After three months awaiting the decision of the competition authorities, Derichebourg Environment has completed its acquisition of Lajo y Rodríguez S.A. (Lyrsa), the Spanish leader in scrap metal recycling. The purchase, which had been announced in early September, became effective in late December after it was confirmed that it met the prior conditions specified in the acquisition contract.

With this transaction, the French company based in Paris has acquired 100% of the capital of the companies Lyrsa, Archamesa and Redisa which are part of the Lyrsa Group. It has thus gained Layro's majority stake and that of the minority shareholders.

160,000 tons of non-ferrous metals
The companies acquired by Derichebourg Environnement, part of the Derichebourg Group, generated sales of 427 million euros in 2018. Among its activities, each year it processes almost one million tons of scrap metal, of which 160,000 tons correspond to non-ferrous metals, making it the leading Spanish independent company working in the recycling of scrap metal.

The Lyrsa Group has around 600 employees. The parent company was created in 1939 and currently operates 18 recycling centers, 17 of which are in Spain and one in Portugal. Its relation with the Derichebourg Group began 27 years ago, when both companies began the joint operation of one of Lyrsa's three metal shredders. The Spanish company also has a sorting center for shredded metals, an aluminum refinery and a lead refinery.

A new chapter in recycling history
Following the acquisition, Abderaman El Aoufir, Deputy CEO of the Derichebourg Group praised the legacy of the Spanish group: “We commend the work done by the founding families and their descendants to build this great group. We are aware of the importance of this change for the Lyrsa Group and its employees and are enthusiastic about beginning a new chapter in the history of the Lyrsa Group and the Derichebourg Group”.