For almost 130 years, Ercros has been the benchmark in Catalonia for the chemical industry, one of the country's most important sectors, always at the top of the export ranking. The company's history is long. At the end of the eighties of the last century, ERT and Cros merged, and Ercros emerged, destined to be the giant of the Catalan chemical industry. In the nineties, however, with KIO as the main shareholder, it experienced the largest suspension of payments in Spain up to that point. The rescue was borne by small shareholders and, since then, the company has been led by Antoni Zabalza, an executive who is now stepping down after Bondalti's successful takeover bid for the Catalan chemical company.

The National Commission for Markets and Competition (CNMC) published this Monday the conditions imposed on the public takeover bid (OPA) by the Italian group Esseco for the Catalan multinational chemical company Ercros. In a statement, the institution itself considered that there are two markets where the company resulting from the sale would be in a situation close to monopoly.

Ercros' stock market share soared this Friday after the National Commission for Markets and Competition (CNMC) yesterday gave the green light, subject to conditions, to the public takeover bid (OPA) presented for the Catalan chemical company by the Italian group Esseco. The move gives the Italians an advantage over Bondalti. Competition.

The Catalan chemical company Ercros lost 11.7 million euros last year, a figure that contrasts with the 27.6 million euros in profits it obtained in 2023. The president of the company, Antoni Zabalza, attributed the results this Tuesday, among other factors, to the continuation of a low phase of the cycle, which could be bottoming out; to "weak" European demand and to the consequences of the "energy shock" that are still dragging on from the beginning of the war in Ukraine. The negative results are known in the midst of the takeover bids of the Portuguese company Bonalti and the Italian company Esseco, which are in phase 2 at the National Commission of Markets and Competition (CNMC). However, Zabalza estimates that the takeover bid will not be resolved until at least October or November.