Shareholders of British cement company BLUE CIRCLE have approved by an overwhelming majority the acquisition of their group by French LAFARGE. The offer made by LAFARGE gives BLUE CIRCLE a value of EUR 7.4 billion. The acquisition of BLUE CIRCLE must still be approved by the competition authorities, and their decision should not be known before this summer. This bid, which is the largest ever made by LAFARGE, will make the French company the world's largest in the cement sector.