Risk Factors Dashboard

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Risk Factors - UNF

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ITEM 1A. RISK FACTORS
The statements in this section, as well as statements described elsewhere in this Annual Report on Form 10-K, or in other SEC filings, describe risks that could materially and adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations and the trading price of our securities. These risks are not the only risks that we face. Our business, financial condition and results of operations could also be materially affected by additional factors that are not presently known to us or that we currently consider to be immaterial to our operations.
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SAFE HARBOR FOR FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS
This Annual Report on Form 10-K and any documents incorporated by reference may contain forward-looking statements within the meaning of the federal securities laws that reflect the Company’s current views with respect to future events and financial performance, including statements regarding the transaction between UniFirst and Cintas (the “Transaction”). Forward-looking statements contained in this Annual Report on Form 10-K and any documents incorporated by reference are subject to the safe harbor created by the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Forward-looking statements may be identified by words such as “estimates,” “anticipates,” “projects,” “plans,” “expects,” “intends,” “believes,” “seeks,” “could,” “should,” “may,” “will,” “strategy,” “objective,” “assume,” “strive,” “design,” “assumption,” “vision”, “drive,” or the negative versions thereof, and similar expressions and by the context in which they are used. Such forward-looking statements are based upon our current expectations and speak only as of the date made. Such statements are highly dependent upon a variety of risks, uncertainties and other important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those reflected in such forward-looking statements.
The following Transaction-related factors, among others, could cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed in or implied by forward-looking statements: the occurrence of any event, change, or other circumstance that could give rise to the right of one or both of the parties to terminate the definitive merger agreement between Cintas and UniFirst; the outcome of any legal proceedings that may be instituted against Cintas or UniFirst; the possibility that the Transaction does not close when expected or at all because required regulatory, or other approvals and other conditions to closing are not received or satisfied on a timely basis or at all (and the risk that seeking or obtaining such approvals may result in the imposition of conditions that could adversely affect the combined company or the expected benefits of the Transaction); the risk that the benefits from the Transaction may not be fully realized or may take longer to realize than expected, including as a result of changes in, or problems arising from, general economic and market conditions, interest and exchange rates, monetary policy, trade policy (including tariff levels), laws and regulations and their enforcement, and the degree of competition in the geographic and business areas in which Cintas and UniFirst operate; any failure to promptly and effectively integrate the businesses of Cintas and UniFirst; the possibility that the Transaction may be more expensive to complete than anticipated, including as a result of unexpected factors or events; reputational risk and potential adverse reactions of Cintas’ or UniFirst’s customers, employees or other business partners, including those resulting from the announcement, pendency or completion of the Transaction; the dilution caused by Cintas’ issuance of additional shares of its capital stock in connection with the Transaction; changes in the trading price of Cintas’ or UniFirst’s capital stock; and the diversion of management’s attention and time to the Transaction from ongoing business operations and opportunities.
Additional factors include, but are not limited to, uncertainties caused by an economic recession or other adverse economic conditions, including, without limitation, as a result of elevated inflation or interest rates or extraordinary events or circumstances such as geopolitical conflicts like the conflicts between Russia and Ukraine, the United States and Iran and other disruptions in the Middle East, and their impact on our customers’ businesses and workforce levels, disruptions of our business and operations, including limitations on, or closures of, our facilities, or the business and operations of our customers or suppliers in connection with extraordinary events or circumstances, uncertainties regarding our ability to consummate acquisitions and successfully integrate acquired businesses, and the performance of such businesses, uncertainties regarding any existing or newly-discovered expenses and liabilities related to environmental compliance and remediation, any adverse outcome of pending or future contingencies or claims, our ability to compete successfully without any significant degradation in our margin rates, seasonal and quarterly fluctuations in business levels, our ability to preserve positive labor relationships and avoid becoming the target of corporate labor unionization campaigns that could disrupt our business, the effect of currency fluctuations on our results of operations and financial condition, our dependence on third parties to supply us with raw materials, which such supply could be severely disrupted as a result of extraordinary events or circumstances such as the conflicts between Russia and Ukraine, the United States and Iran, and other disruptions in the Middle East, any loss of key management or other personnel, increased costs as a result of any changes in federal, state, international or other laws, rules and regulations or governmental interpretation of such laws, rules and regulations, uncertainties regarding, or adverse impacts from continued high price levels of natural gas, electricity, fuel and labor or increases in such costs, the negative effect on our business from sharply depressed oil and natural gas prices, the continuing increase in domestic healthcare costs, increased workers’ compensation claim costs, increased healthcare claim costs, our ability to retain and grow our customer base, demand and prices for our products and services, fluctuations in our nuclear business, political or other instability, supply chain disruption or infection among our employees in Mexico and Nicaragua where our principal garment manufacturing plants are located, our ability to properly and efficiently design, construct, implement and operate a new enterprise resource planning (“ERP”) computer system, interruptions or failures of our information technology systems, including as a result of cyber-attacks, additional professional and internal costs necessary for compliance with any changes in or additional SEC, New York Stock Exchange (the “NYSE”) and accounting or other rules, strikes and unemployment levels, our efforts to evaluate and potentially reduce internal costs, the impact of U.S. and
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foreign trade policies and tariffs or other impositions on imported goods on our business, results of operations and financial condition, our ability to successfully implement our business strategies and processes, including our capital allocation strategies, our ability to successfully remediate the material weakness in internal control over financial reporting disclosed in this Annual Report on Form 10-K in an appropriate and timely manner or at all, and the other factors described under “Part I, Item 1A. Risk Factors” and elsewhere in this Annual Report on Form 10-K. We undertake no obligation to update any forward-looking statements to reflect events or circumstances arising after the date on which they are made.
RISKS RELATING TO OUR BUSINESS AND OPERATIONS
We face intense competition within our industry, which may adversely affect our results of operations and financial condition.
The rental and sales industry for uniforms, workwear and facility services sector is highly competitive. The rental and sales industry for uniforms, workwear and facility services sector is highly competitive. The main sources of differentiation in the industry are quality of products and services, and price. Our principal competitors include Cintas, Alsco and Vestis Corporation. Our principal competitors include Cintas Corporation, Alsco and Vestis Corporation. The remainder of the market, however, is divided among hundreds of smaller businesses, many of which serve one or a limited number of markets or geographic service areas. In addition to our traditional rental competitors, we compete with businesses that focus on selling uniforms, facilities service products and other related items, including single-use disposable garments for use in the nuclear industry. Increased competition may result in price reductions, reduced gross margins and loss of market share, any of which could have a material effect on our results of operations and financial condition. We also compete with industry competitors for acquisitions, which has the effect of increasing the price for acquisitions and reducing the number of acquisition candidates available to us. If we pay higher prices for businesses we acquire, our returns on investment and profitability may be reduced.
Adverse economic and business conditions or geopolitical events may affect our business and our customer base and have a material adverse impact on our sales and operating results.
We supply uniform, workwear and facility services to many industries that have been in the past, and may be in the future, subject to adverse economic and business conditions resulting in shifting employment levels, workforce reductions, changes in worker productivity, uncertainty regarding the impacts of rehiring and shifts to offshore manufacturing. We supply uniform, workwear and facility services to many industries that have been in the past, and may be in the future, subject to adverse economic and business conditions resulting in shifting employment levels, workforce reductions, changes in worker productivity, uncertainty regarding the impacts of rehiring and shifts to offshore manufacturing. In addition, geopolitical conflicts, calamities or other events, including the conflict between Russia and Ukraine, the United States and Iran and other disruptions in the Middle East and public health events, may disrupt domestic and global business and financial markets and conditions. In addition, geopolitical conflicts, calamities or other events, including the conflict between Russia and Ukraine, disruption in the Middle East and public health events, may disrupt domestic and global business and financial markets and conditions.
The impacts of any general economic uncertainty, weakness or recession may include or result in, without limitation: falling overall demand for goods and services; reduced credit availability; reduced liquidity; volatility in credit, equity and foreign exchange markets; bankruptcies, inflation and interest rate volatility. The impacts of any general economic uncertainty, weakness or recession may include or result in, without limitation: falling overall demand for goods and services; reduced credit availability; reduced liquidity; volatility in credit, equity and foreign exchange markets; bankruptcies, inflation and interest rate volatility.
Any such adverse economic conditions could have a material adverse impact on our business, including our operating margins. Any conditions or events that adversely affect our current customers or sales prospects may cause such customers or prospects to restrict expenditures, reduce workforces or even to cease to conduct their businesses. Any of these circumstances would have the effect of reducing the number of employees utilizing our uniform, workwear and facility services, which could have a material adverse impact on our sales and results of operations.
