Josep Pujal's questions to COMPAGNIE DE SAINT GOBAIN (CODYY) leadership • Q1 2021
Question
Josep Pujal from Kepler Cheuvreux asked if the significant pre-buying ahead of price increases implied that the announced hikes were unusually large. He also questioned when the downturn in new construction in markets like France might begin to impact Saint-Gobain.
Answer
CFO N. Sreedhar interpreted the pre-buying as a positive sign that price announcements are being taken seriously, rather than an indication of exceptionally large hikes. Pierre-Andre de Chalendar explained that the impact from the French new construction downturn is mitigated because the decline is mainly in collective housing, whereas Saint-Gobain has greater exposure to the more resilient individual housing segment.