Mohawk Industries, a US manufacturer of floor coverings, has surprised the private equity bidders for Unilin, a private Belgian laminate flooring specialist, with a knock-out €2.2bn ($2.6bn) offer.

A senior investment banker familiar with the auction for Unilin, run by Goldman Sachs, said: "The surprise is not just that the trade buyer has triumphed but that it has done so in an auction, which is structured to suit private equity bidders."