Increases in inflation rates could have a material adverse impact on our revenues and operating margins. In addition, if our costs increase and we are not able to pass along these price increases to our customers, our results of operations would be adversely affected, and the adverse impact may be material.
Elevated inflation rates have at times had an adverse impact on our operating margins, including increased energy costs for our vehicles and plants and increased wages in the labor markets in which we compete. Any period of sustained inflation could pressure our margins in future periods. Adverse economic conditions resulting from inflationary pressures, U.S. Federal Reserve actions, including elevated interest rates and/or increases in interest rates, geopolitical issues, U.S. and foreign tariffs or other impositions on imported goods or other causes are difficult to predict and may have a material adverse impact on our business, results of operations and financial condition.
Continued high interest rates or increases in interest rates, especially if coupled with reduced government spending and volatility in financial markets, may have the effect of further increasing economic uncertainty and heightening these risks, which may result in an economic recession. Continued high interest rates or increases in interest rates, especially if coupled with reduced government spending and volatility in financial markets, may have the effect of further increasing economic uncertainty and heightening these risks, which may result in an economic recession. In an inflationary environment, we may be unable to raise the prices of our products and services at or above the rate at which our costs increase, which may reduce our operating margins and have a
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material adverse effect on our financial results. We also may experience lower than expected sales and potential adverse impacts on our competitive position if there is a decrease in customer spending or a negative reaction to our pricing. A reduction in our revenue would be detrimental to our profitability and financial condition and could also have an adverse impact on our future growth.
Our failure to successfully implement our acquisition strategy and to grow our business could adversely affect our ability to increase our revenues and could negatively impact our profitability.
As part of our growth strategy, we intend to continue to actively pursue additional acquisition opportunities. As part of our growth strategy, we intend to continue to actively pursue additional acquisition opportunities. However, as discussed above, we compete with others within our industry for suitable acquisition candidates. This competition may increase the price for acquisitions and reduce the number of acquisition candidates available to us. This competition may 6 increase the price for acquisitions and reduce the number of acquisition candidates available to us. As a result, our ability to acquire businesses in the future, and to acquire such businesses on favorable terms, may be limited. Even if we are able to acquire businesses on favorable terms, managing growth through acquisition is a difficult process that includes integration and training of personnel, combining plant and operating procedures and additional matters related to the integration of acquired businesses within our existing organization. Unanticipated issues related to integration may result in additional expense or in disruption to our operations, either of which could negatively impact our ability to achieve anticipated benefits. While we believe we will be able to fully integrate acquired businesses, we can give no assurance that we will be successful in this regard.
Growth of our business will likely require us to increase our workforce, the scope of our operating and financial systems and the geographic area of our operations. We believe this growth will increase our operating complexity and the level of responsibility for both existing and new management personnel. Managing and sustaining our growth and expansion may require substantial enhancements to our operational and financial systems and controls, as well as additional administrative, operational and financial resources. There can be no assurance that we will be able to manage our expanding operations successfully, that any acquired business will perform as we expect, or that we will be able to maintain or accelerate our growth, and any failure to do so could have an adverse effect on our results of operations and financial condition.
In order to finance such acquisitions, we may need to obtain additional funds either through public or private financings, including bank and other secured and unsecured borrowings and the issuance of debt or equity securities. There can be no assurance that such financings would be available to us on reasonable terms or that any future issuances of securities in connection with acquisitions will not be dilutive to our shareholders.
If we are unable to preserve positive labor relationships or become the target of corporate labor unionization campaigns, the resulting labor unrest could disrupt our business by impairing our ability to produce and deliver our products.
As of August 29, 2026, we employed approximately 15,100 persons and less than 1% of our U.S. employees are represented by a union pursuant to a collective bargaining agreement. Competitors within our industry have been the target of corporate unionization campaigns by multiple labor unions. While our management believes that our employee relations are good, we cannot assure you that we will not become the target of campaigns similar to those faced by our competitors. The potential for unionization could increase in the future. If we do encounter pressure from any labor unions in connection with our acquisitions of other businesses, any resulting labor unrest could disrupt our business by impairing our ability to produce and deliver our products and diverting the attention of our management. In addition, significant union representation would require us to negotiate wages, salaries, benefits and other terms with many of our employees collectively and could adversely affect our results of operations by increasing our labor costs or otherwise restricting our ability to maximize the efficiency of our operations.
We may incur unexpected cost increases due to rising healthcare costs and other labor costs.
In general, the cost of healthcare that we provide to our employees has grown over the last few years at a rate in excess of our revenue growth and, as a result, has negatively impacted our operating results. In general, the cost of healthcare that we provide to our employees has grown over the last few years at a rate in excess of our revenue growth and, as a result, has negatively impacted our operating results. Moreover, it is generally expected that healthcare costs in the U.S. will increase over the coming years. In addition, we may incur significant healthcare costs if a significant number of our employees experience injury or illness, including in connection with public health emergencies. As a result of these factors, and depending on the effect of any modifications we have made and may make in the future to our employee healthcare plans and enrollment levels in those plans or any future legislation or regulation affecting the healthcare industry, we expect that our future operating results will continue to be further adversely impacted by increasing healthcare costs.
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Federal, state and municipal governments have and may continue to mandate increases to minimum wage and other employee benefits. In addition, we face wage pressure as the result of a low unemployment environment and increased competition in hiring. We have raised, and expect to continue to raise, our wage rates and benefits to reflect these changes, which has the effect of increasing our labor costs, which in turn adversely affects our results of operation and financial condition. Our failure to comply with these regulatory requirements would expose us to applicable penalties and increase the likelihood that we would be subject to unionization campaigns. Further mandates would require additional increases to our labor costs and adversely affect our operating margins.
Our failure to retain our current customers, renew our existing customer contracts and enter into customer contracts with new customers could adversely affect our business, results of operations and financial condition.
Our success depends on our ability to retain our current customers, renew our existing customer contracts and obtain new customers. Our success depends on our ability to retain our current customers, renew our existing customer contracts and obtain new customers. Our ability to do so generally depends on a variety of factors, including the quality, price and responsiveness of our services, as well as our ability to market these services effectively and to differentiate ourselves from our competitors. Our ability to do so generally depends on a variety of factors, including the quality, price and responsiveness of 7 our services, as well as our ability to market these services effectively and to differentiate ourselves from our competitors. In addition, renewal rates and our ability to obtain new customers are generally adversely affected by difficult economic and business conditions. We cannot assure you that we will be able to obtain new customers, renew existing customer contracts at the same or higher rates or that our current customers will not turn to competitors, cease operations or terminate contracts with us. Our failure to renew a significant number of our existing contracts would have an adverse effect on our results of operations and financial condition, and failure to obtain new customers could have an adverse effect on our growth and results of operations.
Periods of high fuel and energy costs and increases in fuel and energy costs could materially adversely affect our operating costs.
The price of fuel and energy needed to run our vehicles and equipment is unpredictable and fluctuates based on events outside our control, including geopolitical developments. The ongoing conflict involving Iran has contributed to volatility in global oil and gas prices and supply, and any further escalation or broadening of that conflict, including to other countries in the Middle East, disruption of key shipping routes or energy infrastructure, or the imposition of additional sanctions or trade restrictions, could further increase our fuel and energy costs or limit our access to supply. Other factors that may affect fuel and energy prices include the ongoing conflict between Russia and Ukraine and the resulting governmental sanctions against certain Russian individuals and entities, supply and demand for oil and gas, actions by the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries, or OPEC, and other oil and gas producers, war and unrest in oil producing countries, regional production patterns, limits on refining capacities, natural disasters, environmental concerns, including the impact of legislative and regulatory efforts to limit greenhouse gas emissions, and public health emergencies. Our operating margins have been, and may continue to be, adversely impacted by volatility in energy prices. Periods of high fuel and energy costs and any increases in fuel and energy costs could materially adversely affect operating costs.
As a result of our significant presence in energy producing regions, a prolonged drop in energy prices could negatively impact our financial results.
We have a substantial number of plants and conduct a significant portion of our business in energy producing regions in the U.S. and Canada. In general, we are relatively more dependent on business in these regions than are many of our competitors. If a dramatic decrease in oil prices were to occur, it could impact our customers in the oil industry and cause those customers to curtail their level of operations, which could have a corresponding effect on our customers in businesses which service or supply the oil industry as well as our customers in unrelated businesses. As a result, our organic growth in periods following a dramatic decrease in oil prices could be negatively impacted by elevated headcount reductions in our wearer base as well as increased lost accounts. At times, volatility in energy prices has had and may in the future have a significant impact on wearer levels at existing customers in our North American energy-dependent markets.
