also provides on-site concrete batching with construction-services partner TSL. Breedon moved from the Alternative Investment Market to the main market of the London Stock Exchange in May 2023. In March 2024, it expanded into the United States through the acquisition of BMC Enterprises. The group's overall identity is therefore that of a vertically integrated, acquisition-led construction-materials supplier with a strong British and Irish operating base and an expanding North American presence.
History
Breedon Group traces its operating heritage to quarrying at Breedon on the Hill in Leicestershire, where stone extraction has been carried out since the late nineteenth century. The Breedon Hill and Cloud Hill quarries became part of the Midlands aggregates company Ennstone in 2000. Breedon quarrying has included limestone and gravel, providing the mineral base for the group's later expansion into processed aggregates, concrete, asphalt and cement. Ennstone entered administration in March 2009 amid the economic conditions associated with the global financial crisis and began selling divisions. In 2010, the remaining business was acquired through Marwyn Materials by Peter Tom and Simon Vivian, who had backgrounds in the building-materials sector. They reorganised the operations under the Breedon Aggregates name. Their stated approach was to build scale through acquisitions of smaller regional and family-owned businesses in a sector characterised by significant capital requirements, mineral-reserve constraints and local-market barriers to entry. Breedon pursued this strategy actively during the early 2010s. In July 2011 it acquired the failed C&G Concrete business in a transaction that preserved approximately 130 jobs. It bought Nottingham Readymix in January 2012. In April 2013 it acquired Scottish assets valued at £34 million from Aggregate Industries and additional assets valued at £19 million from Marshalls. These transactions expanded its geographic reach and operating capacity at a time when management considered the aggregates market to be recovering from a prolonged downturn. The group then undertook a series of smaller regional acquisitions. Sherburn Minerals Group, based in County Durham, was acquired in 2016. Pro Mini Mix, a specialist mini-mix concrete supplier in Oldbury, was purchased in 2017, followed later that year by Humberside Aggregates, an independent sand-and-gravel quarrying and aggregates-merchandising business near Hull. These acquisitions strengthened Breedon's regional distribution and specialist concrete capabilities. A major turning point came with the proposed acquisition of Hope Construction Materials. Announced and reviewed in 2016, the transaction raised concerns from the Competition and Markets Authority about possible effects on competition, particularly in ready-mixed concrete. The CMA concluded that the acquisition would not unduly restrict competition in aggregates but required further consideration of ready-mix markets. Breedon offered to divest 14 concrete plants from a group of sites identified as potentially problematic. After accepting the proposed remedies, the CMA cleared the transaction, which closed in August 2016 for £336 million in cash and shares. In December 2017, Breedon announced an agreement with Tarmac involving four quarries and an asphalt plant in exchange for 27 ready-mixed concrete plants and cash. The CMA later required the transaction to be examined because of competition concerns, but clearance was granted in June 2018. In April 2018, Breedon also completed the acquisition of the Lagan Group for £455 million. Lagan brought quarrying, cement, asphalt and contracting operations and materially expanded Breedon's presence in Ireland and related construction activities. Breedon added further mineral capacity in June 2018 through the acquisition of Blinkbonny Quarry in the Scottish Borders. The company continued to integrate materials and contracting capabilities. In October 2019 it announced the purchase of Roadway Surfacing & Civil Engineering for up to £13.5 million, giving it a more integrated road-construction presence in North Wales. In January 2020 Breedon agreed to acquire a substantial portfolio from Cemex for £178 million. The portfolio included 49 ready-mix plants, 28 aggregate quarries, four depots, one cement terminal, 14 asphalt plants and four concrete-products operations. The transaction was temporarily suspended while the CMA conducted a regulatory investigation and was completed in September 2020 after clearance. Breedon has also developed associated infrastructure-service interests. It owns 37.5% of BEAR Scotland, which maintains roads for Transport Scotland, and holds a majority stake in Alba Traffic Management. Through Mobile Concrete Solutions, operated with TSL, it supplies on-site batching services. Its material portfolio includes cement, aggregates, concrete, asphalt, bitumen and specialist products such as Golden Amber Gravel and speedway shale. The company reports approximately 900 million tonnes of natural mineral reserves and resources. In May 2023, Breedon transferred its shares from the Alternative Investment Market to the main market of the London Stock Exchange, reflecting its increased scale and market profile. In March 2024, it acquired BMC Enterprises in the United States for £238.1 million, extending its international footprint. Breedon's development has consequently been shaped by three recurring themes: the transformation of a historic quarrying business, sustained consolidation through acquisitions, and increasing vertical integration across construction materials and infrastructure services.
- 2024
BMC Enterprises acquired
[1]Breedon acquired the United States-based BMC Enterprises, expanding its North American presence.
- 2023
Main-market London listing
[1]Breedon transferred from AIM to the main market of the London Stock Exchange.
- 2020
Cemex portfolio transaction completed
[1]Breedon completed its acquisition of a major Cemex portfolio after regulatory review.
- 2018
Lagan Group acquired
[1]Breedon acquired the Lagan Group, adding quarrying, cement, asphalt and contracting operations.
- 2016
Hope Construction Materials acquisition completed
[1]After competition remedies involving the disposal of 14 ready-mix plants, Breedon completed its £336 million cash-and-shares acquisition of Hope.
- 2013
Scottish and Marshalls assets acquired
[1]Breedon purchased Scottish aggregates assets from Aggregate Industries and additional assets from Marshalls.
