On March 10, 2026, UniFirst Corporation ( “UniFirst”), Cintas Corporation (“Cintas”), Bruin Merger Sub I, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Cintas (“Merger Sub Inc.”), and Bruin Merger Sub II, LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Cintas ( “Merger Sub LLC”) entered into an Agreement and Plan of Merger (the “merger agreement”), pursuant to which, subject to approval by UniFirst shareholders and the satisfaction (or, to the extent permitted by applicable law in accordance with the merger agreement, waiver) of the conditions to the mergers set forth in the merger agreement and described in the proxy statement/prospectus accompanying this letter, (i) Merger Sub Inc. will merge with and into UniFirst (the “first merger”), whereupon the separate existence of Merger Sub Inc. will cease, and UniFirst will continue as the surviving corporation and a wholly owned subsidiary of Cintas, and (ii) immediately after the first merger, UniFirst will merge with and into Merger Sub LLC (the “second merger”), whereupon the separate existence of UniFirst will cease, and Merger Sub LLC will continue as the surviving entity and a wholly owned subsidiary of Cintas. We refer to the first merger and the second merger collectively as the “mergers.”

As a result of the mergers, UniFirst will no longer be a publicly held company. Following the mergers, UniFirst stock will be delisted from the New York Stock Exchange (the “NYSE”) and deregistered under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. The common stock of UniFirst is currently traded on the NYSE under the symbol “UNF.”

If the first merger is completed, each share of UniFirst common stock and UniFirst class B common stock (collectively, “UniFirst stock”) will be converted into the right to receive $155.00 in cash, without interest, and 0.7720 of validly issued, fully paid and non-assessable shares of Cintas common stock (with, if applicable, cash in lieu of fractional shares) (the “merger consideration”), less any applicable withholding taxes. For more details on the merger consideration, see “The Merger Agreement—Merger Consideration” beginning on page 77, of the proxy statement/prospectus accompanying this letter.

The market value of Cintas common stock at the time of completion of the mergers could be greater than, less than or the same as market value of Cintas common stock on the date of the accompanying proxy statement/prospectus and/or the date of the special meeting of shareholders of UniFirst (the “special meeting”). We cannot predict the amount of any change in value, as the market price of shares of Cintas common stock may fluctuate based on the perceived value of the Cintas common stock in anticipation of the mergers, and it may not be possible to estimate the market value of Cintas common stock. The common stock of Cintas is traded on the NASDAQ Global Select Market under the symbol “CTAS.”

Based on the current number of shares of UniFirst stock outstanding, Cintas will issue approximately 14,261,683 shares of Cintas common stock to UniFirst shareholders in the first merger (including shares of Cintas common stock to be issued in connection with certain outstanding UniFirst long-term incentive equity and equity-based awards subject to applicable vesting conditions). As a result of these issuances, current Cintas shareholders and UniFirst shareholders are expected to hold approximately 96.6% and 3.4%, respectively, of the outstanding shares of Cintas common stock immediately following completion of the mergers.

UniFirst is holding a special meeting to vote on the proposal to approve the merger agreement, which is necessary to complete the mergers, and to vote on other matters related to the mergers. The UniFirst board of directors unanimously recommends that UniFirst shareholders vote “FOR” the merger agreement proposal and “FOR” each of the other proposals described in the accompanying proxy statement/prospectus. The special meeting will be held on June 11, 2026, at 10:00 a.m. Eastern Time in a virtual-only format, via the Internet at https://meetnow.global/MJT2K5M. Please be sure to follow the instructions found on your proxy card and/or voting instruction form and subsequent instructions that will be delivered to you via email.

Information about the special meeting, the mergers and the other business to be considered at the special meeting is contained in the accompanying proxy statement/prospectus. We urge you to carefully read the entire accompanying proxy statement/prospectus and the annexes and documents incorporated by reference. You should also carefully consider the risks that are described in the “Risk Factors” section beginning on page 29 of the proxy statement/prospectus accompanying this letter.

Your vote is very important regardless of the number of shares of UniFirst stock that you own. The mergers cannot be completed without the approval of the merger agreement by the affirmative vote of two-thirds of the combined voting power of the outstanding shares of UniFirst common stock and UniFirst class B common stock, voting together as a single class. Entities and individuals affiliated with the Croatti family that control approximately two-thirds of the combined voting power of UniFirst’s common stock and class B common stock have entered into a voting and support agreement with Cintas, under which they have agreed to vote their shares in favor of the approval of the merger agreement and the transactions contemplated thereby, including the mergers (subject to certain exceptions). Therefore, approval of the merger agreement and related proposals is expected at the special meeting.

Whether or not you plan to attend the special meeting, please submit your proxy or voting instruction as soon as possible to make sure that your shares are represented at the special meeting.

Neither the Securities and Exchange Commission nor any state securities commission has approved or disapproved of the mergers or the other transactions described in the accompanying proxy statement/prospectus or the securities to be issued in connection with the mergers or determined if the accompanying proxy statement/prospectus is accurate or complete. Any representation to the contrary is a criminal offense.

The accompanying proxy statement/prospectus is dated May 11, 2026, and is first being mailed to UniFirst shareholders on or about May 12, 2026.

Notice is hereby given of a special meeting of shareholders of UniFirst Corporation (“UniFirst”) to be held on June 11, 2026, at 10:00 a.m. Eastern Time. UniFirst shareholders will be able to virtually attend and vote at the special meeting via the Internet at https://meetnow.global/MJT2K5M. Online check-in will start approximately 15 minutes before the special meeting is scheduled to begin. You will not be able to attend the special meeting physically in person. For purposes of attendance at the special meeting, all references in the accompanying proxy statement/prospectus to “present” will mean virtually present at the special meeting.

The special meeting is being held to consider and vote on the following proposals:

UniFirst shareholder approval of the merger proposal is required to complete the first merger between Merger Sub Inc. and UniFirst, as contemplated by the merger agreement. UniFirst shareholders will also be asked to approve the non-binding compensation advisory proposal and the adjournment proposal. UniFirst will transact no other business at the special meeting.

The record date for the special meeting has been set as May 11, 2026. Only UniFirst shareholders of record as of the close of business on such record date are entitled to notice of, and to vote at, the special meeting or any adjournments and postponements of the special meeting. Any shareholder entitled to attend and vote at the special meeting is entitled to appoint a proxy to attend and act on such shareholder’s behalf.

A list of UniFirst shareholders entitled to be present and to vote at the special meeting will be available for inspection upon request to Computershare Inc., beginning two business days after notice is given of the special meeting and continuing through the date of the special meeting. Access to and use of this list of shareholders will be subject to satisfactory verification of shareholder status and compliance with applicable Massachusetts law. To obtain access to the list of UniFirst shareholders, please contact Computershare Inc. at 800-522-6645. Holders of UniFirst stock are not entitled to appraisal rights. For additional information regarding the special meeting, see the section titled “The UniFirst Special Meeting” beginning on page 100, of the proxy statement/prospectus accompanying this notice.

The UniFirst Board of Directors unanimously recommends that you vote “FOR” the merger proposal, “FOR” the non-binding compensation advisory proposal and “FOR” the adjournment proposal.

The shareholder proposals are described in more detail in the accompanying proxy statement/prospectus, which you should read carefully and in its entirety before you vote. A copy of the merger agreement is attached as Annex A to the accompanying proxy statement/prospectus. If you have any questions concerning the proposals in this notice, the mergers or the proxy statement/prospectus, would like additional copies or need help voting your shares of UniFirst stock, please contact UniFirst’s proxy solicitor at:

PLEASE VOTE AS PROMPTLY AS POSSIBLE, WHETHER OR NOT YOU PLAN TO ATTEND THE SPECIAL MEETING. IF YOU LATER DESIRE TO REVOKE OR CHANGE YOUR PROXY FOR ANY REASON, YOU MAY DO SO IN THE MANNER DESCRIBED IN THE ACCOMPANYING PROXY STATEMENT/PROSPECTUS. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONCERNING THE PROPOSALS BEING VOTED UPON, USE OF THE PROXY AND OTHER RELATED MATTERS, YOU ARE URGED TO READ THE ENTIRE ACCOMPANYING PROXY STATEMENT/PROSPECTUS.

As permitted by the rules of the SEC, this proxy statement/prospectus incorporates by reference important business and financial information about Cintas and UniFirst from other documents that are not included in or delivered with this proxy statement/prospectus, including documents that Cintas and UniFirst have filed with the SEC. This information is available to you without charge upon your request. You can obtain the documents incorporated by reference in this proxy statement/prospectus through the SEC website at http://www.sec.gov.

Copies of documents filed by Cintas with the SEC are available at the investor relations page of Cintas’ website, https://www.cintas.com/investors/financial-reports/ and are also available to you free of charge upon your request in writing or by telephone to Cintas at the address and telephone number below. Copies of documents filed by UniFirst with the SEC are available at the investor relations page of UniFirst’s website, https://investors.unifirst.com/financial-information/sec-filings/, and are also available to you free of charge upon your request in writing or by telephone to UniFirst at the address and telephone number below.

You will not be charged for any of these documents that you request. To obtain timely delivery of these documents, you must make your request no later than five business days before the date of the special meeting. This means that holders of UniFirst stock requesting documents must do so by June 4, 2026 in order to receive them before the special meeting.

See the section of this proxy statement/prospectus titled “Where You Can Find More Information” beginning on page 154 for further information. The contents of the websites of the SEC, Cintas and UniFirst are not being incorporated into this proxy statement/prospectus. This information about how you can obtain certain documents that are being incorporated by reference into this proxy statement/prospectus at these websites is being provided only for your convenience.

This proxy statement/prospectus, which forms part of a registration statement on Form S-4 filed with the SEC by Cintas, constitutes a prospectus of Cintas under Section 5 of the Securities Act with respect to the shares of Cintas common stock to be issued to holders of UniFirst stock pursuant to the merger agreement. This proxy statement/prospectus also constitutes a proxy statement of UniFirst under Section 14(a) of the Exchange Act. This proxy statement/prospectus also constitutes a notice of meeting with respect to the special meeting, at which UniFirst shareholders will be asked to consider and vote on the approval of the merger agreement and other related proposals.