Fluctuations in our nuclear business in our Other segment, including the loss of key customers or a significant reduction in our business derived from key customers, could disproportionately impact our revenue and net income and create volatility in the price of our Common Stock.
Our nuclear decontamination business is affected by shut-downs, outages and clean-ups of the nuclear facilities we service. Our nuclear decontamination business is affected by shut-downs, outages and clean-ups of the nuclear facilities we service. We are not able to control or predict with certainty when such shut-downs, outages and clean-ups will occur. In addition, our nuclear decontamination business tends to generate more revenue in the first and third fiscal quarters, which is when nuclear power plants typically schedule refueling and maintenance outages and thereby increase nuclear garment utilization. Moreover, a significant percentage of this segment’s revenues are generated from a limited number of nuclear
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power plant operator customers. This concentration subjects this business to significant risks and may result in greater volatility in this segment’s results of operations. Fluctuations in our nuclear decontamination business, including the loss of key customers of our Other segment, or a significant reduction in our business derived from such key customers, could materially adversely affect our results of operations and financial condition.
Our international business results are influenced by currency fluctuations and other risks that could have an adverse effect on our results of operations and financial condition.
A portion of our sales is derived from international markets. A portion of our sales is derived from international markets. Revenue denominated in currencies other than the U.S. dollar represented approximately 7.4%, 7.0% and 6.9% of total consolidated revenues for fiscal 2026, fiscal 2025 and the fiscal year ended August 31, 2024 (“fiscal 2024”), respectively. The operating results of our international subsidiaries are translated into U.S. dollars and such results are affected by movements in foreign currencies relative to the U.S. dollar. The strength of the U.S. dollar has generally increased recently as compared to other currencies, which has had, and may continue to have, an adverse effect on our operating results as reported in U.S. dollars. In addition, a weaker Canadian dollar increases the costs to our Canadian operations of merchandise and other operational inputs that are sourced from outside Canada, which has the effect of reducing the operating margins of our Canadian business if we are unable to recover these additional costs through price adjustments with our Canadian customers. Our international operations are also subject to other risks, including the requirement to comply with changing and conflicting national and local regulatory requirements, including, without limitation, with respect to sustainability matters; potential difficulties in staffing and labor disputes; managing and obtaining support and distribution for local operations; credit risk or financial condition of local customers; potential imposition of restrictions on investments; potentially adverse tax consequences, including imposition or increase of withholding and other taxes on remittances and other payments by subsidiaries; foreign exchange controls; and local political and social conditions. Our international 8 operations are also subject to other risks, including the requirement to comply with changing and conflicting national and local regulatory requirements, including, without limitation, with respect to sustainability matters; potential difficulties in staffing and labor disputes; managing and obtaining support and distribution for local operations; credit risk or financial condition of local customers; potential imposition of restrictions on investments; potentially adverse tax consequences, including imposition or increase of withholding and other taxes on remittances and other payments by subsidiaries; foreign exchange controls; and local political and social conditions. In addition, U.S. and foreign trade policies and tariffs and other impositions on imported goods may have a negative impact on our business. There can be no assurance that the foregoing factors will not have an adverse effect on our international operations or on our consolidated financial condition and results of operations.
In addition, we own and operate manufacturing facilities in Mexico. Violence, crime and instability in Mexico has had, and may continue to have, an adverse effect on our operations, including the hijacking of our trucks and the implementation of security measures to protect our employees. While we carry certain insurance coverage, there can be no assurance that losses not covered by insurance that could result from an attack on our trucks or our personnel would not have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations and financial condition. Operations in developing nations present several additional risks, including greater fluctuation in currencies relative to the U.S. dollar, economic and governmental instability, civil disturbances, volatility in gross domestic production, Foreign Corrupt Practice Act and other legal compliance issues and nationalization and expropriation of private assets, which could have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations and financial condition.
Our failure to properly and efficiently design, construct, implement and operate a new ERP system could materially disrupt our operations, adversely impact the servicing of our customers and have a material adverse effect on our financial performance.
In the fiscal year ended August 27, 2022 (“fiscal 2022”), we initiated a multiyear ERP project with a strong focus on supply chain and procurement automation and technology. We believe that this initiative will become the core of the UniFirst technology footprint and will integrate and complement the capabilities of our customer relationship management (“CRM”) system. We expect the ERP system and the new supply chain and procurement capabilities that it will provide to enable lower operating costs and customer churn through enhanced inventory utilization and vendor management, improved response times to customer orders and more efficient back-end processes. We believe these capabilities will allow us to more effectively respond to and mitigate supply chain challenges. The failure to properly, efficiently and economically design processes, implement and operate an ERP system on a timely basis or at all could materially disrupt our operations, including our supply chain, adversely impact the servicing of our customers and have a material adverse effect on our financial results.
If our information technology systems suffer interruptions or failures, including as a result of cyber-attacks, our business operations could be disrupted or other material adverse impacts on our business could result.
Our information technology systems serve an important role in the efficient operation of our business. Our information technology systems serve an important role in the efficient operation of our business. The failure of these information technology systems to perform as we anticipate could disrupt our business and negatively impact our results of operations. In addition, our information technology systems could be damaged or cease to function properly due to any number of causes, such as catastrophic events, power outages, security breaches, ransomware, computer viruses or cyber-
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based attacks. Further, state-sponsored cyber-attacks could expand, including in connection with geopolitical conflicts such as the conflict between Russia and Ukraine, the United States and Iran and other disruptions in the Middle East, which could adversely affect our or our suppliers’ ability to maintain and enhance key cybersecurity and data protection measures. Further, state-sponsored cyber-attacks could expand, including in connection with geopolitical conflicts such as the conflict between Russia and Ukraine, which could adversely affect our or our suppliers’ ability to maintain and enhance key cybersecurity and data protection measures. While we have contingency plans in place to prevent or mitigate the impact of these events, if such events were to occur and our disaster recovery plans do not effectively address the issues on a timely basis, we could suffer interruptions in our ability to manage our operations and service our customers, and we may be required to make a significant investment to fix or replace our information technology systems, each of which may have a material adverse effect on our business and financial results. In addition, if customer, employee or our proprietary information is compromised by a security breach or cyber-attack or other event, it could have a material adverse effect on our business, including as a result of remedial actions that we may be required to take, potential liabilities and penalties, loss of business and reputational damage. Our failure to properly respond to any such event could also result in exposure to liability. We are subject to numerous laws and regulations in the U.S. and internationally designed to protect the information of clients, customers, employees, and other third parties that we collect and maintain. These laws and regulations are increasing in complexity and number. If we fail to comply with such laws or regulations, we may be subject to litigation, monetary damages, enforcement actions or fines in one or more jurisdictions, which could have an adverse effect on our business.
We also rely on systems and applications provided by third-party vendors for certain information technology services. If these third-party vendors, or our suppliers or other vendors, experience service interruptions, security breaches, cyber-attacks, computer viruses, ransomware or other similar events, customer, employee or other proprietary information could be compromised and it could as a result or otherwise, have an adverse effect on our business. If these third-party vendors, or our suppliers or other vendors, experience service interruptions, security breaches, cyber-attacks, 9 computer viruses, ransomware or other similar events, customer, employee or other proprietary information could be compromised and it could as a result or otherwise, have an adverse effect on our business.
Our business may be subject to seasonal and quarterly fluctuations. Our business may be subject to seasonal and quarterly fluctuations.
Historically, our revenues and operating results have varied from quarter to quarter and are expected to continue to fluctuate in the future. Historically, our revenues and operating results have varied from quarter to quarter and are expected to continue to fluctuate in the future. In addition, our operating results historically have been seasonally lower during the second and fourth fiscal quarters than during the other quarters of the fiscal year. We incur various costs in integrating or establishing newly acquired businesses or start-up operations, and the profitability of a new location is generally expected to be lower in the initial period of its operation than in subsequent periods. Start-up operations in particular lack the support of an existing customer base and require a significantly longer period to develop sales opportunities and meet targeted operating results.
These factors, among others, may cause our results of operations in some future quarters to be below the expectations of securities analysts and investors, which could have an adverse effect on the market price of our Common Stock.
Loss of our key management or other personnel and our inability to hire qualified personnel could adversely impact our business.
