UniFirst
An American provider of managed workwear, uniform rental, protective-apparel, laundering, and workplace-supply services.
Last updated August 22, 2026
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Overview
UniFirst Corporation is an American uniform-services company headquartered in Wilmington, Massachusetts. Its principal business is the managed supply and servicing of workwear: customers receive uniforms or protective garments through rental or direct-sale programs, while UniFirst handles delivery, laundering, repair, replacement, and inventory administration. The company serves industrial, manufacturing, construction, automotive, healthcare, hospitality, food-processing, government, and other commercial customers that require employees to wear durable, identifiable, or specialized clothing. The company traces its origins to 1936, when the Croatti family established the National Overall Dry Cleaning Company in the Boston area. The operation began on a small scale in a converted horse barn with one washing machine and a delivery truck. Its initial customers were factory workers and other laborers whose heavily soiled work clothes required frequent cleaning. The business was incorporated in Massachusetts in 1950 and subsequently developed from a local industrial laundry into a vertically integrated uniform-services provider. UniFirst manufactures, sells, rents, cleans, and distributes a range of work garments. Its internally produced categories include work shirts, work trousers, outerwear, and flame-resistant apparel. The company also supplies workplace and facility products such as floor mats, mops, restroom supplies, air fresheners, soap, and related cleaning items. In rental programs, UniFirst generally combines garment provision with scheduled pickup and delivery, industrial laundering, quality control, and replacement services rather than treating uniforms as a one-time retail purchase. The company has expanded beyond standard uniform rental through specialist businesses. UniTech Services Group provides laundering and decontamination services for the nuclear industry. UniClean focuses on cleanroom apparel and associated services, while Green Guard supplies first-aid equipment and related workplace products. UniFirst Canada operates the company’s Canadian uniform-rental activities. Its wider network includes customer-service centers, distribution and manufacturing sites, cleanroom facilities, and nuclear decontamination locations across the United States, Canada, and Europe. UniFirst’s corporate development has included long periods of Croatti-family influence. Ronald Croatti became chief executive officer in 1991, added the presidency in 1995, and became chairman in 2002. After his death in 2017, Steven S. Sintros became president and chief executive officer. The company has also received public attention through environmental litigation connected with Woburn, Massachusetts, and through a 2011 appearance on the television program Undercover Boss. In the environmental area, later company operations were associated with recognition for water-treatment processes in Missouri and Texas. UniFirst competes in a service-intensive market in which route density, garment-processing capacity, compliance expertise, customer retention, and operational reliability are important. Its positioning is therefore broader than that of a clothing manufacturer: it sells a recurring workplace-management service built around apparel, hygiene, safety, and facility needs. The company’s public shares trade on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol UNF. The supplied reference material also reports a proposed acquisition by Cintas in March 2026, although the completion status and transaction documentation are not established in the available material.
History
UniFirst began in 1936 as the National Overall Dry Cleaning Company, founded by the Croatti family to serve Boston-area industrial workers. The early business operated from a converted horse barn with extremely modest equipment: one washing machine and a delivery truck. Its focus was practical rather than fashion-oriented. Factory workers and other laborers needed heavily soiled work clothes cleaned regularly, creating the recurring-service model that later became central to UniFirst’s business. The enterprise was incorporated in Massachusetts on October 6, 1950. Over subsequent decades, it expanded beyond basic dry cleaning and industrial laundry into the supply, rental, manufacture, and maintenance of uniforms and protective clothing. This development allowed customers to outsource not only garment cleaning but also clothing procurement, employee outfitting, scheduled distribution, repairs, replacements, and inventory control. UniFirst eventually became a vertically integrated provider, manufacturing many of the garments used in its own rental programs. The company’s portfolio broadened to include work shirts, work trousers, outerwear, flame-resistant apparel, and other protective garments. It also added workplace and facility products, including floor mats, mops, air fresheners, soap, restroom supplies, and cleaning-related items. Specialist operations extended its reach into regulated or technically demanding environments. UniTech Services Group developed services for laundering and decontaminating garments used in the nuclear industry, while UniClean supplied cleanroom clothing and related services. Green Guard became associated with first-aid equipment, and UniFirst Canada supported the company’s Canadian uniform-rental activity. UniFirst’s history also includes a significant environmental legal episode. During the 1980s, residents of Woburn, Massachusetts, brought a class-action lawsuit against UniFirst and two other companies. The residents alleged that pollution released by the companies contaminated the local water supply and contributed to increased leukemia cases. UniFirst settled the case before trial for $1 million. The episode was later discussed in Jonathan Harr’s nonfiction book A Civil Action and in the subsequent film adaptation. Later reference material describes improvements in UniFirst’s environmental record and notes recognition for water-treatment processes from organizations in Missouri and Texas. Leadership remained closely associated with the Croatti family for much of the modern period. Ronald Croatti became chief executive officer in 1991, president in 1995, and chairman of the board in 2002. His tenure covered the company’s continued expansion as a national and international uniform-services operator. In 2011, UniFirst received broader consumer visibility through an appearance on Undercover Boss, a reality television program that placed senior executives in frontline workplace settings. Ronald Croatti died in May 2017. Steven S. Sintros then became president and chief executive officer, marking a significant leadership transition. UniFirst continued operating a network comprising customer-service centers, manufacturing plants, distribution facilities, cleanroom locations, and nuclear decontamination sites in the United States, Canada, and Europe. The company’s business remains based on recurring commercial relationships, route-based garment service, industrial processing, and specialized protective-apparel expertise. UniFirst is publicly traded under the ticker symbol UNF. The supplied reference material reports that in March 2026 the company agreed to be acquired by Cintas in a transaction valued at $5.5 billion. Because the available source material does not provide closing documentation or a later status update, the acquisition should be treated as reported rather than confirmed as completed.