Except where the context otherwise indicates, information contained in, or incorporated by reference into, this proxy statement/prospectus regarding UniFirst has been provided by UniFirst and information contained in, or incorporated by reference into, this proxy statement/prospectus regarding Cintas, Merger Sub Inc. and Merger Sub LLC has been provided by Cintas.

You should rely only on the information contained in, or incorporated by reference into, this proxy statement/prospectus. No one has been authorized to provide you with information that is different from that which is contained in, or incorporated by reference into, this proxy statement/prospectus, and Cintas and UniFirst take no responsibility for, and can provide no assurance as to the reliability of, any other information that others may provide you. This proxy statement/prospectus is dated May 11, 2026, and you should assume that the information incorporated by reference into this proxy statement/prospectus is accurate only as of such date. You should assume that the information in this proxy statement/prospectus is accurate only as of the date of such incorporated document unless the information specifically indicates that another date applies. Neither the mailing of this proxy statement/prospectus to holders of UniFirst stock nor the issuance by Cintas of shares of Cintas common stock in connection with the mergers will create any implication to the contrary.

This proxy statement/prospectus does not constitute an offer to sell, or a solicitation of an offer to buy, any securities, or the solicitation of a proxy, in any jurisdiction to or from any person to whom it is unlawful to make any such offer or solicitation in such jurisdiction.

Unless stated otherwise, when the following bolded terms and abbreviations appear in this proxy statement/prospectus, they have the meanings indicated below:

The following questions and answers briefly address some commonly asked questions about the merger agreement, the mergers, the other transactions contemplated by the merger agreement and the special meeting. They may not include all of the information that is important to UniFirst shareholders. UniFirst shareholders should carefully read this entire proxy statement/prospectus, including the annexes and the other documents referred to or incorporated by reference in this proxy statement/prospectus. See “Where You Can Find More Information” beginning on page 154.

Following consummation of the mergers, shares of Cintas common stock will continue to be listed on the NASDAQ under the trading symbol “CTAS.” Following consummation of the mergers, UniFirst common stock will be delisted from the NYSE and deregistered under the Exchange Act, after which UniFirst will no longer be required to file periodic reports with the SEC in respect of UniFirst common stock.

The special meeting to consider and vote upon the merger proposal and related matters will be held on June 11, 2026, at 10:00 a.m. Eastern Time in a virtual-only format, via the Internet at https://meetnow.global/MJT2K5M.

The purpose of the special meeting is to consider and vote on the merger proposal, the non-binding compensation advisory proposal and, if necessary, the adjournment proposal. Approval of the merger proposal is a condition to the obligations of UniFirst and Cintas to complete the mergers. The obligations of UniFirst and Cintas to complete the mergers are not conditioned upon approval of the non-binding compensation advisory proposal or the adjournment proposal.

After careful consideration of various factors described in the section titled “The Mergers—UniFirst’s Reasons for the Mergers; Recommendation of the UniFirst Board of Directors” beginning on page 48 of this proxy statement/prospectus, the UniFirst Board unanimously determined that the merger agreement and the transactions contemplated by the merger agreement, including the mergers, are in the best interests of UniFirst and its shareholders, and unanimously recommends that UniFirst shareholders vote:

Only UniFirst shareholders of record as of the close of business on May 11, 2026, the record date for the special meeting, are entitled to notice of, and to vote at, the special meeting or any adjournment or postponement of the special meeting.

As of the close of business on the record date, there were approximately 14,532,640 shares of UniFirst common stock issued and outstanding, of which approximately 0.34% of the UniFirst common stock was owned and entitled to be voted by UniFirst’s directors and executive officers and approximately 3,551,265 shares of UniFirst class B common stock issued and outstanding, of which approximately 0.54% of the UniFirst class B common stock was owned and entitled to be voted by UniFirst’s directors and executive officers. As of May 11, 2026, the record date of the special meeting, UniFirst’s directors and executive officers held sole dispositive and voting power over shares of UniFirst stock representing approximately 0.48% of the voting power represented by all issued and outstanding shares of UniFirst stock. The shares of UniFirst common stock and UniFirst class B common stock shall be entitled to vote at the special meeting as a single class. Each share of UniFirst common stock held as of the close of business on the record date entitles such UniFirst shareholder to one vote. Each share of UniFirst class B common stock held as of the close of business on the record date entitles such UniFirst shareholder to 10 votes.

A quorum of UniFirst shareholders is necessary for UniFirst to hold a valid special meeting. The representation in person or by proxy of at least a majority of all UniFirst common stock and UniFirst class B common stock issued, outstanding and entitled to vote at the special meeting constitutes a quorum for the transaction of business, with abstentions counted for the purpose of determining a quorum and broker non-votes not counted for the purpose of determining a quorum.

Approval of the merger proposal requires the affirmative vote of two-thirds of the combined voting power of the outstanding shares of UniFirst common stock and UniFirst class B common stock, voting as a single class. Abstentions and broker non-votes will have the same effect as a vote “AGAINST” the merger proposal. Failure to vote on the merger proposal will have the same effect as a vote “AGAINST” the merger proposal.

On March 10, 2026, concurrently with the execution of the merger agreement, the supporting shareholders who are individuals and entities affiliated with the Croatti family, which own, directly or indirectly, in the aggregate, approximately two-thirds of the combined voting power of the outstanding shares of UniFirst common stock and UniFirst class B common stock, entered into the voting and support agreement with Cintas, pursuant to which they have agreed, among other things, to vote their shares of UniFirst stock in favor of the approval of the merger agreement and the transactions contemplated thereby at the special meeting, with certain exceptions (as further described in the section titled “The Voting and Support Agreement” beginning on page 97 of this proxy statement/prospectus). As a result, and subject to the terms of the voting and support agreement and certain exceptions therein, the approval of the merger proposal is expected at the special meeting.

Approval of the non-binding compensation advisory proposal requires the affirmative vote of a majority of the votes cast on this proposal by holders of shares of UniFirst stock, voting together as a single class and represented in person or by proxy at the special meeting. Abstentions and broker non-votes will not be treated as votes cast and, accordingly, will have no effect on the outcome of this proposal.

Approval of the adjournment proposal requires the affirmative vote of a majority of the votes cast on this proposal by holders of shares of UniFirst stock, voting together as a single class and represented in person or by proxy at the special meeting. Abstentions and broker non-votes will not be treated as votes cast and, accordingly, will have no effect on the outcome of this proposal.

Any UniFirst shareholders of record entitled to vote at the special meeting may submit a proxy by telephone, over the Internet, by returning the enclosed proxy card in the accompanying prepaid reply envelope or may vote at the special meeting. UniFirst shareholders who hold their shares in “street name” by a broker, bank or other nominee should refer to the voting instruction form or other information forwarded by their broker, bank or other nominee for instructions on how to vote their shares of UniFirst stock.

If you are a UniFirst shareholder of record, whether you vote by phone, the Internet or mail, you can change or revoke your proxy before it is voted at the special meeting as described herein. You may do this in one of the following four ways: (1) attending the special meeting and voting electronically during the meeting, but your attendance at the special meeting will not automatically revoke your proxy unless you properly vote electronically during the special meeting; (2) specifically request that your prior proxy be revoked by delivering a written notice of revocation prior to the special meeting to the UniFirst secretary at UniFirst’s principal executive offices located at 68 Jonspin Road, Wilmington, Massachusetts 01887; (3) properly casting a new vote via the Internet or by telephone at any time before the closure of the Internet or telephone voting facilities; or (4) duly completing a later-dated proxy card relating to the same shares of UniFirst stock and delivering it to UniFirst’s secretary before the taking of the vote at the special meeting. If you choose any of the last three methods, you must take the described action no later than the beginning of the special meeting.

As of the date hereof, there are no pending lawsuits challenging the mergers. Since the public announcement of the mergers, Cintas and UniFirst have received letters from counsel representing purported shareholders of UniFirst alleging that the registration statement on Form S-4 of which this proxy statement/prospectus forms a part contains deficiencies and/or omits purportedly material information and demands that corrective disclosures be made.

While Cintas and UniFirst believe that such allegations are without merit, each of these matters is at a preliminary stage. It is possible that complaints and additional, similar letters may be received by Cintas and UniFirst regarding the mergers. Absent new or different allegations that are material or constitute a disclosure obligation under U.S. federal securities laws, Cintas and UniFirst will not necessarily disclose such additional letters. Litigation is inherently uncertain, and there can be no assurance regarding the likelihood that Cintas’ or UniFirst’s defense of any potential lawsuits related to the mergers that may be filed in the future will be successful, nor can Cintas and UniFirst predict the amount of time and expense that will be required to resolve any potential lawsuits. For additional information, see “The Mergers—Litigation Related to the Mergers” beginning on page 76.

The mergers and an investment in Cintas common stock involve risks, some of which are related to the transactions contemplated by the merger agreement. In evaluating the merger agreement and the mergers, you should carefully read this proxy statement/prospectus and give special consideration to the factors discussed in the section titled “Risk Factors” and in Cintas’ Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended May 31, 2025 and UniFirst’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended August 30, 2025 and in other documents incorporated by reference into this proxy statement/prospectus. Please see the section titled “Where You Can Find More Information” beginning on page 154 for the location of information incorporated by reference into this proxy statement/prospectus.

