BPB plc

BPB plc was a British company which was the world's largest manufacturer of plasterboard until it was taken over by Saint-Gobain of France in 2005. The company first floated on the London Stock Exchange in 1935 and was one of the original constituents of the FTSE 100 Index.

Plasterboard is mainly used for interntal partition walls. BPB's other products include insulating materials, fastenings, decorative wall covering and ceiling components.

BPB is one of the top three players in the plasterboard market in the United States. In Europe its main rivals are Lafarge of France and Knauf of Germany.

BPB's turnover for the year ended 31 March 2005 was £2,316.8 million. Profit before tax was £258.7 million and net profit was £182.3 million.

BPB regained its place in the FTSE 100 Index in June 2005 after an absence of fourteen years. In August 2005 BPB received a hostile takeover bid from the French company Saint-Gobain, which set a price of 720 pence per share. The board initially resisted this strongly, but eventually accepted revised bid of 775 pence per share, which valued the company at £3.9billion (USD$6.7 billion). [link] BPB was delisted in December 2005.

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