diff --git a/src/libexpr/eval.cc b/src/libexpr/eval.cc
index c2d39d6d5..873b88986 100644
--- a/src/libexpr/eval.cc
+++ b/src/libexpr/eval.cc
@@ -2029,27 +2029,6 @@ void ExprConcatStrings::eval(EvalState & state, Env & env, Value & v)
     bool first = !forceString;
     ValueType firstType = nString;
 
-    const auto str = [&] {
-        std::string result;
-        result.reserve(sSize);
-        for (const auto & part : strings)
-            result += *part;
-        return result;
-    };
-    /* c_str() is not str().c_str() because we want to create a string
-       Value. allocating a GC'd string directly and moving it into a
-       Value lets us avoid an allocation and copy. */
-    const auto c_str = [&] {
-        char * result = allocString(sSize + 1);
-        char * tmp = result;
-        for (const auto & part : strings) {
-            memcpy(tmp, part->data(), part->size());
-            tmp += part->size();
-        }
-        *tmp = 0;
-        return result;
-    };
-
     // List of returned strings. References to these Values must NOT be persisted.
     SmallTemporaryValueVector<conservativeStackReservation> values(es.size());
     Value * vTmpP = values.data();
@@ -2111,19 +2090,32 @@ void ExprConcatStrings::eval(EvalState & state, Env & env, Value & v)
         first = false;
     }
 
-    if (firstType == nInt)
+    if (firstType == nInt) {
         v.mkInt(n);
-    else if (firstType == nFloat)
+    } else if (firstType == nFloat) {
         v.mkFloat(nf);
-    else if (firstType == nPath) {
+    } else if (firstType == nPath) {
         if (!context.empty())
             state.error<EvalError>("a string that refers to a store path cannot be appended to a path")
                 .atPos(pos)
                 .withFrame(env, *this)
                 .debugThrow();
-        v.mkPath(state.rootPath(CanonPath(str())));
-    } else
-        v.mkStringMove(c_str(), context);
+        std::string result_str;
+        result_str.reserve(sSize);
+        for (const auto & part : strings) {
+            result_str += *part;
+        }
+        v.mkPath(state.rootPath(CanonPath(result_str)));
+    } else {
+        char * result_str = allocString(sSize + 1);
+        char * tmp = result_str;
+        for (const auto & part : strings) {
+            memcpy(tmp, part->data(), part->size());
+            tmp += part->size();
+        }
+        *tmp = 0;
+        v.mkStringMove(result_str, context);
+    }
 }
 
 void ExprPos::eval(EvalState & state, Env & env, Value & v)