When most industry watchers are fixated on tile and fitting makers, Norcros has quietly set its sights on a different frontier to reshape its footprint beyond the UK and Ireland.
Norcros’s decision to acquire Fibo Holding AS represents more than a straightforward purchase; it underlines a deliberate shift toward capital-light, scalable niches within the broader bathroom and kitchen products arena. By agreeing to pay an enterprise value of approximately NOK 618 million, equivalent to around £45 million, for the Norwegian specialist in waterproof decorative wall panels, Norcros is tapping into a segment that promises sustained demand and lower installation complexity compared with traditional tiling. Fibo’s roots date back to 1952, and its modern production facility in Lyngdal has delivered net sales of roughly NOK 856 million (circa £63 million) in the year to December 2024, alongside an EBITDA of about NOK 100 million (£7.3 million), split across mainland Europe and the UK. With around 70 per cent of its turnover generated in rapidly growing European markets beyond Scandinavia, particularly central Europe—this deal not only broadens Norcros’s geographic exposure but also diversifies revenue streams in regions where the group has room to expand its brand influence.
Financing for the acquisition will come from Norcros’s existing £130 million revolving credit facility, reflecting the company’s commitment to maintaining a conservative balance sheet while pursuing opportunistic bolt-on deals. Investors will note that Fibo’s business has already demonstrated resilience through the first half of 2025, with early-year revenue and profit gains building on the previous financial year’s performance. The structural appeal of wall panels lies in their ease of installation, durability and sustainability credentials, factors that resonate with both professional installers and end users increasingly conscious of long-term maintenance costs and environmental impact. In combining Fibo’s specialised product range with Norcros’s established distribution network and operational expertise, management anticipates creating a cost-efficient platform to accelerate cross-selling opportunities, enhance purchasing power and optimise manufacturing throughput.
The integration will see Anders Carlson, Fibo’s chief executive, join Norcros’s leadership team, ensuring continuity and drawing on his deep understanding of market dynamics in Norway and continental Europe. To align incentives and retain key talent, Norcros has structured a long-term performance scheme worth up to an additional £3.5 million for Carlson and other senior Fibo personnel. While completion remains subject to approval by the UK Competition and Markets Authority, a process expected to span three to four months, the strategic rationale is clear: Norcros is reinforcing its ambition to build a market-leading, cash-generative bathroom and related products group, underpinned by acquisitions in high-growth, capital-light segments.
This move follows the group’s 2022 purchase of Grant Westfield, a provider of shower trays and trays-in-panels, and reflects a playbook centred on acquiring businesses with strong management teams, modern facilities and established reputations for quality. For long-term investors, the Fibo acquisition offers exposure to structural trends in the refurbishment and new-build markets, where specifiers and homeowners alike are drawn to solutions that reduce installation time and ongoing upkeep. Moreover, by harnessing Norcros’s scale in procurement and logistics, there is scope to drive margin enhancement through improved input-cost management and leaner overheads.
Norcros plc (LON:NXR) is a leading B2B producer of branded bathroom and kitchen products for its UK, South African and selected export markets. The portfolio of eleven operating companies (6 UK, 2 South Africa) is characterised by strong individual brands, together providing product breadth and channel diversity from a strong supply chain base.