Our success is largely dependent on the skills, experience and efforts of our senior management, including our President and Chief Executive Officer, and certain other key personnel. Our success is largely dependent on the skills, experience and efforts of our senior management, including our President and Chief Executive Officer, and certain other key personnel. If, for any reason, one or more senior executives or key personnel were not to remain active in our Company, our results of operations could be adversely affected. Our future success also depends upon our ability to attract and retain key employees. There is competition in the market for the services of such qualified personnel and hourly workers. Further, the pendency of the Transaction may cause our current and prospective employees to experience uncertainty about their roles after the completion of the Transaction, which may have an adverse effect on our ability to attract, motivate or retain management personnel and other key employees.
In addition, as discussed above, we face wage pressure as the result of a low unemployment environment and increased competition in hiring. In addition, as discussed above, we face wage pressure as the result of a low unemployment environment and increased competition in hiring. We have raised, and expect to continue to raise, our wage rates and benefits to reflect these changes, which has the effect of increasing our labor costs, which in turn adversely affects our results of operation and financial condition. Our failure to attract and retain such personnel or workers could adversely affect our results of operations.
We depend on third parties to supply us with raw materials and facility services products and our results of operations could be adversely affected if we are unable to obtain adequate raw materials in a timely and economic manner, or at all, or if our supply chain is otherwise disrupted.
We manufactured approximately 65% of all garments we placed in service during fiscal 2026. These were primarily work pants and shirts manufactured at two of our plants located in San Luis Potosi, Mexico, at one plant located in Managua, Nicaragua, and by subcontracted manufacturers that we utilize within our sourcing strategy to balance demand and optimize costs. We manufactured approximately 62% of all garments we placed in service during fiscal 2025. These were primarily work pants and shirts manufactured at two of our plants located in San Luis Potosi, Mexico, at one plant located in Managua, Nicaragua, and by subcontracted manufacturers that we utilize within our sourcing strategy to balance demand and optimize costs. The balance of the garments used in our programs are purchased from a variety of industry suppliers. While we currently acquire the raw materials with which we produce our garments from a limited number of suppliers, we believe
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that such materials are generally readily available from other sources. Furthermore, overseas garment contractors could be subject to supply chain disruptions. We also source or import various facility services products, such as towels, microfiber, conventional mops, aprons, disposable gloves, etc., and our ability to obtain these supplies could potentially be impacted by supply chain disruptions. To date, we have experienced no significant difficulty in obtaining any of our raw materials or supplies, although at certain times, we have sourced raw materials or supplies from alternative sources or experienced cost increases for such raw materials and supplies. However, if we were to experience difficulty obtaining any of our raw materials from such suppliers and were unable to obtain new materials or supplies from other industry suppliers, or if the cost of obtaining such materials or supplies were to increase, including in any case as a result of inflation, high or rising interest rates, tariffs or other impositions on imported goods, geopolitical issues such as the conflict between Russia and Ukraine, the United States and Iran and other disruptions in the Middle East, or other supply chain disruptions, it could adversely affect our results of operations.
Unexpected events could disrupt our operations, including our reliance on key facilities, and have a material adverse impact on our operating results.
Unexpected events, including, without limitation, fires at facilities, natural disasters as a result of climate change or otherwise, such as hurricanes, earthquakes, floods and tornadoes, public health emergencies, terrorist activities, geopolitical issues including war or other conflicts such as conflicts in the Middle East or between Russia and Ukraine, the United States and Iran, unplanned utility outages, pandemics such as the COVID-19 pandemic, supply disruptions, failure of equipment or information systems, temporary or long-term disruption of our computer systems, or changes in laws and/or regulations impacting our business, could have a material adverse impact on our operating results.Unexpected events, including, without limitation, fires at facilities, natural disasters as a result of climate change or otherwise, such as hurricanes, earthquakes, floods and tornadoes, public health emergencies, terrorist activities, geopolitical issues including war or other conflicts such as conflicts in the Middle East or between Russia and Ukraine, unplanned utility outages, pandemics such as the COVID-19 pandemic, supply disruptions, failure of equipment or information systems, temporary or long-term disruption of our computer systems, or changes in laws and/or regulations impacting our business, could have a material adverse impact on our operating results. These events could result in disruption of customer service, physical damage to one or more key operating facilities, the temporary closure of one or more key operating facilities or the temporary disruption of information systems. In addition, the destruction or permanent or temporary loss of, or other disruptions with respect to, key facilities such as our distribution facility in Owensboro, Kentucky or our manufacturing facilities in Mexico or Nicaragua as a result of geopolitical issues or otherwise, or our manufacturing facility in Cave City, Arkansas, would have a material adverse effect on our operations and financial results.
We identified material weakness in our internal control over financial reporting related to certain information technology general controls (“ITGCs”) supporting the manage change and manage access processes. If not remediated appropriately and timely, such material weakness could adversely impact our ability to record, process and report financial information accurately, result in loss of investor confidence and have a material adverse impact on our business, results of operations, financial condition and stock price.
As disclosed in Part II, Item 9A of our Annual Report on Form 10-K for fiscal 2025, we previously identified a material weakness related to deficiencies in our manage change and manage access processes that were not designed and operating effectively. As disclosed in Part II, Item 9A of our Annual Report on Form 10-K for fiscal 2024, we previously identified a material weakness related to deficiencies in our manage change and manage access processes that were not designed and operating effectively. As of the end of fiscal 2025, these deficiencies related to our CRM system, which affected revenue and receivables, and a group of legacy applications, which affected revenue and receivables, inventory and merchandise in service. While we worked during fiscal 2026 to remediate the previously identified material weakness, we were unable to fully remediate the material weakness prior to the end of fiscal 2026. However, we continued to make significant progress in remediating the design and operating effectiveness of our control environment and successfully addressed the ITGCs for the applications affecting revenue and receivables, including our CRM system. While we worked during fiscal 2025 to remediate the previously identified material weakness, we were unable to fully remediate the material weakness prior to the end of fiscal 2025. However, we made significant progress in remediating the design and operating effectiveness of our control environment and successfully addressed IT General Controls (ITGCs) for several key financial systems, including our legacy ERP platform and supporting tools and utilities. At the end of fiscal 2026, the material weakness had been further narrowed to deficiencies related to applications affecting inventory and merchandise in service, including our new Warehouse Management System (“WMS”) and a group of legacy applications affecting these accounts. At the end of fiscal 2025, the material weakness had been narrowed to deficiencies related to our CRM system which affected revenue and receivables as well as a group of legacy applications which affected revenue and receivables, supply inventory and merchandise in service.
As a public company, we are required to establish and periodically evaluate and assess procedures with respect to our internal control over financial reporting. In connection with our year-end assessment as part of this Annual Report, we determined that, as of August 29, 2026, we did not maintain effective internal control over financial reporting due to a material weakness related to certain ITGCs over the applications affecting inventory and merchandise in service, including our new WMS and a group of legacy applications, as more fully described in Part II, Item 9A, “Controls and Procedures” of this Form 10-K. We could not conclude that the ITGCs over these applications were effective primarily due to the limited number of instances available to test. This material weakness did not result in any identified misstatements to our financial statements, and there were no changes to previously issued financial results. These material weakness did not result in any identified misstatements to the financial statements, and there were no changes to previously issued financial results.
While we are in the process of implementing changes to remediate the material weakness identified, there can be no assurance that such remedial measures will be successful and we will be able to remediate the material weakness in a timely manner. While we are in the process of implementing changes to remediate the material weakness identified, there can be no assurance that such remedial measures will be successful and we will be able to remediate the material weakness in a timely manner. If we are unable to remediate the material weakness appropriately and timely, or are otherwise unable to maintain effective internal control over financial reporting or disclosure controls and procedures, our ability to record,
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process and report financial information accurately, and to prepare financial statements within required time periods, could be adversely affected, which could subject us to litigation or investigations requiring management resources and payment of legal and other expenses, negatively affect investor confidence in our financial statements and have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations, financial condition and stock price.
Our business could be adversely impacted if we have deficiencies in our disclosure controls and procedures or internal control over financial reporting, including as a result of the material weakness identified by management and discussed above.
The design and effectiveness of our disclosure controls and procedures and internal control over financial reporting, including new and revised financial and information technology-related controls that we have been designing, implementing and operating, may not prevent all errors, misstatements or misrepresentations. The design and effectiveness of our disclosure controls and procedures and internal control over financial reporting, including new and revised financial and information technology-related controls that we have been designing, implementing and operating, may not prevent all errors, misstatements or misrepresentations. While management will continue to review the effectiveness of our disclosure controls and procedures and internal control over financial reporting, there can be no guarantee that our internal control over financial reporting will be effective in accomplishing all control objectives all of the time. Deficiencies in our internal control over financial reporting, including the material weakness identified by management and discussed above and any additional material weakness which may occur in the future, could result in misstatements of our results of operations, restatements of our financial statements, a decline in our stock price, or otherwise materially adversely affect our business, reputation, results of operations, financial condition or liquidity.
