Lafarge sales, one third of what they were two years ago

Sales of Lafarge Ciment, the Romanian subsidiary of Lafarge French group, plummeted in terms of volume by 42.3% in the first three months of this year from a year ago, though at the start of the year the company projected 0-5% turnover growth in 2010. Will the group’s estimate still stand under the circumstances? The situation is repeating as far as Lafarge is concerned, after in the first quarter of 2009 sales went down by 44.8%. At that time, the French company posted the second decline in Romania after that in Spain, 47%. Thus, Lafarge’s cement sales dropped to one third of the level they reached in the first three months of 2008. The company’s turnover last year slid by 34.4%, to 243m euros. “The unfavourable weather conditions for the construction field and the economic turmoil in the region had an impact over the trend of sales,” write Lafarge representatives in yesterday’s report.