Tarmac to close Wolverhampton HQ

Company to close head office in Ettingshall as part of joint-venture agreement with Lafarge  

YESTERDAY it was reported in the West Midlands-based Express & Star that Tarmac are planning to close their headquarters on Millfields Road, in Ettingshall, Wolverhampton, over the next 18 months as part of their joint-venture agreement with Lafarge.

It is understood that the joint venture is to be based at Lafarge’s site in Solihull, but that some of the existing facilities at Ettingshall, such as the laboratory, will remain open.

Up to 500 staff at Ettingshall could be affected by the move and Tarmac are currently consulting with employees on how the joint venture will be structured once the regulatory process is complete.

In a press statement issued yesterday, the company’s chief executive officer, Terry Last, said it would be ‘inappropriate to comment publicly while these conversations with employees are still ongoing’. 

Meanwhile, with news of the Tarmac move leading to speculation over the future of Lafarge’s UK headquarters in Syston, the Leicestershire-based company confirmed that it too was consulting with employees but said it was too early to comment on any potential outcomes of this process.

However, in their press statement, Lafarge stressed that ‘the strategic rationale for the joint venture was clear’ and that ‘it offered an exciting opportunity to develop a leading UK construction materials company’.