Cintas common stock is listed on the NASDAQ under the symbol “CTAS.” Cintas currently pays a quarterly dividend on Cintas common stock. Most recently, Cintas declared a quarterly cash dividend of $0.45 per share of common stock payable on June 15, 2026 to Cintas shareholders of record as of May 15, 2026. You should obtain current market quotations for Cintas common stock, as the market price of Cintas common stock will fluctuate between the date of this proxy statement/prospectus and the date on which the mergers are completed, at times in between and thereafter. You can obtain these quotations from publicly available sources. The declaration of dividends, whether before or after the mergers, is at the discretion of the Cintas Board. Any determination to pay dividends on Cintas common stock in the future will be at the discretion of the Cintas Board and dependent upon then-existing conditions. Under the merger agreement, Cintas has agreed that, until the completion of the mergers, it will not declare, authorize or pay any dividend or other distribution in respect of any Cintas common stock, except for cash dividends and distributions paid by a wholly owned Cintas subsidiary to Cintas or another wholly owned Cintas subsidiary and a quarterly cash dividend paid by Cintas to its shareholders in a manner consistent with past practice.

UniFirst common stock is listed on the NYSE under the symbol “UNF.” UNF currently pays a quarterly dividend on UniFirst stock. Most recently, UniFirst declared a quarterly cash dividend of $0.365 per share of UniFirst common stock and $0.292 per share of UniFirst class B common stock payable on June 26, 2026 to UniFirst holders of record as of June 5, 2026. You should obtain current market quotations for UniFirst common stock, as the market price of UniFirst common stock will fluctuate between the date of this proxy statement/prospectus and the date on which the mergers are completed. You can obtain these quotations from publicly available sources. Under the merger agreement, UniFirst has agreed that, until the completion of the mergers, it will not declare, authorize or pay any dividend on or make any other distribution with respect to its outstanding shares of UniFirst stock, except for (i) regular quarterly cash dividends paid by UniFirst to its shareholders in a manner consistent with past practice and in an amount not to exceed $0.3650 per share of UniFirst common stock in any quarter on or before October 2026 and in any quarter thereafter an amount not greater than 5% higher than $0.3650 per share of UniFirst common stock and (ii) cash dividends and distributions paid by a wholly owned UniFirst subsidiary to UniFirst or another wholly owned UniFirst subsidiary.

The following table sets for the closing sale price per share of Cintas common stock and of UniFirst common stock as reported on the NASDAQ and the NYSE, respectively, on March 10, 2026, the last trading day prior to the public announcement of the mergers, and on April 23, 2026, the last practicable trading day before the filing of this proxy statement/prospectus with the SEC. The table also shows the estimated implied value of the stock consideration proposed for each share of UniFirst common stock as of the same two dates. The UniFirst class B common stock is not publicly traded but converts, on a one-for-one basis, into UniFirst common stock at the election of the holder.

The table also shows the estimated implied value of the merger consideration proposed for each share of UniFirst common stock as of the same two dates. The implied value for the merger consideration was calculated by adding (i) $155.00, representing the cash consideration, for each share of UniFirst common stock and (ii) the product of the closing sales price of a share of Cintas common stock on the relevant date multiplied by 0.7720 shares of Cintas common stock, representing the stock consideration, for each share of UniFirst common stock.

The market prices of Cintas common stock and UniFirst common stock have fluctuated since the date of the announcement of the merger agreement and will continue to fluctuate prior to, and in the case of Cintas common

stock, after the completion of the mergers. No assurance can be given concerning the market prices of Cintas common stock or UniFirst common stock before completion of the mergers or of Cintas common stock after completion of the mergers. The exchange ratio is fixed in the merger agreement, but the market price of Cintas common stock (and therefore the value of the stock consideration) when received by UniFirst shareholders after the mergers is completed could be greater than, less than, or the same as shown in the table above. Accordingly, these comparisons may not provide meaningful information to UniFirst shareholders in determining whether to approve the merger proposal. UniFirst shareholders are encouraged to obtain current market quotations for Cintas common stock and UniFirst common stock and to review carefully the other information contained in this proxy statement/prospectus or incorporated by reference herein. For more information, see the section titled, “Where You Can Find More Information” beginning on page 154 of this proxy statement/prospectus.

This proxy statement/prospectus contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act and Section 21E of the Exchange Act with respect to the mergers, including any statements regarding the expected timetable for completing the mergers, the ability of the parties to complete the mergers, the synergies and other expected benefits of the mergers, projected financial information, future opportunities, and any other statements regarding Cintas’ and UniFirst’s future expectations, beliefs, plans, objectives, intentions, strategies, results of operations, financial condition and cash flows, or future events or performance. Forward-looking statements are often, but not always, made through the use of words or phrases such as “confident,” “continue,” “anticipates,” “expects,” “intends,” “predicts,” “plans,” “targets,” “forecasts,” “projects,” “believes,” “seeks,” “schedules,” “estimates,” “positions,” “pursues,” “may,” “could,” “should,” “will,” “hope,” “likely,” “might,” “may,” “budgets,” “outlook,” “trends,” “guidance,” “focus,” “on schedule,” “on track,” “is slated,” “goals,” “objectives,” “strategies,” “opportunities,” “poised,” “potential,” “possible,” “intends,” and similar words, phrases, expressions or the negative versions thereof. Forward-looking statements are based on current expectations of Cintas’ and UniFirst’s management and therefore involve estimates and assumptions that are subject to risks, uncertainties and other factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from the results expressed in or implied by the forward-looking statements. Key factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed in the forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to:

The foregoing list of factors is not intended to be exhaustive. Forward-looking statements reflect Cintas’ and UniFirst’s current views with respect to future events and are based on numerous assumptions and assessments made by Cintas and UniFirst in light of their experiences and perceptions of historical trends, current conditions, business strategies, operating environments, future developments and other factors they believe appropriate. By their nature, forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks and uncertainties because they relate to events and depend on circumstances that will occur in the future. The factors described in the context of forward-looking statements in this proxy statement/prospectus could cause Cintas’ and UniFirst’s plans with respect to the mergers, actual results, performance or achievements, industry results and developments to differ materially from those expressed in or implied by such forward-looking statements. Although it is believed that the expectations reflected in such forward-looking statements are reasonable, no assurance can be given that such expectations will prove to have been correct, and persons reading this proxy statement/prospectus are cautioned not to place undue reliance on such forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date of this proxy statement/prospectus or, in the case of a document incorporated by reference in this proxy statement/prospectus, as of the date of that document. Neither Cintas nor UniFirst assumes any obligation to update the information contained in this document (whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise), except as required by applicable law.

In addition to the other information included in and incorporated by reference into this proxy statement/prospectus, including, among others, the matters addressed in “Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements” beginning on page 27, UniFirst shareholders should carefully consider the following risk factors before deciding whether to vote for the proposal to approve the merger agreement. In addition, you should read and consider the risks associated with each of the businesses of UniFirst and Cintas because these risks will relate to Cintas after the completion of the mergers. Descriptions of some of these risks can be found in the respective Cintas and UniFirst Annual Reports on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended May 31, 2025 and August 30, 2025, respectively, as such risks may be updated or supplemented in each company’s subsequently filed Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q, Current Reports on Form 8-K or Annual Reports on Form 10-K, which are incorporated by reference into this proxy statement/prospectus. You should also consider the other information in this document and the other documents incorporated by reference into this document. See “Where You Can Find More Information” beginning on page 154.

The completion of the mergers is subject to a number of conditions, including, among others, (i) the approval by UniFirst shareholders of the UniFirst merger proposal and (ii) certain regulatory approvals, including the expiration or termination of any applicable waiting period under the HSR Act, which make the completion and timing of the mergers uncertain. For a more detailed discussion regarding conditions to the mergers, see “The Merger Agreement—Conditions to Completion of the Mergers,” beginning on page 92. Also, either Cintas or UniFirst may terminate the merger agreement 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, UniFirst’s and Cintas’ respective ongoing businesses, financial conditions, financial results and stock prices could be materially adversely affected, and Cintas and UniFirst would forego any benefit of completing the mergers. Without realizing any of the benefits of having completed the mergers, Cintas and UniFirst will be subject to a number of risks, including the following:

The materialization of any of these risks could adversely impact Cintas’ and UniFirst’s respective ongoing businesses, financial conditions, financial results and stock prices. 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 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 is subject to restrictions 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 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 UniFirst’s entry into an agreement for an alternative transaction or a change in the recommendation of the UniFirst Board with respect to the mergers, upon termination of the merger agreement, UniFirst will be required to pay a termination fee of $213,300,000 to Cintas. See the section titled “The Merger Agreement—Termination Fees” beginning on page 95.

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.

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 a certain foreign regulator under its 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.

On April 8, 2026, Cintas and UniFirst each filed their respective requisite notification and report forms under the HSR Act with the DOJ and the FTC. Cintas voluntarily withdrew its notification and report form effective May 8, 2026 in accordance with the HSR Act and intends to subsequently refile on May 12, 2026. Accordingly, upon refiling the notification and report form under the HSR Act, the HSR waiting period for the transaction will expire on June 11, 2026, at 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time, unless extended by a request for additional information or documentary material, pursuant to 16 C.F.R. Section 803.20. Cintas has filed a notification under a foreign antitrust law.

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. For a more detailed description of the regulatory review process, see the section titled “The Mergers—Regulatory Matters” beginning on page 75.

Subject to the terms of the merger agreement, Cintas and UniFirst have agreed to cooperate with each other and use reasonable best efforts to, as promptly as reasonably practicable, (i) obtain all actions or non-actions, consents, approvals, registrations, waivers, permits, authorizations, orders, expirations or terminations of waiting periods and other confirmations from any governmental authority or other person that are or may become necessary, proper or advisable in connection with the consummation of the transactions contemplated by the merger agreement, including the mergers, (ii) prepare and make of all registrations, filings, forms, notices, petitions, statements, submissions of information, applications and other documents (including filings with governmental authorities) that are or may become necessary, proper or advisable in connection with the consummation of the transactions contemplated by the merger agreement, including the mergers, (iii) take all reasonable steps as may be necessary, proper or advisable to obtain an approval from, or to avoid a proceeding by, any governmental authority or other person in connection with the consummation of the transactions contemplated by the merger agreement, including the mergers, (iv) defend any lawsuits or other proceedings, whether judicial or administrative, challenging the merger agreement or that would otherwise prevent or delay the consummation of the transactions contemplated by the merger agreement, including the mergers, including seeking to have any stay, temporary restraining order or injunction entered by any court or other governmental authority vacated or reversed, and (v) execute and deliver of any additional instruments that are or may become reasonably necessary, proper or advisable to consummate the transactions contemplated by the merger agreement, including the mergers, and to carry out fully the purposes of the merger agreement.

