Pipes manufacturer Polypipe (Doncaster / UK; www.polypipe.com) has sold its French business to PE pipe specialist Ryb (Saint-Étienne-de-Saint-Geoirs / France; www.ryb.fr). French media have reported that the transaction, which Polypipe announced in January, has now been completed. The transaction covers three plants in Castres, Seppois and Aubagne, which have 200 employees and generated sales of EUR 67.6m last year.

Following the acquisition, the Ryb group now has a total of seven factories. In addition to its main plant near Lyon and the Polypipe production facilities just acquired, the group also owns pipes producer Terrendis (Desteldonk / Belgium; www.terrendis.com) and two more production units for PE pipes and drainage mats near Orléans. All in all, the group has processed some 25,000 t of PE per year to date.

Polypipe did not take the figures for its French activities into account for its 2017 financial results. Sales for the rest of the group rose 6.3% to GBP 412m (EUR 469m), while underlying operating profit went up 6% to GBP 72.6m and pre-tax profit increased by 3.9% to GBP 55.6m. Polypipe reported good business growth on its home market in the UK in particular, with sales up 8.1% thanks to the highly dynamic housing construction sector.

At the moment, the Doncaster-based company is cutting back further on its international activities. Only recently, the company closed its plant in Dubai / United Arab Emirates. The trade embargo that a number of Arab states have imposed on Qatar, a key customer market for Polypipe, has made production unprofitable there. The production lines are being shipped back to the UK plant in Horncastle. The facility in Cicagna / Italy, near Genoa, has so far been kept open.