U.S. and foreign trade policies, including the assessment of tariffs and other impositions on imported goods, may have a material adverse impact on our business.
The U.S. and certain foreign countries have recently announced new or increased tariffs on imported goods, and additional tariffs or increases in tariffs could be assessed in the future. If any such tariffs or other impositions on imported goods were to increase our cost or difficulty of obtaining raw materials or products from suppliers and we were unable to mitigate the impacts of any such increased costs or difficulties, it could have a material adverse impact on our business and our results of operations. In addition, any such tariffs or other impositions on imported goods could have a negative adverse impact on economic conditions generally and on the businesses of our customers, including decreases in wearer levels at our customers, which could have a material adverse impact on our business and our results of operations.
We use, and expect to increasingly use, artificial intelligence in our business, which could result in operational, legal, competitive and reputational harm and adversely affect our business, results of operations and financial condition.
We utilize, and expect to increasingly utilize, artificial intelligence (“AI”), including generative AI and machine learning tools, to support various aspects of our business, including internal business functions, administrative support, data analysis, software development and other operational activities. We also rely on third-party vendors and service providers whose products and services incorporate AI technology, as well as internally developed AI capabilities built on third-party platforms.
While we maintain policies intended to promote the responsible use of AI, there are significant risks involved in developing and deploying AI and there can be no assurance that the usage of AI will be beneficial to our business, including our efficiency or profitability.
The legal, regulatory and compliance environments surrounding the design and use of AI technology - involving federal, state and foreign regulators - are evolving and complex. Our obligation to comply with the evolving regulatory landscape could entail significant costs and negatively affect our business.
Our use of AI technologies may also increase our exposure to cybersecurity and data privacy risk, as AI systems may involve the processing of proprietary, customer and employee-partner data. Failures in the design, implementation or oversight of such systems could result in unauthorized disclosure, misuse, loss or corruption of data. We may also face uncertainty regarding our ownership of, or ability to protect, intellectual property created using AI tools, or claims that AI technologies we use infringe, misappropriate or otherwise violate the rights of third parties.
In addition, our competitors and other third parties may develop or integrate AI capabilities more effectively or more rapidly than we do, which could adversely affect our competitive position, operating efficiency, customer relationships and ability to attract and retain talent. The costs associated with developing, licensing, deploying, maintaining and governing AI technologies may be substantial, and we cannot provide assurance that the anticipated benefits will be realized on the timeline we expect, or at all.
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RISKS RELATED TO THE PROPOSED ACQUISITION OF UNIFIRST BY CINTAS
The Mergers are subject to conditions, some or all of which may not be satisfied, and may not be completed on a timely basis, if at all. Failure to complete the Mergers on a timely basis or at all could have adverse effects on us.
The completion of the Mergers (as defined in Note 1, “Summary of Significant Accounting Policies”) is subject to a number of conditions, including, among others, (i) the approval by UniFirst shareholders of the UniFirst merger proposal, which such shareholder approval was obtained at a virtual special meeting of the shareholders of UniFirst on June 11, 2026, and (ii) certain regulatory approvals, including the expiration or termination of any applicable waiting period under the Hart-Scott-Rodino Antitrust Improvements Act of 1976, as amended (the “HSR Act”), which make the completion and timing of the Mergers uncertain. On June 11, 2026, each of Cintas and UniFirst received a request for additional information and documentary material (the “Second Request”) from the Federal Trade Commission (the “FTC”) in connection with the FTC’s review of the transactions contemplated by the Merger Agreement. Issuance of the Second Request extends the waiting period under the HSR Act until 30 days after both Cintas and the Company substantially comply with the Second Request, unless the waiting period is extended voluntarily by Cintas and the Company or terminated earlier by the FTC. On October 2, 2026, each of Cintas and UniFirst certified to the FTC that it has substantially complied with the Second Request. On October 2, 2026, Cintas and UniFirst entered into a timing agreement with the FTC pursuant to which Cintas and UniFirst agreed, among other things, not to consummate the Mergers prior to December 11, 2026 unless they have received written notice from the FTC prior to such date that the FTC has closed its investigation of the Mergers. Cintas and UniFirst have been working cooperatively with the FTC and will continue to do so.
Also, either Cintas or UniFirst may terminate the Merger Agreement (as defined in Note 1, “Summary of Significant Accounting Policies”) if the Mergers have not been consummated on or before 5:00 p.m. (New York, New York, United States time) on January 10, 2027 (or, in certain circumstances, as such date may be extended to May 10, 2027 or September 10, 2027 pursuant to the Merger Agreement), except that this right to terminate the Merger Agreement is not available to any party that has materially breached any of its obligations under the Merger Agreement if such breach has been the principal cause of or principally resulted in the failure of the closing to have occurred on or before such date.
If the Mergers are not completed, our ongoing business, financial condition, financial results and stock price could be materially adversely affected, and we would forego any benefit of completing the Mergers. Without realizing any of the benefits of having completed the Mergers, we will be subject to a number of risks, including the following:
•the market price of our stock could decline to the extent that the current market price reflects a market assumption that the transaction will be completed;
•we could owe Cintas a termination fee of $213,300,000 if the Merger Agreement were terminated under specified circumstances;
•if the Merger Agreement is terminated and the UniFirst Board of Directors seeks another business combination, UniFirst shareholders cannot be certain that UniFirst will be able to find a party willing to enter into a transaction on terms equivalent to or more attractive than the terms in the Merger Agreement;
•time and resources committed by our management to matters relating to the Mergers could otherwise have been devoted to pursuing other beneficial opportunities;
•we may experience negative reactions from the financial markets or from customers, suppliers or employees;
•we will be required to pay our costs relating to the Mergers, such as legal, accounting, financial advisory and printing fees, whether or not the Mergers are completed; and
•litigation related to any failure to complete the Mergers or related to any enforcement proceeding commenced against us to perform our obligations pursuant to the Merger Agreement.
The materialization of any of these risks could adversely impact our ongoing business, financial condition, financial results and stock price. Similarly, delays in the completion of the Mergers could, among other things, result in additional transaction costs, loss of revenue or other negative effects associated with uncertainty about completion of the Mergers.
The Merger Agreement contains provisions that limit UniFirst’s ability to pursue alternatives to the Mergers, could discourage a potential competing acquiror of UniFirst from making a favorable alternative transaction proposal and, in specified circumstances, could require UniFirst to pay a termination fee to Cintas.
The Merger Agreement contains certain provisions that restrict UniFirst’s ability to solicit, seek, facilitate, discuss or enter into an agreement with respect to a UniFirst acquisition proposal. The UniFirst Board of Directors is subject to restrictions
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on withdrawing, qualifying or modifying its recommendation to UniFirst shareholders in favor of the Mergers and to certain other related restrictions. In addition, Cintas generally must be given an opportunity to offer to modify the terms and conditions of the Merger Agreement or the transactions contemplated by the Merger Agreement in response to any third-party alternative acquisition proposal before the UniFirst Board of Directors may withdraw or qualify its recommendation with respect to the Mergers or terminate the Merger Agreement in connection with a third-party acquisition proposal.
In some circumstances relating to our entry into an agreement for an alternative transaction or a change in the recommendation of the UniFirst Board of Directors with respect to the Mergers, upon termination of the Merger Agreement, we will be required to pay a termination fee of $213,300,000 to Cintas.
These provisions of the Merger Agreement could discourage a potential third-party acquiror or merger partner that might have an interest in acquiring all or a significant portion of UniFirst or pursuing an alternative transaction with UniFirst from considering or proposing such a transaction, even if it were prepared to pay consideration with a higher per share value than the per share value proposed to be received or realized in the Mergers. In particular, the termination fee, if applicable, could result in a potential third-party acquiror or merger partner proposing to pay a lower price to UniFirst shareholders than it might otherwise have proposed to pay absent such a fee.
The Mergers are subject to the expiration or termination of applicable waiting periods (including any extension thereof) and the receipt of certain authorizations or consents from regulatory authorities that may impose conditions that could have an adverse effect on Cintas after the completion of the Mergers or, if not obtained, could prevent completion of the Mergers.