Cintas may be required, in connection with the termination of the merger agreement under certain circumstances related to the failure to obtain antitrust approval or Cintas’ failure to comply with its regulatory efforts covenant, to pay UniFirst a termination fee of $350,000,000, which could materially and adversely affect Cintas’ financial condition and results of operations. See the section titled “The Merger Agreement—Termination of the Merger Agreement—Termination Fees” beginning on page 95.

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 as described under the section titled “The Merger Agreement—Merger Consideration—Fractional Shares” beginning on page 78. 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 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 proxy statement/prospectus, and will continue to change through the date of the special meeting and the date the mergers are completed (which might be a significant period of time after the special meeting). 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. At the time of the special meeting, UniFirst

shareholders will 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 shareholders are urged to obtain current market quotations for shares of Cintas common stock and UniFirst stock.

UniFirst has received opinions from its financial advisors in connection with the signing of the merger agreement, but has not obtained any updated opinions from its financial advisors as of the date of this proxy statement/prospectus. Changes in the operations and prospects of Cintas or UniFirst, general market and economic conditions and other factors that may be beyond the control of Cintas or UniFirst, and on which UniFirst’s financial advisors’ opinions were based, may significantly alter the value of Cintas or UniFirst or the prices of the shares of Cintas common stock or UniFirst stock by the time the mergers are completed. The opinions do not speak as of the time the mergers will be completed or as of any date other than the date of such opinions. Because UniFirst does not currently anticipate asking its financial advisors to update their opinions, the opinions will not address the fairness of the merger consideration from a financial point of view at the time the mergers are completed. However, the UniFirst Board’s recommendation that UniFirst shareholders vote “FOR” the UniFirst merger proposal and “FOR” any of the other proposals to be voted on at the special meeting is made as of the date of this proxy statement/prospectus.

For a description of the opinions that UniFirst received from its financial advisors, see the section titled “The Merger—Opinion of UniFirst’s Financial Advisors” beginning on page 53. A copy of each of the opinions of J.P. Morgan Securities LLC and Goldman Sachs & Co. LLC, UniFirst’s financial advisors, is attached as Annex C and Annex D, respectively, to this proxy statement/prospectus.

In considering whether to approve the merger agreement and approve the transactions contemplated thereby, UniFirst shareholders should recognize that UniFirst’s members of management and the UniFirst Board have interests in the mergers that differ from, or are in addition to, their interests as UniFirst shareholders.

UniFirst’s executive officers (excluding Mr. DiFillippo) have arrangements with UniFirst that provide for certain severance payments or benefits, accelerated vesting of certain cash incentive and equity-based awards and other rights and other payments or benefits upon completion of the mergers and/or if their employment or service is terminated under certain circumstances between the date the merger agreement was signed on March 10, 2026 and the completion of the mergers or after the completion of the mergers. Mr. DiFillippo will be entitled to certain cash payments upon the completion of the mergers. In addition, the executive officers and directors of UniFirst also have rights to indemnification, advancement of expenses and directors’ and officers’ liability insurance that will survive the completion of the mergers. The UniFirst Board was aware of these interests and considered them, among other matters, in approving the merger agreement and making its recommendation that UniFirst shareholders vote “FOR” the merger proposal and “FOR” any of the other proposals to be voted on at the special meeting (to the extent the interests existed at such time).

These interests are further described in “The Mergers—Interests of UniFirst’s Directors and Executive Officers in the Mergers” beginning on page 66.

In connection with the pendency of the mergers, it is possible that some customers, suppliers and other persons with whom Cintas or UniFirst has a business relationship may delay or defer certain business decisions or might decide to seek to terminate, change or renegotiate their relationships with Cintas or UniFirst, as the case may be, as a result of the mergers or otherwise. Under the terms of the merger agreement, each of Cintas and UniFirst is subject to certain restrictions on the conduct of its respective business prior to completing the mergers, which, with respect to UniFirst, may adversely affect UniFirst’s ability to execute certain of its 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 each party’s business and operations prior to the completion of the mergers. See “The Merger Agreement—Covenants and Agreements—Conduct of Business by Cintas Pending the Mergers” beginning on page 86 and “The Merger Agreement—Covenants and Agreements—Conduct of UniFirst Pending the Mergers” beginning on page 83, for more information.

Each of the risks described above may be exacerbated by delays or other adverse developments with respect to the completion of the mergers.

Cintas and UniFirst 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 Cintas and UniFirst to attract, motivate and retain key management personnel and other key employees. Prior to completion of the mergers, current and prospective employees of Cintas and UniFirst 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 Cintas and UniFirst 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 Cintas and UniFirst to the same extent that Cintas and UniFirst have previously been able to attract or retain their own employees.

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 Cintas’ and UniFirst’s 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 Cintas’ and UniFirst’s respective businesses, financial positions and results of operation. Currently, neither Cintas nor UniFirst is aware of any securities class action lawsuits or derivative lawsuits having been filed in connection with the mergers.

The unaudited pro forma condensed combined financial information set forth in this proxy statement/prospectus is presented for illustrative purposes only and is not necessarily indicative of what Cintas’ actual financial position or results of operations would have been had the mergers been completed on the dates indicated. Further, Cintas’ actual results and financial position after the mergers may differ materially and adversely from the unaudited pro forma condensed combined financial information that is included in this proxy statement/prospectus. The unaudited pro forma condensed combined financial information has been prepared with the expectation, as of the date of this proxy statement/prospectus, that Cintas will be identified as the accounting acquirer under GAAP and reflects adjustments based upon preliminary estimates of the fair value of assets to be acquired and liabilities to be assumed at the date of the completion of the mergers. Subsequent to the closing date of the mergers, there will be further refinements of the acquisition accounting as additional information becomes available. Accordingly, the final acquisition accounting may differ materially from the unaudited pro forma condensed combined financial information reflected in this proxy statement/prospectus. See “Unaudited Pro Forma Condensed Combined Financial Statements” beginning on page 107 for more information.

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 mergers are intended, taken together, to qualify as a “reorganization” within the meaning of Section 368(a) of the Code. The completion of the mergers, however, is not conditioned on the mergers qualifying for such treatment or upon the receipt of an opinion of counsel to that effect. In addition, an opinion of tax counsel neither binds the IRS nor precludes the IRS or the courts from adopting a contrary position. Neither Cintas nor UniFirst intends to request a ruling from the IRS regarding the U.S. federal income tax consequences of the mergers. Accordingly, even if Cintas and UniFirst conclude that the mergers qualify for such tax treatment, no assurance can be given that the IRS will not challenge that conclusion or that a court would not sustain such a challenge. You should read the section titled “Material U.S. Federal Income Tax Consequences of the Mergers” beginning on page 126 for a more complete discussion of the U.S. federal income tax consequences of the mergers.

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 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 MBCA, which currently govern the rights of UniFirst shareholders. See “Comparison of Shareholders’ Rights” beginning on page 134 for a discussion of the different rights associated with shares of UniFirst stock and shares of Cintas common stock.

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 one 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 one 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.

Based on the number of issued and outstanding Cintas common stock and UniFirst common stock as of April 16, 2026, immediately after the mergers are completed, it is expected that current Cintas shareholders will own

approximately 96.6% of the shares of Cintas’ outstanding common stock following the transaction, and current UniFirst shareholders holding both UniFirst class B common stock and UniFirst common stock will collectively own approximately 3.4% of the outstanding Cintas common stock following the mergers. As a result of these reduced ownership percentages, 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 dilute the ownership position of Cintas’ current shareholders and could have the effect of depressing the market price of Cintas common stock. Based on the fully diluted shares of UniFirst as of April 16, 2026, Cintas will issue approximately 14,261,683 shares of Cintas common stock to UniFirst shareholders in the mergers (including Cintas common stock to be issued in connection with outstanding UniFirst long-term incentive and equity or equity-based awards). As a result of these issuances, current Cintas shareholders and UniFirst shareholders are expected to hold approximately 96.6% and 3.4%, respectively, of Cintas’ outstanding common stock immediately after the completion of the mergers.

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.

On March 10, 2026, in connection with the merger agreement, Cintas entered into a commitment letter with the Debt Commitment Parties, pursuant to which, subject to the terms and conditions set forth therein, the Debt Commitment Parties have committed to provide the Bridge Facility. The funding of the Bridge Facility provided for in the commitment letter, which are to be used by Cintas to satisfy a portion of the aggregate cash consideration payable to UniFirst’s shareholders, is subject to the satisfaction of customary conditions, including the consummation of the mergers in accordance with the merger agreement and the execution and delivery of definitive documentation with respect to the Bridge Facility in accordance with the terms set forth in the commitment letter. Cintas intends to enter into definitive documentation with respect to the Bridge Facility, but there can be no guarantee that such definitive documentation will be on acceptable terms or be entered into in a timely manner to allow the consummation of the mergers.

On March 27, 2026, Cintas Corporation No. 2, a direct subsidiary of Cintas, entered into the Revolving Credit Agreement among Cintas Corporation No. 2, as borrower, certain lenders and KeyBank National Association, as administrative agent. The Revolving Credit Agreement provides, among other things, that Revolving Loans under the Revolving Facility are available for the consummation of the mergers, subject to the satisfaction of certain limited conditions (including the consummation of the mergers in accordance with the merger agreement).

In the event that the debt financing contemplated by the commitment letter or the Revolving Credit Agreement is not available, there is a risk that other financing may not be available on acceptable terms, in a timely manner or at all. Although Cintas’ obligation to consummate the mergers is not conditioned upon consummation of the debt financing, if Cintas is unable to obtain the debt financing, the mergers could be delayed or not completed, in which case Cintas may be in breach of its obligations under the merger agreement. See the section titled “The Mergers—Financing of the Mergers” beginning on page 53 of this proxy statement/prospectus for more information.