- 2026
Reported agreement to be acquired by Cintas
[1]The supplied reference material reports a proposed Cintas acquisition valued at $5.5 billion. Completion is not confirmed in the available material.
- 2017
Leadership transition after Ronald Croatti’s death
[1]Ronald Croatti dies in May, after which Steven S. Sintros becomes president and chief executive officer.
- 2011
Undercover Boss appearance
[1]UniFirst is featured in an episode of the reality television series Undercover Boss.
- 2002
Ronald Croatti becomes chairman
[1]Croatti becomes chairman of UniFirst’s board.
- 1995
Ronald Croatti becomes president
[1]Croatti adds the presidency to his leadership responsibilities.
- 1991
Ronald Croatti becomes CEO
[1]Ronald Croatti assumes the chief executive role.
- 1980
Woburn environmental lawsuit is settled
[1]UniFirst settles a class-action pollution lawsuit brought by Woburn residents for $1 million before trial. The supplied material places the litigation in the 1980s and does not specify a more precise year.
- 1950
Massachusetts incorporation
[1]The National Overall Dry Cleaning Company is incorporated in Massachusetts on October 6.
- 1936
National Overall Dry Cleaning Company is founded
[1]The Croatti family establishes the business in the Boston area to clean heavily soiled work clothes for factory workers and other laborers.
Products and positioning
A recurring, business-to-business uniform and workplace-services partner combining garment manufacturing, rental, laundering, delivery, protective apparel, and specialized contamination-control capabilities.
Uniform services
Uniform rental and managed workwear
UniFirst provides recurring uniform programs in which businesses receive work garments through rental or service arrangements. The offering typically combines garment selection, employee outfitting, scheduled delivery and pickup, industrial laundering, repairs, replacement, and account administration. It is designed for organizations that want to outsource the day-to-day management of employee work clothing.
Protective apparel
Protective and flame-resistant workwear
The company manufactures and supplies protective clothing for industrial and commercial environments, including flame-resistant work apparel. Its broader garment range includes work shirts, work pants, outerwear, and other clothing intended for demanding workplaces. Such products can be incorporated into rental programs or sold directly, depending on customer requirements.
Facility supplies
Workplace and restroom supplies
UniFirst supplies products that extend beyond garments into routine workplace and facility management. The referenced range includes floor mats, mops, air fresheners, soap, restroom products, and other cleaning-related supplies. These items complement uniform routes and allow customers to consolidate multiple recurring workplace-service needs with one provider.
Nuclear-industry services
UniTech Services Group
UniTech Services Group is the company’s specialist nuclear-industry operation. It provides laundering and decontamination services for garments and related items used in nuclear environments, where processing requires specialized procedures and operational controls beyond ordinary industrial laundry.
Cleanroom services
UniClean
UniClean supplies cleanroom clothing and associated services. Its activities address controlled environments in which garments must be processed and managed to help limit contamination. The operation complements UniFirst’s general uniform business by serving customers with more demanding cleanliness and handling requirements.
First-aid supplies
Green Guard
Green Guard is identified in the supplied reference material as a UniFirst subsidiary focused on first-aid equipment and related workplace supplies. It broadens the company’s business-services offering beyond clothing, laundering, and facility products.
Controversies
1980
Woburn water-contamination litigation
In the 1980s, Woburn residents sued UniFirst and two other companies, alleging that industrial pollution had entered the local water supply and contributed to increased leukemia cases. UniFirst settled before trial for $1 million. The case later became associated with A Civil Action, Jonathan Harr’s nonfiction account and its film adaptation.
Marketing campaigns
- 2011Undercover Boss
United States
UniFirst participated in the television program Undercover Boss, which placed a senior company executive in frontline roles to observe operations and employee experiences.
Outcome. The appearance increased public visibility for UniFirst, but the available reference material does not document specific operational changes or campaign performance.
Brand decisions
2026
Reported agreement to sell UniFirst to CintasM&ABackground
The supplied reference material reports that UniFirst agreed to a combination with Cintas in March 2026.
Action taken
The reported transaction would value UniFirst at approximately $5.5 billion and transfer it to Cintas, subject to the applicable closing conditions.
Aftermath
The available material does not confirm whether the acquisition closed, was terminated, or remained pending.
Reported transaction value. $5.5 billion (March 2026 reported agreement)
2017
Leadership succession after Croatti’s deathStrategyBackground
Ronald Croatti had led UniFirst as CEO, president, and chairman during successive stages of the company’s modern development. His death in May 2017 created a need for executive succession.
Action taken
Steven S. Sintros became president and chief executive officer.
Aftermath
UniFirst continued operating its uniform, garment-processing, facility-supply, cleanroom, and nuclear-industry service businesses under the new leadership.
Recent events
UniFirst partners with regional chambers and organizations[3]
Reported:
UniFirst partnered with chambers of commerce and organizations in more than 25 regions to identify businesses in need and provide protective equipment amid the pandemic.
Sources3 sources
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