Before the Mergers may be completed, any waiting period (or extension thereof) under the HSR Act must have expired or been terminated, and any authorizations or consents from certain foreign regulators under antitrust laws and governmental authorities in respect of certain of UniFirst’s permits are required in connection with the Mergers. In deciding whether to grant the required regulatory authorization or consent, the relevant governmental authorities may consider, among other factors, the effect of the Mergers on competition within their relevant jurisdiction. The terms and conditions of the authorizations or consents that are granted may impose requirements, limitations or costs or place restrictions on the conduct of the business of Cintas after the completion of the Mergers.
In addition, regulators may impose conditions, terms, obligations or restrictions in connection with their authorization or consent to the Mergers, and such conditions, terms, obligations or restrictions could delay completion of the Mergers or impose additional material costs on or materially limit Cintas’ revenues after the completion of the Mergers or potentially lead to the abandonment of the Mergers.
On June 11, 2026, each of Cintas and UniFirst received a Second Request from the FTC in connection with the FTC’s review of the transactions contemplated by the Merger Agreement. Issuance of the Second Request extends the waiting period under the HSR Act until 30 days after both Cintas and the Company substantially comply with the Second Request, unless the waiting period is extended voluntarily by Cintas and the Company or terminated earlier by the FTC. On October 2, 2026, each of Cintas and UniFirst certified to the FTC that it has substantially complied with the Second Request. On October 2, 2026, Cintas and UniFirst entered into a timing agreement with the FTC pursuant to which Cintas and UniFirst agreed, among other things, not to consummate the Mergers prior to December 11, 2026 unless they have received written notice from the FTC prior to such date that the FTC has closed its investigation of the Mergers. Cintas and UniFirst have been working cooperatively with the FTC and will continue to do so.
The Merger Consideration, including the exchange ratio, is fixed and will not be adjusted in the event of any change in either Cintas’ or UniFirst’s stock price. As such, UniFirst shareholders cannot be sure of the value of the stock consideration they will receive in exchange for their shares of UniFirst stock in connection with the Mergers.
Upon completion of the Mergers, each share of UniFirst stock will be converted into the right to receive $155.00 in cash, and 0.7720 of a validly issued, fully paid and non-assessable share of Cintas common stock, in each case, without interest and subject to any required tax withholding. The stock consideration may potentially be adjusted for any fractional shares. The foregoing exchange ratio is fixed and will not be adjusted to reflect changes in the stock price of either Cintas or UniFirst before the Mergers are complete. Due to the fixed exchange ratio, fluctuations in the price of Cintas common stock will drive corresponding changes in the value of the Merger Consideration payable to each UniFirst shareholder. As a result, changes in the price of Cintas common stock prior to the completion of the Mergers will affect the market value that UniFirst shareholders will become entitled to receive on the date of the closing of the Mergers. Stock price changes may
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result from a variety of factors (many of which are beyond Cintas’ or UniFirst’s control), including changes in Cintas’ or UniFirst’s respective business, operations and prospects.
The price of Cintas common stock has fluctuated during the period between the date the Merger Agreement was executed and the date of this Annual Report on Form 10-K, and may continue to change through the date the Mergers are completed (which might be a significant period of time). Because the exchange ratio will not be adjusted to reflect any changes in the market values of Cintas common stock or UniFirst stock, the actual market value of the Cintas common stock received by UniFirst shareholders upon completion of the Mergers may differ from the market value on the last full trading day before the public announcement of the Mergers.
These variations could result from changes in the business, operations or prospects of Cintas or UniFirst prior to or after the completion of the Mergers, regulatory considerations, general market and economic conditions and other factors both within and beyond the control of Cintas or UniFirst. UniFirst shareholders do not know with certainty the value of the shares of Cintas common stock that they will receive upon completion of the Mergers. Neither Cintas nor UniFirst is permitted to terminate the Merger Agreement solely because of changes in the market price of either company’s common stock.
UniFirst is subject to business uncertainties and contractual restrictions while the proposed transaction is pending, which could adversely affect our business and operations.
In connection with the pendency of the Mergers, it is possible that some customers, suppliers and other persons with whom we have a business relationship may delay or defer certain business decisions or might decide to seek to terminate, change or renegotiate their relationships with us, as the case may be, as a result of the Mergers or otherwise. Under the terms of the Merger Agreement, we are subject to certain restrictions on the conduct of our business prior to completing the Mergers, which may adversely affect our ability to execute certain of our business strategies, including the ability in certain cases to enter into or amend contracts, acquire or dispose of assets, incur indebtedness or incur capital expenditures. Such limitations could adversely affect our business and operations prior to the completion of the Mergers.
Each of the risks described above may be exacerbated by delays or other adverse developments with respect to the completion of the Mergers.
Uncertainties associated with the Mergers may cause a loss of management personnel and other key employees or cause UniFirst and Cintas to have difficulty attracting and motivating management personnel and other key employees, which could adversely affect the future business and operations of Cintas after the completion of the Mergers.
UniFirst and Cintas are dependent on the experience and industry knowledge of their respective management personnel and other key employees to execute their business plans. The success of Cintas after the completion of the Mergers will depend in part upon the ability of UniFirst and Cintas to attract, motivate and retain key management personnel and other key employees. Prior to completion of the Mergers, current and prospective employees of UniFirst and Cintas may experience uncertainty about their roles within Cintas after the completion of the Mergers, which may have an adverse effect on the ability of each of UniFirst and Cintas to attract, motivate or retain management personnel and other key employees. In addition, no assurance can be given that Cintas, after the completion of the Mergers, will be able to attract, motivate or retain management personnel and other key employees of UniFirst and Cintas to the same extent that UniFirst and Cintas have previously been able to attract or retain their own employees.
Potential litigation against UniFirst and Cintas could result in substantial costs, an injunction preventing the completion of the Mergers and/or a judgment resulting in the payment of damages.
Securities class action lawsuits and derivative lawsuits are often brought against public companies that have entered into merger agreements. Even if such a lawsuit is without merit, defending against these claims can result in substantial costs. An adverse judgment could result in monetary damages, which could have a negative impact on UniFirst’s and Cintas’ respective liquidity and financial condition.
Additionally, if a plaintiff is successful in obtaining an injunction prohibiting completion of the Mergers, then that injunction may delay or prevent the Mergers from being completed, or from being completed within the expected time frame, which may adversely affect UniFirst’s and Cintas’ respective businesses, financial positions and results of operation.
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Completion of the Mergers may trigger change in control or other provisions in certain agreements to which UniFirst or its subsidiaries is a party, which may have an adverse impact on Cintas’ business and results of operations after the Mergers.
The completion of the Mergers may trigger change in control or other provisions in certain agreements to which UniFirst or its subsidiaries is a party. If UniFirst or its subsidiaries are unable to negotiate waivers of those provisions, the counterparties may exercise their rights and remedies under the agreements, potentially terminating the agreements or seeking monetary damages. Even if UniFirst or its subsidiaries are able to negotiate waivers, the counterparties may require a fee for such waivers or seek to renegotiate the agreements on terms less favorable to Cintas after the completion of the Mergers. Any of the foregoing or similar developments may have an adverse impact on Cintas’ business and operations after the completion of the Mergers.
The shares of Cintas common stock to be received by UniFirst shareholders upon completion of the Mergers will have different rights from shares of UniFirst stock.
Upon completion of the Mergers, UniFirst shareholders will no longer be UniFirst shareholders but will instead become Cintas shareholders, and their rights as Cintas shareholders will be governed by the terms of Cintas articles of incorporation, as may be amended from time to time, Cintas bylaws, as may be amended from time to time, and the Washington Business Corporation Act (“WBCA”). The terms of Cintas articles of incorporation, Cintas bylaws and the WBCA are in some respects materially different from the terms of UniFirst articles of organization, as may be amended from time to time, UniFirst bylaws, as may be amended from time to time, and the Massachusetts Business Corporation Act, which currently govern the rights of UniFirst shareholders.
UniFirst shareholders will have a significantly reduced ownership and voting interest after the Mergers and will exercise less influence over the policies of Cintas after the completion of the Mergers than they now have on the policies of UniFirst.
Cintas shareholders currently have the right to vote in the election of the Cintas Board and on other matters affecting Cintas. UniFirst shareholders currently have the right to vote in the election of the UniFirst Board and on other matters affecting UniFirst. Currently, each share of Cintas common stock is entitled to 1 vote per share. Currently, each share of UniFirst Class B Common Stock is entitled to 10 votes per share and each share of UniFirst Common Stock is entitled to 1 vote per share. Generally, members of the Croatti family, as holders of shares of UniFirst Class B Common Stock, have a material influence on the management and policies of UniFirst currently and even if all other holders of UniFirst common stock voted together on all matters, they would not have a significant impact on the approval or rejection of proposals submitted to UniFirst shareholders.
