Arkan Building Materials Company, a leading construction and building materials company in the UAE, today (June 24) announced that its board of directors has agreed to proceed with a strategic transaction to acquire Emirates Steel Industries, the leading integrated steel manufacturer in the Middle East region.

The board resolved to recommend to Arkan shareholders that they approve the offer received from General Holding Corporation (Senaat) last month to acquire its wholly-owned subsidiary Emirates Steel based in Abu Dhabi.

The key terms of Senaats offer are to transfer Emirates Steel to Arkan in consideration for the issuance by Arkan to Senaat of a convertible instrument.

Upon closing of the transaction, the convertible instrument would automatically convert into 5.1 billion ordinary shares in Arkan at a fixed price of AED0.798 per share.

Following the conversion, Senaat would own 87.5% of the entire issued share capital of Arkan.

Chairman Engineer Jamal Salem Al Dhaheri said: "Arkan is poised to capitalize on emerging opportunities in the construction and building materials sectors, as the world begins to recover from the COVID-19 pandemic."

"This transaction with Emirates Steel will accelerate our ambitions by combining two sector leaders in the UAE, thereby expanding our product portfolio and order book significantly," he noted.

According to him, the deal has substantial value-enhancing potential, and we expect it to be accretive for Arkans shareholders.

"It will strengthen Arkans balance sheet and financial performance, deliver greater international scale, and position Arkan to become an entry point for investing in a key regional sector while playing a key role in the UAEs Industrial Strategy Operation 300 Billon," he added.

The proposed transaction would create a listed national champion in the building materials and construction sectors, with strong potential for growth in the UAE and internationally.

The combined entity will be optimally positioned to benefit from the post-Covid recovery anticipated in the UAEs and the regions construction sectors, thanks to an expected acceleration in infrastructure projects as a result of various governmental stimulus programmes locally and regionally.-TradeArabia News Service

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