(AOF) – Colas Rail has signed a contract for the acquisition of 100% of the shares of the Hasselmann Group, based in Thuringia and specializing in the construction of railway tracks and railway infrastructure. This operation aims to enable the group to establish itself on the German market, thus confirming an external growth strategy targeting countries with stable economies and high potential for investment in rail infrastructure.
The family group is made up of three companies: Hasselmann GmbH (railway infrastructure), NTG GmbH (railway) and LGM Logistik GmbH (railway safety). To date, it employs nearly 300 people and achieved a turnover of 70 million euros in 2021.
These three companies mainly operate on conventional railway lines in the regions of central Germany, located from Hesse to Saxony, and on behalf of Deutsche Bahn.
“This acquisition illustrates our growth strategy in the G20 countries. Once the Hasselmann group is integrated into the Colas Rail family, we intend to expand throughout Germany,” said Hervé Le Joliff, Chairman of ColasRail.
“For the further modernization and development of the German and European railway infrastructure, we want to contribute more of our skills and experience. We are now looking forward to taking up this exciting challenge as a member of the Colas Group and Colas Rail. We are convinced that this decision is the right one for the future and the further development of our group.“ commented Peter Krauss, Managing Director of Hasselmann.
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Concern and Caution
La Capeb wants to be cautious in its forecasts for the whole year. It expects business growth of between 1.5 and 2.5% in 2022 due to economic uncertainties and rising prices. For its part, the French Building Federation (FFB) is expressing its concerns about the fall in sales of new housing for 2023. It also calls for measuring the impact of the ecological and digital transition on the sector. The RE2020 standard would thus generate additional costs of 5 to 12%. She would like to see a “National Construction Council” set up, recalling that the sector created more than 8,000 jobs during the first quarter.