Mohawk buys Unilin
American carpet and floor covering company Mohawk Industries beat out several private equity groups to buy Belgian floor coverings company Unilin SA. The $2.65 billion deal gives Mohawk a bigger European presence and a major holding in laminated flooring and som other wood-based products for the home. Mohawk was founded in 1878, Unilin in 1960.
Mohawk is the #2 carpet maker in the US (after Shaw Industries), with brands Mohawk, Aladdin, Bigelow, Durkan, and Karastan. The company also owns Dal-Tile Interantional, a major maker of store and tile flooring.
In 2002, Shaw had 48% share of the US carpet business. Mohawk had 28%. The two companies also are leaders in tile, stone, and wood flooring as well. Other competitors are far smaller.
Mohawk has been on a steady campaign of acquisition over the past decade, including
1995 Galaxy Carpet Mills
1997 assets of Diamond Carpet Mills
1998 Newmark Rug Company
1998 American Weaves
2000 The woven products division of Crown Crafts, a maker of throws and bedspreads
2000 Alliance Pad. a maker of carpet pads
2002 Dal-Tile, the #1 ceramic tile company in the US (which had previously acquired tile company American Olean)
2003, Lees Carpet, the carpet division of Burlington Industries
2005 Wayn-Tex, a maker of carpet backing materials
Like many other companies, Mohawk offers a variety of alternative brands, a move that makes it harder for other competitors to get shelf space.
