By Luciana Magalhaes
SAO PAULO, April 14 (Reuters) – Brazilian steelmaker CSN is set to start receiving binding offers for its cement unit in just a few weeks, the company’s chief financial officer told Reuters on Tuesday.
“The binding phase should begin in just over a month, shortly after the receipt of non-binding offers and the selection of the institutions that will advance to the next round,” Chief Financial Officer Marco Rabello said in a written response.
He did not disclose prices or the names of potential buyers.
CSN could fetch over 10 billion reais ($2 billion) with the sale of its cement unit, according to two people familiar with the matter.
The talks, the sources say, involve local and international players, including Brazil’s Votorantim and J&F S.A., which also controls meatpacker JBS, as well as Chinese companies Anhui Conch Cement, Huaxin Cement, which acquired a Brazilian company in 2024, and Sinoma International.
The interest from these Chinese groups was reported earlier in the day by the Brazilian newspaper Valor Economico and independently confirmed by Reuters.
Votorantim and J&F declined to comment. Anhui Conch, Huaxin, and Sinoma did not respond to requests for comment.
Votorantim could bid on the cement maker solo or with a partner if it decides to pursue the acquisition, according to one of the sources. The same person, who spoke on condition of anonymity, citing the confidential nature of the talks, said J&F was discussing a potential offer of 10 billion reais for the asset.
As part of its efforts to reduce debt, CSN is divesting certain assets.
Rabello said that the closing and disbursement of funds related to the cement unit sale could be reached by year-end, though the transaction would need to be approved by the Brazilian competition regulator, and the timeline should vary depending on the buyer.
Earlier this year, the CFO said that CSN had hired Morgan Stanley to advise on the sale of control of CSN Cimentos and mandated Bradesco and Citibank to advise on the process involving its logistics company.
(Reporting by Luciana Magalhaes; Editing by Brad Haynes and Aurora Ellis)
Comments