GBL Is Said to Weigh Buyout of Specialty Materials Firm Imerys

Groupe Bruxelles Lambert SA is exploring a potential move to buy out minority shareholders of French specialty materials firm Imerys SA, people with knowledge of the matter said.

GBL has held preliminary discussions with several buyout firms about the possibility of teaming up to take Imerys private, according to the people. The European investment firm is already Imerys’s biggest shareholder with a 55% stake, data compiled by Bloomberg show.

Shares of Imerys have fallen about 11% in Paris trading over the past 12 months, giving the company a market value of €2.4 billion ($2.5 billion). France’s benchmark CAC 40 ...