- 2012
Nottingham Readymix acquired
[1]Breedon expanded its ready-mixed concrete operations through the acquisition of Nottingham Readymix.
- 2011
C&G Concrete acquired
[1]Breedon acquired the collapsed C&G Concrete business in a transaction that rescued approximately 130 jobs.
- 2010
Marwyn Materials reorganised the business as Breedon Aggregates
[1]Peter Tom and Simon Vivian acquired the business through Marwyn Materials and reorganised it under the Breedon Aggregates name.
- 2009
Ennstone entered administration
[1]Ennstone entered administration during the financial crisis and began disposing of business divisions.
Products and positioning
An acquisition-led, vertically integrated construction-materials group serving infrastructure, housebuilding, commercial construction and civil engineering. Breedon combines quarry reserves and mineral processing with cement, asphalt, concrete and selected road-services capabilities.
Aggregates
Construction aggregates
Breedon produces crushed rock, sand and gravel for road building, concrete manufacture, drainage, foundations, landscaping and general construction. Its quarry network provides the mineral feedstock used in several of the group's downstream products.
Cement
Cement
The group supplies bulk and packed cement in multiple grades for construction and infrastructure applications. Cement is an important part of Breedon's vertically integrated materials portfolio and was strengthened by the Hope, Lagan and Cemex transactions.
Concrete
Ready-mixed concrete
Breedon manufactures and distributes ready-mixed concrete for housing, commercial construction, civil engineering and infrastructure projects. The group also offers specialist mixes and on-site batching through Mobile Concrete Solutions, operated as a joint venture with TSL.
Road construction materials
Asphalt and road surfacing materials
Breedon produces asphalt and related bituminous materials for highways, streets, airfields and other paved surfaces. Its acquisitions of asphalt assets and road-surfacing businesses support a broader road-construction and infrastructure offering.
Decorative aggregate
Golden Amber Gravel
Golden Amber Gravel is a decorative gravel used for pathways, driveways and landscape applications. The product is associated with prominent British estates and institutions, including Chatsworth House, the National War Memorial Arboretum and the Sandringham Estate.
Specialist surfacing material
Breedon speedway shale
Breedon speedway shale is a specialised mixture of crushed limestone and clay used to create competitive motorcycle speedway track surfaces. The product was developed with former speedway world champion Ole Olsen and his son Torben and has been used at international tracks.
Brand decisions
2024
Acquisition of BMC EnterprisesM&ABackground
Breedon continued its acquisition-led expansion by seeking a stronger presence in the North American construction-materials market.
Action taken
Breedon acquired United States-based BMC Enterprises.
Aftermath
The transaction expanded the group's operating footprint beyond the United Kingdom and Ireland.
Transaction consideration. £238.1 million (March 2024)
2023
Transfer to the London Stock Exchange main marketStrategyBackground
Breedon's increased scale and valuation supported a move from the Alternative Investment Market to the main market.
Action taken
Breedon transferred its listing to the main market of the London Stock Exchange in May 2023.
Aftermath
The move gave the group a main-market listing and followed its development into a larger, internationally expanding construction-materials company.
2020
Acquisition of Cemex UK assetsM&ABackground
Breedon pursued a large portfolio acquisition from Cemex to expand its ready-mix, aggregates, asphalt, cement-terminal and concrete-products operations.
Action taken
The company agreed to acquire 49 ready-mix plants, 28 aggregate quarries, four depots, one cement terminal, 14 asphalt plants and four concrete-products operations. Completion was delayed while the CMA conducted a regulatory investigation.
Aftermath
The transaction was completed in September 2020 after regulatory clearance.
Transaction consideration. £178 million (2020)
2018
Asset exchange with TarmacM&ABackground
Breedon and Tarmac agreed to exchange selected production assets as part of a portfolio reshaping transaction.
Action taken
Breedon acquired four quarries and an asphalt plant, while transferring 27 ready-mixed concrete plants and paying cash to Tarmac. The transaction underwent CMA review.
Aftermath
Regulatory clearance was granted in June 2018, allowing the asset exchange to proceed.
Stated transaction value and cash component. £16.5 million stated consideration, including £4.9 million cash (2017-2018)
2016
Acquisition of Hope Construction MaterialsM&ABackground
Breedon sought to expand its cement, aggregates and ready-mixed concrete operations through the purchase of Hope Construction Materials. The CMA investigated whether the transaction could reduce competition in construction materials.
Action taken
Breedon offered to divest 14 ready-mixed concrete plants from a group of sites identified by the CMA as raising competition concerns. The regulator accepted the remedy and allowed the transaction to proceed.
Aftermath
The £336 million cash-and-shares acquisition closed in August 2016 and significantly increased Breedon's scale.
Transaction consideration. £336 million (2016)
Recent events
- Unconfirmed
CMA continues investigation of Breedon's Cemex asset acquisition[2]
The Competition and Markets Authority was still investigating Breedon Group's acquisition of selected Cemex assets and planned to announce initial conclusions in late August 2020.
- Unconfirmed
Cemex agrees to divest UK concrete and aggregates assets to Breedon Group[3]
Cemex entered a conditional agreement with Breedon Group to divest certain UK assets, including ready-mix plants, aggregate quarries and a cement terminal, for €211 million including Breedon’s assumption of €27.3 million in lease liabilities.
Sources3 sources
Cite this profile: Cite the canonical profile. /brand-wiki/breedon-group · Editorial policy · How profiles are compiled