Appraisal rights are statutory rights that, if applicable under law, enable shareholders to dissent from an extraordinary transaction, such as a merger, and to demand that the corporation pay the fair value for their shares in cash as determined by a court in a judicial proceeding instead of receiving the consideration offered to shareholders in connection with the extraordinary transaction. Under the MBCA, UniFirst shareholders are not entitled to appraisal rights in connection with the mergers.

There can be no assurance that Cintas will be able to successfully integrate UniFirst’s assets or otherwise realize the expected benefits of the mergers (including operating and other cost synergies). Difficulties in integrating UniFirst into Cintas may result in Cintas performing differently than expected, in operational challenges, or in the failure to realize the anticipated synergies and efficiencies in the expected time frame or at all, in which case the mergers may not be accretive to earnings per share, may not improve Cintas’ balance sheet position, may not enhance Cintas’ ability to de-lever and may not generate additional free cash flow. The integration of Cintas and UniFirst may result in material challenges, including the diversion of management’s attention from ongoing business concerns; difficulty in retaining key management and other employees; challenges in retaining or attracting business opportunities and establishing or maintaining business and operational relationships; the possibility of faulty assumptions underlying expectations regarding the integration process and associated expenses; difficulty in consolidating corporate and administrative infrastructures and eliminating duplicative operations; challenges in coordinating geographically separate organizations; unanticipated issues in integrating information technology, communications and other systems; discovery of previously unknown liabilities, unforeseen expenses relating to integration, or delays associated with the acquisition.

Following the completion of the mergers, the size of Cintas’ business will be larger than the current size of either Cintas’ or UniFirst’s respective businesses. Cintas’ ability to successfully manage this expanded business will depend, in part, upon management’s ability to design and implement strategic initiatives that address not only the integration of two independent stand-alone companies, but also the increased scale and scope of the combined business with its associated increased costs and complexity. There can be no assurances that after completion of the mergers, Cintas will be successful or that it will realize the expected operating efficiencies, cost savings and other benefits currently anticipated from the mergers.

Cintas is expected to incur substantial expenses in connection with the completion of the mergers and the integration of Cintas and UniFirst, some of which may be incurred even if the mergers are not completed. There are a large number of processes, policies, procedures, operations, technologies and systems that must be integrated, potentially including purchasing, accounting and finance, sales, payroll, pricing, revenue management, marketing and benefits. The substantial majority of the expenses of the mergers and the integration of Cintas and UniFirst will be non-recurring expenses related to the mergers (including financing of the mergers) and to facilities, technology and systems consolidation. Cintas may incur additional costs to maintain employee morale and to attract, motivate or retain management personnel and other key employees. Cintas and UniFirst will also incur transaction fees and costs related to formulating integration plans for the combined business, and the execution of these plans may lead to additional unanticipated costs. Additionally, as a result of the mergers, Cintas’ financing costs may increase, including costs in connection with the financing of the mergers. These incremental transaction- and merger-related costs may exceed the savings that Cintas expects to achieve from the elimination of duplicative costs and the realization of other efficiencies related to the integration of the businesses, particularly in the near term and in the event there are material unanticipated costs.

Upon completion of the mergers, Cintas expects to incur approximately $2.8 billion in additional indebtedness and will have consolidated indebtedness of approximately $5.44 billion, which is greater than the current indebtedness of Cintas. The increased indebtedness of Cintas after the completion of the mergers in comparison to that of Cintas on a historical basis may have the effect of, among other things, reducing the flexibility of Cintas to respond to changing business and economic conditions and increasing borrowing costs. For more information on the financial impact of the mergers on Cintas’ indebtedness, see “Unaudited Pro Forma Condensed Combined Financial Statements” beginning on page 107.

Cintas is incurring new indebtedness in connection with the mergers. The agreements governing the indebtedness that Cintas will incur in connection with the mergers, including, but not limited to, the definitive documentation with respect to the Bridge Facility and the Revolving Credit Agreement may, under certain circumstances, impose significant operating and financial restrictions on Cintas. After the completion of the mergers, these restrictions may affect Cintas’ ability to operate its business and may limit Cintas’ ability to take advantage of potential business opportunities as they arise.

In addition, the agreements governing such indebtedness require (in the case of the Revolving Credit Agreement) or may require Cintas to comply with a consolidated leverage ratio financial covenant. To the extent Cintas is or becomes subject to such covenants, Cintas’ ability to comply with such covenants in future periods will depend on its ongoing financial and operating performance, which in turn will be subject to economic conditions and to financial, market and competitive factors, many of which are beyond Cintas’ control. The ability to comply with these covenants in future periods will also depend on Cintas’ ability to successfully implement its overall business strategy and realize the anticipated benefits of the mergers, including synergies, cost savings, innovation and operational efficiencies.

Various risks, uncertainties and events beyond Cintas’ control could affect its ability to comply with the covenants contained in its financing agreements. Failure to comply with any of the covenants in its existing or future financing agreements could result in a default under those agreements and under other agreements containing cross-default provisions. A default would permit lenders to accelerate the maturity of the debt under these agreements. Under these circumstances, Cintas might not have sufficient funds or other resources to satisfy all of its obligations. In addition, the limitations imposed by financing agreements on Cintas’ ability to incur additional debt and to take other actions might significantly impair its ability to obtain other financing.

If Cintas incurs additional indebtedness following the mergers, the risks related to the substantial indebtedness of Cintas after the completion of the mergers may intensify. For additional information regarding the financing of the mergers, see “The Mergers—Financing of the Mergers” beginning on page 53.

Upon completion of the mergers, holders of Cintas common stock and UniFirst stock will be holders of Cintas common stock. As the businesses of Cintas and UniFirst are different, the results of operations as well as the price of Cintas common stock following the mergers may in the future be affected by factors different from those factors affecting Cintas and UniFirst as independent stand-alone companies. Following the transaction, Cintas will face additional risks and uncertainties that Cintas or UniFirst may currently not be exposed to as independent stand-alone companies.

The market price of Cintas common stock may decline as a result of the mergers, and Cintas shareholders could lose the value of their investment in Cintas common stock if, among other things, after the completion of the mergers, Cintas is unable to achieve the expected growth in earnings, or if the anticipated benefits, including synergies, cost savings, innovation and operational efficiencies, from the mergers are not realized, or if the transaction costs related to the mergers are greater than expected, or if the mergers are not completed within the anticipated time frame. The market price of Cintas common stock also may decline if Cintas does not achieve the perceived benefits and expected synergies of the transactions as rapidly or to the extent anticipated by financial or industry analysts or if the effect of the mergers on Cintas’ financial position, results of operations or cash flows is not consistent with the expectations of financial or industry analysts. The issuance of shares of Cintas common stock in the mergers could on its own have the effect of depressing the market price for Cintas common stock. In addition, many UniFirst shareholders may decide not to hold the shares of Cintas common stock they receive as a result of the mergers. Other UniFirst shareholders, such as funds with limitations on their permitted holdings of stock in individual issuers, may be required to sell the shares of Cintas common stock they receive as a result of the mergers.

Any such sales of Cintas common stock could have the effect of depressing the market price for Cintas common stock. Moreover, general fluctuations in stock markets could have a material adverse effect on the market for, or liquidity of, the Cintas common stock, regardless of the actual operating performance of Cintas after the completion of the mergers.

Following the mergers, some of the customers, suppliers, vendors, landlords and other business partners of UniFirst may terminate or scale back their current or prospective business relationships with Cintas. UniFirst has contracts with customers, suppliers, vendors, landlords and other business partners that may require it to obtain consents from these other parties in connection with the mergers, which may not be obtained on favorable terms or at all. If relationships with customers, suppliers, vendors, landlords and other business partners are adversely affected by the mergers, or if Cintas, following the mergers, loses the benefits of the contracts of UniFirst, Cintas’ business and financial performance could suffer.

Cintas’ and UniFirst’s businesses are and will be subject to the risks described above. In addition, Cintas and UniFirst are and will continue to be subject to the risks described in Cintas’ and UniFirst’s respective Annual Reports on Form 10-K for their fiscal years ended May 31, 2025 and August 30, 2025, respectively, as updated by subsequent Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q, Current Reports on Form 8-K and Annual Reports on Form 10-K, all of which are filed or will be filed with the SEC and incorporated by reference into this proxy statement/prospectus. For the location of information incorporated by reference into this proxy statement/prospectus, see “Where You Can Find More Information” beginning on page 154.

This section of the proxy statement/prospectus describes material aspects of the mergers. This summary may not contain all of the information that is important to you. You should carefully read this entire proxy statement/prospectus and the other documents we refer you to for a more complete understanding of the mergers. In addition, we incorporate important business and financial information about each of us into this proxy statement/prospectus by reference. You may obtain the information incorporated by reference into this proxy statement/prospectus without charge by following the instructions in the section titled “Where You Can Find More Information” beginning on page 154.

The following chronology summarizes the key meetings and events that led to the signing of the Merger Agreement. The following chronology does not purport to catalogue every conversation among the UniFirst Board or the representatives of UniFirst and other parties.

By virtue of their ownership of UniFirst class B common stock the members of the Croatti family own, directly or indirectly, in the aggregate over two-thirds of the combined voting power of the outstanding shares of UniFirst common stock and UniFirst class B common stock. As a result, the members of the Croatti family, when acting together, effectively control most matters requiring approval by UniFirst shareholders, including the approval of a company sale. Ms. Cynthia Croatti is the only UniFirst director that is a member of the Croatti family, but UniFirst’s historical practice has been for Ms. Carol Croatti and, from time to time, Mr. Matthew Croatti (UniFirst’s Senior Vice President, Engineering and Distribution) to participate as observers in UniFirst Board meetings and, unless otherwise noted below, they were invited to join in such capacity in the UniFirst Board meetings described below, and at least one of them participated in all such meetings. They did not participate in any meeting of the independent members of the UniFirst Board described below. Mr. Michael Patrick, Senior Vice President and General Counsel of UniFirst, is Ms. Cynthia Croatti’s stepson and also participated in most UniFirst Board meetings in his capacity as General Counsel of UniFirst.

