China’s Titanium Dioxide Giant Makes a Move: LB Group Acquires UK Venator Assets

On October 17, LB Group, the world’s largest titanium dioxide (TiO₂) supplier, announced its acquisition of the titanium dioxide assets of the bankrupt UK-based Venator Materials company — marking a major step forward in the group’s international expansion.

LB Group will pay USD 69.9 million to acquire Venator’s plant and related intellectual property located in Greatham, Hampshire, UK, along with USD 14.2 million in transaction taxes and fees. The company also plans to retain part of Venator’s workforce.

Venator is one of the four major titanium dioxide producers in Europe and North America. Its Greatham plant is the company’s only facility using the more efficient and environmentally friendly chloride process, with an annual production capacity of 150,000 tons of titanium dioxide.

Due to a challenging market environment and financial difficulties, both Venator Materials UK and its parent company Venator filed for bankruptcy protection, leaving the Greatham plant idle. Nevertheless, LB Group remains committed to acquiring the facility and plans to restart operations in the future.

According to data provided by Venator Materials UK, as of August 31, the target assets (already pledged) had a book net value of approximately USD 195 million, after depreciation and provisions.

LB Group stated that the acquisition will help diversify its production processes and product portfolio, enabling it to better serve global customers. Upon completion, LB Group plans to integrate its production, supply, and sales operations to reduce costs and improve capacity utilization.

Xu Ran, Vice Chairman of LB Group, said the agreement reflects the company’s strategic commitment to supporting European titanium dioxide customers and expanding its global business. He emphasized LB Group’s appreciation of Greatham’s technical expertise and production capabilities and expressed hope to add new high-performance TiO₂ products to its global portfolio, enhancing its overall competitiveness.

In a separate statement, LB Group also announced an investment of USD 50 million to establish a subsidiary in the UK, and USD 5 million to set up another subsidiary in Malaysia, as part of its efforts to expand overseas operations and provide better products and services to international customers.