Shortly after CRH’s foundation in 1970 the Board set a clear strategy for the development of the Group which, while it has evolved over the years, is still broadly applicable today. CRH’s development strategy is based on the following:

• Stick to core businesses in building materials
• Invest at 'home'; be the low cost market leader
• Develop 'overseas'; create platforms for future growth
• Negotiate deals that meet the sellers’ and CRH’s needs
• Devolved development teams reporting to regional and product group managers
• Rigorous approach to evaluation, approval and review
• Generally mid-sized deals augmented from time to time with some larger transactions
• Objective is to maintain and develop a balanced portfolio across regions, products and construction sectors
• Focus on performance and growth