As part of UniFirst’s ongoing consideration and evaluation of its long-term strategic goals and plans, the UniFirst Board and UniFirst management have periodically reviewed, considered and assessed UniFirst’s operations and financial performance, as well as overall industry conditions, as they may affect those strategic goals and plans. These reviews have included, among other things, consideration of potential opportunities for acquisitions and other potential financial and strategic alternatives, in each case with a view towards enhancing UniFirst shareholders’ value.

On February 8, 2022, Cintas delivered a written preliminary indication of interest to acquire UniFirst in a transaction in which UniFirst shareholders would receive $255.00 per share for 100% of the outstanding shares of UniFirst common stock and class B common stock. The proposed purchase price represented as of that date a 26% premium to UniFirst’s common stock 90-day volume-weighted average closing price. Following consideration of the offer and discussion with UniFirst management and some members of the Croatti family, the UniFirst Board determined not to pursue the Cintas proposal based on its belief at the time that the company could generate higher value for shareholders (and considering the interests of other stakeholders) as a standalone company in light of, among other things, planned investments in UniFirst’s business and operations. UniFirst did not engage in substantive discussions with Cintas on the 2022 preliminary indication of interest.

On or about September 6, 2024, following recent market rumors related to Elis SA (“Elis”) and its potential entry into the U.S. market, UniFirst contacted Elis to better understand those rumors, and not with the intent of soliciting an offer. Following discussions, on September 27, 2026, Elis delivered a written non-binding indicative all-cash proposal to acquire all of the issued and outstanding shares of UniFirst common stock and class B common stock for $230.00 per share, which represented a 20% premium to UniFirst’s closing share price on September 26, 2024. Following consideration of the offer and discussion with UniFirst management and some members of the Croatti family, the UniFirst Board determined not to pursue the Elis proposal, and instead continue with its stand-alone strategy. On October 4, 2024, UniFirst issued a press release announcing that discussions with Elis had ended and that UniFirst did not anticipate holding future discussions with Elis.

On November 8, 2024, Cintas delivered to UniFirst a non-binding indication of interest to acquire UniFirst in a transaction in which UniFirst shareholders would receive $275.00 per share for 100% of the outstanding shares of UniFirst common stock and class B common stock. The proposed purchase price represented as of that date a 48% premium to UniFirst’s common stock 90-day volume-weighted average closing price.

On November 14, 2024, the UniFirst Board held a meeting at which members of UniFirst management and a representative of Paul Hastings LLP, outside legal counsel to UniFirst (“Paul Hastings”), were present. Among other things, the UniFirst Board was updated on the receipt of the proposal from Cintas. The UniFirst Board decided to reconvene at a future date to further discuss the Cintas proposal.

On November 18, 2024, the UniFirst Board held a meeting at which members of UniFirst management and a representative of Paul Hastings were present. Among other things, the representative of Paul Hastings reviewed with the members of the UniFirst Board their fiduciary duties. The UniFirst Board then engaged in a discussion of the terms of the Cintas proposal, the business and operations of UniFirst, and feedback from some members of the Croatti family on the Cintas proposal. The UniFirst Board also discussed certain regulatory matters and potential execution and business risks that could be associated with the Cintas proposal. The UniFirst Board decided to reconvene at a future date to further discuss the Cintas proposal.

On November 21, 2024, Mr. Steven Sintros, President and Chief Executive Officer of UniFirst, contacted Mr. Todd Schneider, President and Chief Executive Officer of Cintas, to advise him that the UniFirst Board’s review of the Cintas proposal was continuing.

On November 25, 2024, Cintas delivered a letter to UniFirst reiterating its $275.00 per share proposal, noting that there would be no financing condition to the transaction, and expressing desire to meet in person to discuss the deal terms, including the mix of consideration, and the path to complete a transaction.

On November 26, 2024, the UniFirst Board held a meeting at which members of UniFirst management and a representative of Paul Hastings were present. After further discussion of the Cintas proposal, the UniFirst Board unanimously concluded that the Cintas proposal was not in the best interests of UniFirst, its shareholders and other stakeholders based on the offer price, execution and business risks, feedback from some members of the Croatti family, and UniFirst’s future growth and value creation opportunities. The UniFirst Board rejection was subsequently communicated to Cintas via written correspondence delivered on November 27, 2024.

On December 3, 2024, Cintas delivered a letter to UniFirst reiterating its $275.00 per share proposal, noting that there would be no financing condition to the transaction, and again expressing a desire to meet in person to discuss the transaction, including potential sources of additional value that could allow Cintas to increase their offer and the mix of cash and stock consideration that would be preferable to the UniFirst shareholders.

On December 9, 2024, the UniFirst Board held a meeting at which members of UniFirst management and representatives of Paul Hastings and J.P. Morgan (who had provided financial advice to UniFirst) were present. Among other things, representatives of J.P. Morgan reviewed the financial terms of the Cintas proposal, and the UniFirst Board discussed the Cintas proposal. Following the meeting, at the direction of the UniFirst Board, UniFirst delivered a letter to Cintas reiterating that the UniFirst Board carefully considered Cintas’ $275.00 per share proposal and unanimously concluded that the proposal was not in the best interests of UniFirst, its shareholders, and other stakeholders. The letter noted that in making its determination, the UniFirst Board considered the offer price, execution and business risks, feedback from some of UniFirst’s largest shareholders by voting power, and UniFirst’s future growth and value creation opportunities.

On December 20, 2024, Cintas delivered a letter to UniFirst reiterating again its $275.00 per share proposal, which included a response to the considerations of the UniFirst Board that were noted in the December 9, 2024 letter. Cintas’ letter proposed that the parties meet in person to discuss the transaction, including amongst other things, how the transaction would have minimal impact on UniFirst employees.

On January 2, 2025, Mr. Sintros left a message for Mr. Schneider indicating that the UniFirst Board was continuing its review of the Cintas December 20, 2024 correspondence.

Before the opening of the market on January 7, 2025, Cintas issued a press release publicly disclosing its proposal to acquire UniFirst for $275.00 per share. Later that morning, UniFirst issued a press release confirming the prior receipt and rejection of Cintas’ proposal. On the same day, UniFirst formally engaged J.P. Morgan as financial advisor in connection with Cintas’ proposal. The UniFirst Board also held a meeting that evening, at which UniFirst management updated the UniFirst Board on the Cintas press release and related matters.

On January 10, 2025, Mr. Schneider and Mr. Scott Farmer, Chairman of the Cintas Board, met in Boston, Massachusetts, with Ms. Cynthia Croatti, Ms. Carol Croatti and Mr. Matthew Croatti, all as representatives of the Croatti family. Also present at the meeting was Mr. Michael Patrick, then Vice President of Legal Affairs of UniFirst

and now Senior Vice President and General Counsel of UniFirst. During the meeting, the participants discussed Cintas’ proposal to acquire UniFirst. At the end of the meeting, the representatives of the Croatti family requested that any future communication on the subject be through the UniFirst Board and UniFirst’s advisors rather than directly with the Croatti family.

On January 12, 2025, the UniFirst Board held a meeting at which Mr. Patrick and Mr. Sintros debriefed the independent members of the UniFirst Board about the January 10, 2025 meeting held by representatives of the Croatti family with representatives of Cintas.

On January 13, 2025, the UniFirst Board held a meeting at which members of UniFirst management and representatives of J.P. Morgan, Paul Hastings and UniFirst’s outside regulatory counsel at that time (“Initial Regulatory Counsel”) were present. Among other things, representatives of J.P. Morgan discussed the financial terms of the Cintas proposal, and representatives of UniFirst’s Initial Regulatory Counsel discussed antitrust matters relating to the Cintas proposal.

On January 15, 2025, the UniFirst Board held a meeting at which members of UniFirst management and representatives of Paul Hastings and J.P. Morgan were present. Following discussion, the UniFirst Board directed J.P. Morgan to contact representatives of Cintas’ financial advisor at that time (“Initial Financial Advisor”), to communicate two key elements around potential engagement with Cintas: (1) the UniFirst Board was focused on per share values “in the very high $300s,” and (2) with respect to antitrust risk, the UniFirst Board would require a very meaningful commitment from Cintas to address closing certainty.

On January 16, 2025, as directed by the UniFirst Board, J.P. Morgan representatives conveyed the UniFirst Board’s message to representatives of Cintas’ Initial Financial Advisor.

On January 17, 2025, representatives of Cintas’ Initial Financial Advisor communicated to representatives of J.P. Morgan that (1) although Cintas believed that $275.00 per share was a “fair and full price,” Cintas was open-minded about paying more if it could be justified by the business case, and (2) Cintas could not agree to meaningful antitrust covenants without further discussions among the parties’ outside antitrust counsel. The representatives of Cintas’ Initial Financial Advisor suggested, on behalf of Cintas, that the parties enter into a confidentiality agreement and proceed with regulatory and business diligence.

On January 20, 2025, the UniFirst Board held a meeting at which members of UniFirst management and representatives of Paul Hastings and J.P. Morgan were present. Among other things, representatives of J.P. Morgan updated the UniFirst Board on Cintas’ Initial Financial Advisor’s communication to J.P. Morgan representatives on January 17, 2025. Following discussion, the UniFirst Board determined that given in its view that deal certainty was a critical step to any potential path forward, UniFirst should propose that as an initial matter the parties’ outside counsel engage solely in a discussion of regulatory matters.

On January 21, 2025, at the direction of the UniFirst Board, representatives of J.P. Morgan delivered the UniFirst Board’s proposal to representatives of Cintas’ Initial Financial Advisor, noting that such step should not be taken as an indication that UniFirst’s position on price or deal certainty had changed.

