Company acquisitions, expertise and public communications The acquisition of Redland by Lafarge

The successful acquisition of a company presupposes a certain amount of expertise in order to make sure that the operation will create synergies and value, to choose the right moment and to synchronise the cultures of the two companies. Nevertheless, even more is necessary. It is also required to convince the journalists, the analysts and the investors resulting from the acquisition. Initially the acquisition of Redland by Lafarge came up against hostile reactions from most of the English analysts, whereas their French counterparts were largely in favour. Arend Dikkers, a reputable financial analyst, explains why he remains sceptical about the validity of this take-over bid, whereas Bertrand Collomb, chairman and managing director of Lafarge, explains how, by paying careful attention to his public relations skills, he was able to bring this operation to a successful conclusion.