Immediately after the Mergers are completed, it is expected that current UniFirst shareholders, including holders of Common Stock, will own a significantly reduced percentage of the outstanding shares Cintas common stock relative to their ownership of UniFirst Common Stock or UniFirst Class B Common Stock. As a result of their reduced ownership of Cintas, current UniFirst shareholders will have significantly less influence on the management and policies of Cintas than they now have on the management and policies of UniFirst.
The Mergers will involve substantial costs.
UniFirst and Cintas have incurred, and expect to continue to incur, a number of non-recurring costs associated with the Mergers, a substantial majority of which will be comprised of transaction costs related to the Mergers and include, among others, employee retention costs, fees paid to financial, legal and accounting advisors, severance and benefit costs, proxy solicitation costs and filing fees and regulatory costs.
LEGAL AND REGULATORY RISKS
The expenses we may incur to comply with environmental regulations, including costs associated with potential environmental remediation, may prove to be significant and could have a material adverse effect on our results of operations and financial condition.
We, like our competitors, are subject to various federal, state and local laws and regulations governing, among other things, air emissions, wastewater discharges, and the generation, handling, storage, transportation, treatment and disposal of hazardous wastes and other substances. We, like our competitors, are subject to various federal, state and local laws and regulations governing, among other things, air emissions, wastewater discharges, and the generation, handling, storage, transportation, treatment and disposal of hazardous wastes and other substances. In particular, industrial laundries currently use and must dispose of detergent
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wastewater and other residues, and, in the past, used perchloroethylene and other dry cleaning solvents. We are attentive to the environmental concerns surrounding the disposal of these materials and have, through the years, taken measures to avoid their improper disposal. Over the years, we have settled, or contributed to the settlement of, past actions or claims brought against us relating to the disposal of hazardous materials at several sites, and there can be no assurance that we will not have to expend material amounts to remediate the consequences of any such disposal in the future. Further, under environmental laws, an owner or lessee of real estate may be liable for the costs of removal or remediation of certain hazardous or toxic substances located on, or in, or emanating from such property, as well as related costs of investigation and property damage. Such laws often impose liability without regard to whether the owner or lessee knew of, or was responsible for, the presence of such hazardous or toxic substances. There can be no assurance that acquired or leased locations have been operated in compliance with environmental laws and regulations or that future uses or conditions will not result in the imposition of liability upon us under such laws or expose us to third-party actions such as tort suits.
We continue to address environmental conditions under terms of consent orders negotiated with the applicable environmental authorities or otherwise with respect to sites located in or related to certain sites.
We have accrued certain costs related to certain sites.
On a quarterly basis, we assess each of our environmental sites to determine whether the costs of investigation and remediation of environmental conditions are probable and can be reasonably estimated as well as the adequacy of our accruals with respect to such costs. There can be no assurance that our accruals with respect to our environmental sites will be sufficient or that the costs of remediation and investigation will not substantially exceed our accruals as new facts, circumstances or estimates arise.
Our nuclear garment decontamination facilities are licensed by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, or in certain cases, by the applicable state agency, and are subject to regulation by federal, state and local authorities. We also have nuclear garment decontamination facilities in the United Kingdom and the Netherlands. These facilities are licensed and regulated by the respective country’s applicable federal agency. In the past, scrutiny and regulation of nuclear facilities and related services have resulted in the suspension of operations at certain nuclear facilities served by us or disruptions in our ability to service such facilities. There can be no assurance that such scrutiny and regulation will not lead to the shut-down of such facilities or otherwise cause material disruptions in our garment decontamination business.
In addition, our nuclear garment decontamination operations are subject to asset retirement obligations related to the decommissioning of our nuclear laundry facilities. We recognize as a liability the present value of the estimated future costs to decommission these facilities. The estimated liability is based on historical experience in decommissioning nuclear laundry facilities, estimated useful lives of the underlying assets, external vendor estimates as to the cost to decommission these assets in the future, and federal and state regulatory requirements. No assurances can be given that these accruals will be sufficient or that the costs of such decommissioning will not substantially exceed such accruals, as our facts, circumstances or estimates change, including changes in the Company’s estimated useful lives of the underlying assets, estimated dates of decommissioning, changes in decommissioning costs, changes in federal or state regulatory guidance on the decommissioning of such facilities, or other changes in estimates.
In addition to contingencies and claims relating to environmental compliance matters, we may from time to time be subject to legal or regulatory proceedings and claims related to our business operations which may have a material adverse effect on our financial condition and operating results. 12 In addition to contingencies and claims relating to environmental compliance matters, we may from time to time be subject to legal or regulatory proceedings and claims related to our business operations which may have a material adverse effect on our financial condition and operating results.
In addition to contingencies and claims relating to environmental matters, we are subject from time to time to legal or regulatory proceedings, including, without limitation, with respect to tax matters, and to claims and disputes arising from the conduct of our business operations, including personal injury claims, customer contract matters and employment claims such as claims alleging violations of, and damages under, the Fair Labor Standards Act (the “FLSA”). In addition to contingencies and claims relating to environmental matters, we are subject from time to time to legal or regulatory proceedings, including, without limitation, with respect to tax matters, and to claims and disputes arising from the conduct of our business operations, including personal injury claims, customer contract matters and employment claims such as claims alleging violations of, and damages under, the Fair Labor Standards Act (the “FLSA”). Refer to Note 10, “Commitments and Contingencies”, of our Consolidated Financial Statements for further discussion.
For example, in the fourth quarter of fiscal 2022, the Mexican federal tax authority issued a tax assessment on our subsidiary in Mexico for import taxes from the fiscal year ended August 27, 2016 (“fiscal 2016”), value added taxes and customs processing fees of over $17.0 million, plus surcharges, fines and penalties of $67.7 million, for a total assessment of $84.7 million. We challenged the validity of the tax assessment through administrative and judicial proceedings. We challenged the validity of the tax assessment through an appeal process. In the first quarter of fiscal 2025, the Federal Tax Court in Mexico issued a ruling partially in our favor. In the first quarter of fiscal 2025, the Federal Tax Court in Mexico made a determination partially in our favor. Following subsequent judicial proceedings, the judgment became final and binding in fiscal 2026, requiring the Mexican federal tax authority to issue a revised assessment. Consequently, the tax authority issued a new assessment of approximately $4.16 million, which
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we subsequently challenged through a complaint alleging defective and/or excessive compliance with the judgment. These proceedings remain pending. Based on the information currently available, we determined that a loss of approximately $2.0 million is probable and recorded an accrual for such estimated liability in our Consolidated Financial Statements for the fourth quarter of fiscal 2026. We are unable to ascertain the ultimate outcome of the remaining disputed amount and believe that any additional loss beyond the recorded accrual is neither probable nor remote; accordingly, we are unable to reasonably estimate the amount or range of any such additional loss.
Certain of the claims to which we are subject are typically not covered by our available insurance. In addition, claims occasionally result in significant investigation and litigation expenses and, if successful, may result in material losses to us. Certain claims may also result in significant adverse publicity against us. As a consequence, successful claims against us not covered by our available insurance coverage or the adverse outcome of a legal or regulatory proceeding, or the impact of adverse publicity against us, could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operation.
Failure to comply with state, federal, international and other laws, rules and regulations to which we are subject may result in penalties or costs that could have a material adverse effect on our business.
Our business is subject to various state, federal, international and other laws, rules and regulations, including employment laws and regulations such as the FLSA, minimum wage requirements, overtime requirements, working condition requirements, citizenship requirements, healthcare insurance mandates, data protection requirements, import and export requirements and restrictions and other laws, rules and regulations, including those of the SEC and NYSE and those relating to accounting. Our business is subject to various state, federal, international and other laws, rules and regulations, including employment laws and regulations such as the FLSA, minimum wage requirements, overtime requirements, working condition requirements, citizenship requirements, healthcare insurance mandates, data protection requirements, import and export requirements and restrictions and other laws, rules and regulations, including those of the SEC and NYSE and those relating to accounting. We have incurred, and will continue to incur, capital and operating expenditures and other costs in the ordinary course of our business in complying with the laws, rules and regulations to which we are subject. Any appreciable increase in the statutory minimum wage rate, income or overtime pay, costs of complying with healthcare insurance mandates, changes in the requirements under the Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970, as amended, changes in environmental compliance requirements, or changes to immigration laws and citizenship requirements would likely result in an increase in our labor costs and/or contribute to a shortage of available labor and such cost increase or labor shortage, or the penalties for failing to comply with such statutory minimums or regulations, could have an adverse effect on our business, liquidity and results of operations. The impact of any new laws, rules and regulations such as recent rules adopted by the SEC regarding climate-related and cybersecurity-related disclosures, or changes to laws, rules and regulations or governmental interpretations of such laws, rules and regulations, cannot be predicted and could cause us to incur substantial compliance costs. Any failure to comply with applicable laws, rules and regulations could result in substantial fines or penalties by government authorities, payment of damages to private litigants or possible revocation of our authority to conduct our operations, which could materially adversely affect our ability to service customers and our results of operations.