On January 26, 2025, Cintas and UniFirst entered into a mutual confidentiality agreement, which included, among other terms, a 9-month standstill that automatically terminated if a party to the mutual confidentiality agreement entered into a transaction involving all or a controlling portion of their equity securities or assets representing 50% or more of their earning power. The mutual confidentiality agreement permitted the parties to submit confidential proposals to the other party or their respective board of directors.

Between January 29, 2025, and February 28, 2025, representatives of each of UniFirst’s Initial Regulatory Counsel and Davis Polk & Wardwell LLP (“Davis Polk”), Cintas’ outside counsel, engaged in several discussions around the antitrust aspects of a potential transaction and exchanged documents related to the same.

On February 14, 2025, the UniFirst Board held a meeting at which members of UniFirst management and a representative of Paul Hastings were present. UniFirst management provided an update to the UniFirst Board regarding the status of the work being done by outside regulatory counsel for UniFirst and Cintas.

On March 11, 2025, the UniFirst Board held a meeting at which members of UniFirst management and representatives of J.P. Morgan, Paul Hastings and UniFirst’s Initial Regulatory Counsel were present. Representatives of UniFirst’s Initial Regulatory Counsel provided an update on work done to date with Davis Polk, and potential contractual provisions to improve deal certainty.

On March 13, 2025, at the direction of the UniFirst Board, representatives of J.P. Morgan communicated to representatives of Cintas’ Initial Financial Advisor the continuing request for meaningful protections against regulatory risks, including an “above market” reverse termination fee and a “hell or high water” regulatory efforts covenant.

On March 24, 2025, Cintas issued a press release announcing that it had terminated discussions with UniFirst. Cintas decided to terminate the discussions due to, among other things, UniFirst’s position with respect to the “hell or high water” regulatory efforts covenant, the above market regulatory termination fee and the “high 300s” per share price.

On March 25, 2025, Mr. Farmer communicated to Ms. Cynthia Croatti and Ms. Carol Croatti an openness to re-engage if the Croatti family would like to discuss reasonable terms that would enable a merger of the businesses in the future. Ms. Cynthia Croatti replied to Mr. Farmer on March 26, 2025, expressing an openness to further conversations.

On April 9, 2025, the UniFirst Board held a meeting at which members of UniFirst management and a representative of Paul Hastings were present. At the meeting, the UniFirst Board decided to proceed with scheduling a meeting of principals of UniFirst and Cintas together with representatives of the Croatti family to seek further clarification as to why Cintas decided to unilaterally terminate discussions, and what Cintas was prepared to do from a financial and regulatory perspective to complete a transaction with UniFirst.

On April 30, 2025, Mr. Farmer, Mr. Schneider and Mr. Brock Denton, Senior Vice President and General Counsel of Cintas, met in Boston, Massachusetts, with Mr. Sintros, Ms. Cynthia Croatti, Ms. Carol Croatti, and Mr. Matthew Croatti. Also present were Mr. Patrick and representatives of Paul Hastings and Davis Polk. At the meeting, participants discussed antitrust matters and a potentially higher purchase price proposal. The Cintas representatives suggested they would give further consideration to a revised purchase price. The UniFirst Board was subsequently debriefed about the meeting, but no further revised proposal was thereafter submitted by Cintas.

On May 6, 2025, at the request of Mr. Farmer, he and Ms. Cynthia Croatti had a telephone conversation during which Mr. Farmer conveyed that the onus was on UniFirst to come up with a value expectation lower than “very high $300s” per share. He also expressed his continued confidence in the regulatory process, but did not indicate any specific proposal on the subject.

On May 22, 2025, the UniFirst Board held a meeting at which members of UniFirst management and a representative of Paul Hastings were present. At the meeting, among other things, the UniFirst Board discussed the conversation between Ms. Cynthia Croatti and Mr. Farmer on May 6, 2025. The UniFirst Board concluded that there was no interest in continuing discussions at the per share value that had been proposed by Cintas.

On May 28, 2025, consistent with the UniFirst Board discussion, Ms. Cynthia Croatti confirmed to Mr. Farmer that UniFirst at that time did not have revised expectations to communicate, but suggested that the two remain in touch over time.

On December 12, 2025, Cintas privately delivered to UniFirst a written non-binding proposal to acquire UniFirst in a transaction in which UniFirst shareholders would receive $275.00 in cash per share for 100% of the outstanding shares of UniFirst common stock and Class B common stock. The proposal represented a 64% premium to UniFirst’s 90-day volume-weighted average price as of December 11, 2025. The Cintas proposal also provided for a $350.0 million reverse termination fee payable by Cintas to UniFirst if the merger was blocked on antitrust grounds, and an obligation for Cintas and UniFirst to litigate any challenge by antitrust authorities, if necessary. In light of the foregoing, Cintas proposed that it not be required to engage in antitrust remedies and that the definitive agreement include a termination date of 10 months from signing, plus two extensions of four months each if regulatory approvals were not obtained at the 10- and 14-month dates (but all other closing conditions were satisfied). Cintas’ proposal was subject to confirmatory due diligence and the negotiation of mutually acceptable definitive agreements. Cintas requested a response to its proposal no later than December 16, 2025.

On December 13, 2025, the UniFirst Board held a meeting at which members of UniFirst management and a representative of Paul Hastings were present. The representative of Paul Hastings discussed with the members of the UniFirst Board their fiduciary duties. The UniFirst Board also discussed the terms of the Cintas proposal, the history of merger discussions between UniFirst and Cintas, and the historical trading performance of UniFirst common stock. Following discussion, the UniFirst Board determined to engage with Cintas to determine promptly if there was a transaction that made sense for UniFirst. The UniFirst Board also determined that Joseph M. Nowicki, then

Chairman-Elect and now Chairman of the UniFirst Board, and director Sergio Pupkin would interview investment banks, including J.P. Morgan which had previously advised UniFirst, to serve as financial advisors to assist the UniFirst Board in its evaluation of the financial terms of the Cintas proposal.

On December 15, 2025, Messrs. Nowicki, Pupkin and Sintros held meetings during which they interviewed three potential financial advisors, including Goldman Sachs and J.P. Morgan, the latter of which had previously provided financial advisory services to UniFirst in connection with prior Cintas proposals. Following the meetings, Messrs. Nowicki, Pupkin and Sintros determined to recommend that the UniFirst Board engage Goldman Sachs and J.P. Morgan as co-financial advisors. We refer to Goldman Sachs and J.P. Morgan, collectively, as “UniFirst’s financial advisors.” The UniFirst Board approved the engagement of UniFirst’s financial advisors and instructed Paul Hastings and UniFirst management to negotiate engagement letters with each of Goldman Sachs and J.P. Morgan.

On December 16, 2025, the UniFirst Board held a meeting at which members of UniFirst management and a representative of Paul Hastings were present. The UniFirst Board discussed a response to the proposal from Cintas.

On December 16, 2025, Messrs. Nowicki and Sintros, at the direction of the UniFirst Board, contacted Mr. Schneider telephonically and advised him that UniFirst was interested in engaging with Cintas to determine if there was a transaction that made sense for both companies, and that the UniFirst Board was in the process of engaging a financial advisor.

On December 18, 2025, Messrs. Nowicki, Sintros and Schneider had a telephonic discussion at the request of Mr. Schneider, during which Mr. Schneider suggested that principals meet early in the week of December 22, 2025, to start pricing discussions. Mr. Nowicki noted that additional time was needed given that UniFirst’s financial advisors had to conduct appropriate financial due diligence and analyses to advise the UniFirst Board before commencing pricing discussions with Cintas.

Starting on or about December 19, 2025, at the direction of the UniFirst Board, UniFirst’s financial advisors commenced their due diligence of UniFirst’s business and operations with the assistance of UniFirst management. UniFirst management also reviewed and updated UniFirst’s internal financial forecasts.

On the morning of December 22, 2025, Cintas publicly issued a press release that included a copy of the December 12, 2025 letter delivered to UniFirst, reiterating its proposal to acquire UniFirst at $275.00 per share in cash. Later that morning, UniFirst issued a press release acknowledging receipt of the Cintas proposal and noting that the UniFirst Board was carefully reviewing and evaluating the proposal to determine the course of action that it believed would be in the best interests of UniFirst, its shareholders and other stakeholders. Later that evening, the independent members of the UniFirst Board held a meeting at which a representative of Paul Hastings was present. Among other things, the independent members of the UniFirst Board discussed Cintas’ public announcement and the continuing work that UniFirst’s financial advisors were conducting as directed by the UniFirst Board.

On December 30, 2025, the UniFirst Board held a meeting at which members of UniFirst management and a representative of Paul Hastings were present. Among other things, Mr. Nowicki and UniFirst management updated the UniFirst Board on the progress that UniFirst’s financial advisors were making in their due diligence of UniFirst’s business and operations, and their continuing review of the financial terms of Cintas’ proposal as directed by the UniFirst Board. The UniFirst Board also discussed work to be done by UniFirst’s new outside regulatory counsel, Paul Hastings, in connection with the Cintas proposal.

On January 2, 2026, the independent members of the UniFirst Board, with a representative of Paul Hastings present, met to discuss matters relating to the Cintas proposal, including UniFirst management’s continuing work on UniFirst’s internal financial forecasts and regulatory analysis being performed by Paul Hastings.

On January 5, 2026, the UniFirst Board held a meeting at which members of UniFirst management and a representative of Paul Hastings were present. Among other things, UniFirst management presented its updated internal financial forecasts and discussed it with the UniFirst Board. Following discussion, the UniFirst Board approved the internal financial forecasts and authorized their use by representatives of UniFirst’s financial advisors for purposes of their preliminary financial analyses of the Cintas proposal.

On January 5, 2026, Mr. Nowicki sent an e-mail to Mr. Schneider advising him that, as directed, UniFirst’s advisors had been working diligently alongside the UniFirst Board and management team to review and evaluate the Cintas proposal. Mr. Nowicki also advised Mr. Schneider that the UniFirst Board was meeting the first part of the week of January 12, 2026, and that he and Mr. Sintros would like to set up a meeting with Mr. Schneider shortly thereafter.