Changes in or new interpretations of the governmental regulatory framework may affect our contract terms and may reduce our sales or profits. 13 Changes in or new interpretations of the governmental regulatory framework may affect our contract terms and may reduce our sales or profits.
A portion of our total consolidated revenues is derived from business with U.S. federal, state and local governments and agencies. Changes or new interpretations in, or changes in the enforcement of, the statutory or regulatory framework applicable to services provided under governmental contracts or bidding procedures could result in fewer new contracts or contract renewals, modifications to the methods we apply to price government contracts or in contract terms of shorter duration than we have historically experienced, any of which could result in lower sales or profits than we have historically achieved, which could have an adverse effect on our results of operations.
GENERAL RISK FACTORS
Adverse global financial and economic conditions may result in impairment of our goodwill and intangibles.
Our market capitalization, from time to time, has experienced volatility due in part to turbulent economic conditions and disruption in the global equity and credit markets. Our market capitalization, from time to time, has experienced volatility due in part to turbulent economic conditions and disruption in the global equity and credit markets. Under accounting principles generally accepted in the U.S. (“U.S. GAAP”), we may be required to record an impairment charge if changes in circumstances or events indicate that the carrying values of our goodwill and intangible assets exceed their fair value and are not recoverable. Any significant and other-than-temporary decrease in our market capitalization could be an indicator, when considered together with other factors, that the carrying values of our goodwill and intangible assets exceed their fair value, which may result in our recording an impairment charge. We are unable to predict economic trends, but we continue to monitor the impact of changes in economic and financial conditions on our operations and on the carrying value of our goodwill and intangible
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assets. Should the value of our acquired goodwill or one or more of our acquired intangibles become impaired, our consolidated earnings and net worth may be materially adversely affected.
The price of our Common Stock may be highly volatile, which could result in significant price declines.
The price of our Common Stock may experience significant volatility. The price of our Common Stock may experience significant volatility. Such volatility may be caused by fluctuations in our operating results, changes in earnings estimated by investment analysts, the number of shares of our Common Stock traded each day, the degree of success we achieve in implementing our business and growth strategies, changes in business or regulatory conditions affecting us, our customers or our competitors and other factors. In addition, stocks listed on the NYSE have occasionally experienced extreme price and volume fluctuations that often have been unrelated to, or disproportionate to, the operating performance of the listed companies. These fluctuations, as well as general economic, political and market conditions, may adversely affect the market price of our Common Stock.
If we are unable to accurately predict our future tax liabilities or become subject to increased levels of taxation or our tax contingencies are unfavorably resolved, our results of operations and financial condition could be materially adversely affected.
The rules dealing with U.S. federal, state and local and non-U.S. taxation are regularly under review by persons involved in the legislative process and by the Internal Revenue Service (“IRS”), the U.S. Treasury Department and other taxing authorities. Changes to tax laws (which changes may have retroactive application) could adversely affect us or holders of our Common Stock. Any such tax laws, regulations, interpretations, or rulings could have an adverse effect on our financial condition and results of operations. These changes could subject us to additional income taxes and non-income taxes (such as payroll, sales, use, import, value-added, digital tax, net worth, property, and goods and services taxes), which in turn could materially affect our financial position and results of operations. Additionally, new, changed, modified, or newly interpreted or applied tax laws could increase our customers’ and our compliance costs, operating and other costs, as well as the costs of our products. In recent years, many such changes have been made, and changes are likely to continue to occur in the future. As we expand the scale of our business activities, any changes in the U.S. and non-U.S. taxation of such activities may increase our effective tax rate and harm our business, financial condition, and results of operations.
In addition, we are also subject to tax audits in the U.S., Canada, Mexico, and other jurisdictions in which we do business, including, but not limited to, various states and Canadian provinces. These audits can be complicated and can require several years to resolve. The final resolution of any such tax audit could result in an increase in our income tax and other tax liabilities. Although we believe that our current tax provisions are reasonable and appropriate, there can be no assurance that these items will be settled for the amounts accrued, that additional tax exposures will not be identified in the future or that additional tax reserves will not be necessary for any such exposures. Any increase in the amount of taxes we owe, including any fines or penalties, as a result of challenges to our tax filing positions could result in a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations and financial condition. Refer to Note 10, “Commitments and Contingencies”, of our Consolidated Financial Statements for further discussion, including regarding the tax assessment matter in Mexico.
We are controlled by our principal shareholders, and our other shareholders may be unable to affect the outcome of shareholder voting. We are controlled by our principal shareholders, and our other shareholders may be unable to affect the outcome of shareholder voting.
As of October 20, 2026, to the Company’s knowledge, the members of the Croatti family and other family members owned, directly or indirectly, in the aggregate approximately 3,501,265 shares of our Class B Common Stock, which represents approximately 19.4% of the aggregate number of outstanding shares of our Common Stock and Class B Common Stock, but approximately 70.6% of the combined voting power of the outstanding shares of our Common Stock and Class B Common Stock. As of October 22, 2025, to the Company’s knowledge, the members of the Croatti family and other family members owned, directly or indirectly, in the aggregate approximately 3,551,265 shares of our Class B Common Stock, which represents approximately 19.6% of the aggregate number of outstanding shares of our Common Stock and Class B Common Stock, but approximately 70.9% of the combined voting power of the outstanding shares of our Common Stock and Class B Common Stock. To the Company’s knowledge, the members of the Croatti family and other family members owned, directly or indirectly, a number of shares of Common Stock. As a result, the members of the Croatti family, acting with other family members, could effectively control most matters requiring approval by our shareholders, including the election of a majority of the directors. While historically the members of the Croatti family have individually voted their respective shares of Class B Common Stock in the same manner, there is no contractual understanding requiring this and there is no assurance that the family members will continue to individually vote their shares of Class B Common Stock in the same manner. This voting control by the members of the Croatti family, together with certain provisions of our by-laws and articles of organization, could have the effect of delaying, deferring or preventing a change in control of our Company that would otherwise be beneficial to our public shareholders.
19

ITEM 1B. UNRESOLVED STAFF COMMENTS
None.
ITEM 1C. CYBERSECURITY
Cybersecurity Risk Management and Strategy
Our cybersecurity risk management strategy is designed to detect, evaluate, and manage risks from cybersecurity threats and incidents. Our program is intended to identify cybersecurity risks facing our organization and inform our risk-based approach to cybersecurity preparedness and incident response procedures.
Our cybersecurity risk management program is supported by our third-party vendors and service providers, and includes, but is not limited to, periodic penetration testing and endpoint detection, and automated tools to monitor our network and systems to detect vulnerabilities or unusual activity that could lead to unauthorized access to our systems or data. We conduct assessments, as appropriate, of critical third-party service providers, which generally include a cybersecurity questionnaire and a review of security assessments and certifications. We also provide cybersecurity awareness training to employees with access to our network.
We also have a policy for responding to and mitigating cybersecurity incidents. We also have a policy for responding to and mitigating cybersecurity incidents. Our Chief Information & Technology Officer (“CITO”) oversees our incident response procedures, which are reviewed and updated periodically.
We have not identified cybersecurity incidents or threats that have materially affected us or are reasonably likely to materially affect us, including our business strategy, results of operations, or financial condition. However, like other companies in our industry, we and our third-party vendors have from time to time experienced threats that could affect our information or systems. For more information, please see the risk factor titled “If our information technology systems suffer interruptions or failures, including as a result of cyber-attacks, our business operations could be disrupted or other material adverse impacts on our business could result.”
Cybersecurity Governance
Our CITO, who reports to our Chief Executive Officer, is responsible for leading our information security team and overseeing the Company’s cybersecurity risk management efforts. Our CITO has significant experience as a chief technology officer. Our Chief Information Security Officer supports the program and incident response and reports to the CITO.
Our cybersecurity risk management program is overseen by our Board of Directors. Members of the Board of Directors and the Audit Committee will periodically meet with our CITO to discuss material cybersecurity risks facing our organization and significant changes or updates to our cybersecurity processes. The full Board of Directors receives a cybersecurity risk management update from management generally on a quarterly basis.
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