On January 11, 2026, Mr. Nowicki met with representatives of the Croatti family, including Ms. Carol Croatti, Mr. Matthew Croatti, and Ms. Cynthia Croatti, to discuss the Cintas proposal. Mr. Patrick was also present at the meeting. Among other things, the Croatti family members expressed their understanding of the potential need to explore the Cintas proposal but indicated that they would expect a purchase price of at least $350.00 per share.

Also on January 11, 2026, representatives of Goldman Sachs sent to UniFirst a relationship disclosure letter regarding Goldman Sachs’ relationships with Cintas and UniFirst’s and Cintas’ significant shareholders.

On January 12, 2026 and March 10, 2026, representatives of J.P. Morgan sent to UniFirst relationship disclosure letters regarding J.P. Morgan’s relationships with Cintas and UniFirst’s and Cintas’ significant shareholders.

On January 12, 2026 and January 13, 2026, the UniFirst Board met in person at UniFirst’s headquarters in Wilmington, Massachusetts. Portions of the meeting were also attended by members of UniFirst management, as well as representatives of Paul Hastings and representatives of each of UniFirst’s financial advisors. During the meeting, among other things, representatives of Paul Hastings reviewed with the members of the UniFirst Board their fiduciary duties, as well as regulatory aspects of a potential transaction with Cintas. Also, each of UniFirst’s financial advisors presented their separate preliminary financial analyses regarding the Cintas proposal. UniFirst Board members also discussed with their advisors other potential strategic alternatives to a transaction with Cintas, including other potential acquisition opportunities and continuation of UniFirst as a standalone company. Members of the UniFirst Board not affiliated with the Croatti family held an executive session with representatives of Paul Hastings to discuss their fiduciary duties. At the conclusion of the meetings, taking into account additional conversation with some members of the Croatti family, the UniFirst Board authorized and directed management and representatives of UniFirst’s financial advisors to engage with Cintas and propose a meeting to explore potential drivers of additional value that could support Cintas making an increased offer. The UniFirst Board did not authorize a precise purchase price counterproposal. Instead, the UniFirst Board directed management and representatives of UniFirst’s financial advisors to convey that while Cintas’ offer would not need to be in the high $300s as was referenced in the early 2025 engagement, it would have to be “well into the $300s” for a transaction to be approved by the UniFirst Board.

On January 14, 2026, Messrs. Nowicki and Sintros had a telephonic conversation with Mr. Schneider at which they conveyed the UniFirst Board’s position. Mr. Schneider agreed to schedule a due diligence meeting at which UniFirst management could present potential drivers of additional value that could support an increased offer price.

On January 14, 2026, on behalf of Cintas, representatives of Morgan Stanley & Co. LLC (“Morgan Stanley”), Cintas’ financial advisor, conveyed to representatives of each of UniFirst’s financial advisors that Cintas viewed $275.00 per share as a full and fair price. The financial advisors also discussed logistics for the due diligence meeting with UniFirst management which was scheduled for January 16, 2026.

On January 16, 2026, Mr. Nowicki, members of UniFirst’s management, representatives of each of UniFirst’s financial advisors, members of Cintas management, and representatives of Morgan Stanley, attended a meeting at which UniFirst management delivered a presentation on, among other things, UniFirst’s business, operations, and synergies opportunities in a potential combination with Cintas.

On January 19, 2026, representatives of Morgan Stanley reached out to representatives of UniFirst’s financial advisors requesting additional guidance on price ahead of a meeting of the Cintas Board.

On January 20, 2026, a private equity firm delivered to the UniFirst Board a preliminary indication of interest to invest up to $2.0 billion in UniFirst to support UniFirst’s acquisition of a competitor.

On January 21, 2026, on behalf of Cintas, representatives of Morgan Stanley informed representatives of each of UniFirst’s financial advisors that $275.00 per share was a “very full offer”. Furthermore, they indicated limited room for a price increase, but if a “reasonable” price that UniFirst would find acceptable is provided, they would be prepared for representatives of UniFirst and Cintas to meet in-person to try and find a path towards a transaction.

The Morgan Stanley representatives acknowledged that UniFirst’s position was that the price would need to be in the $300s per share. They further noted that $275.00 per share was the maximum value that Cintas would want to deliver in cash; any additional consideration would be delivered in Cintas equity.

Also on January 21, 2026, UniFirst entered into engagement letters with Goldman Sachs and J.P. Morgan.

On January 23, 2026, the UniFirst Board held a meeting at which members of UniFirst management, representatives of Paul Hastings, and representatives of each of UniFirst’s financial advisors were present. The UniFirst Board members were updated regarding the latest communications with Cintas. The attendees also discussed the potential impact of taking Cintas equity as part of the transaction consideration, including the possibility for UniFirst shareholders to benefit in the upside from synergies and long-term value creation. The UniFirst board members also discussed the January 20, 2026 private equity firm indication of interest and determined not to pursue it because it was not in the best interest of UniFirst and its shareholders.

On January 27, 2026, the UniFirst Board held a meeting at which members of UniFirst management and a representative of Paul Hastings were present. The UniFirst Board discussed a potential counterproposal to Cintas. The UniFirst Board determined to direct representatives of UniFirst’s financial advisors to formally deliver a counterproposal of $350.00 per share to Cintas representatives, but to convey that the UniFirst Board had room for further negotiating. UniFirst representatives were also to communicate to Cintas representatives the acceptability of consideration consisting of 60% cash and 40% Cintas common stock.

On January 27, 2026, at the direction of the UniFirst Board, representatives of each of UniFirst’s financial advisors had a telephonic discussion with representatives of Morgan Stanley and relayed the UniFirst Board’s position. Representatives of Morgan Stanley, on behalf of Cintas, rejected the $350.00 per share counterproposal during the discussion and brought back for Cintas’ consideration an indication of $325.00 per share suggested as a potential compromise by representatives of UniFirst’s financial advisors.

On January 30, 2026, representatives of Morgan Stanley contacted representatives of each of Goldman Sachs and J.P. Morgan. During that telephonic discussion, representatives of each of Goldman Sachs and J.P. Morgan pressed for an increase in purchase price, and Morgan Stanley representatives shared a written presentation contextualizing Cintas’ position that $275.00 per share was a full price.

On January 31, 2026, the UniFirst Board held a meeting at which members of UniFirst management, representatives of Paul Hastings, and representatives of each of Goldman Sachs and J.P. Morgan were present. Representatives of each of Goldman Sachs and J.P. Morgan discussed with the UniFirst Board their latest conversation with representatives of Morgan Stanley on pricing. The meeting attendees also discussed the risk that closing of the transaction could be materially delayed or terminated due to the failure to obtain requisite antitrust approvals, and the impact thereof on UniFirst’s business. The UniFirst Board reasoned that the lengthier the period between signing and closing, the more difficult it would be for UniFirst to retain customers and its key workforce (including operational, sales and support service employees, in addition to key members of senior management), during the pendency of the merger. In light of the foregoing, the UniFirst Board discussed the possibility of agreeing on a price of $310.00 per share, believed to be the highest price Cintas would pay, conditioned on an increase of the reverse break up fee payable by Cintas from $350.0 million to $500.0 million, and the inclusion of a termination date of 10 months from signing (without the two extensions of four months each proposed by Cintas). But no final determination was made by the UniFirst Board on the proposal at the meeting.

On February 1, 2026, the independent members of the UniFirst Board held a meeting, with a representative of Paul Hastings present. The attendees discussed feedback received from Ms. Cynthia Croatti, Ms. Carol Croatti and Mr. Matthew Croatti, as representatives of the Croatti family, indicating that they were unanimous in their position that they would not expect (i) a price lower than $310.00 per share or (ii) a proposal that did not include a reverse breakup fee of $500.0 million, a termination date of 12 months from signing (without mandatory extensions) and UniFirst’s unilateral right to terminate the merger agreement after 10 months from signing.

On February 2, 2026, the UniFirst Board held a meeting at which members of UniFirst management and representatives of Paul Hastings were present. Among other things, the UniFirst Board discussed and agreed to direct representatives of UniFirst’s financial advisors to communicate to Morgan Stanley a counterproposal of $310.00 per share, conditioned on a reverse breakup fee of $500.0 million and a termination date of 12 months from signing (without mandatory extensions) and UniFirst’s unilateral right to terminate the merger agreement after 10 months from signing.

On February 3, 2026, representatives of UniFirst’s financial advisors informed representatives of Morgan Stanley that deliberations continued and UniFirst would provide a response on February 4, 2026. UniFirst’s financial advisors also indicated speed would be advantageous to a successful process and expressed the UniFirst Board’s concern, shared by members of the Croatti family, about the retention of key employees during the pendency of the merger.

On February 4, 2026, as directed by the UniFirst Board, representatives of UniFirst’s financial advisors conveyed UniFirst’s counterproposal to representatives of Morgan Stanley.

On February 8, 2026, representatives of Morgan Stanley conveyed to representatives of UniFirst’s financial advisors the agreement of Cintas to a price of $310.00 per share, but cash and equity consideration to be determined. Representatives of Morgan Stanley also conveyed that Cintas did not agree to UniFirst’s counterproposal on regulatory terms.

On February 8, 2026, the UniFirst Board held a meeting at which members of UniFirst management and representatives of Paul Hastings were present. UniFirst management updated the UniFirst Board on the latest communications with Cintas representatives. After discussion, the UniFirst Board agreed to direct representatives of UniFirst’s financial advisors to communicate to Morgan Stanley that it would consider a 50/50 split of cash and equity consideration, subject to conducting further work to inform the regulatory terms. The UniFirst Board also directed management to diligence what plan Cintas had in mind to retain UniFirst’s workforce during the pendency of the merger.

In the first part of the week of February 9, 2026, members of UniFirst and Cintas management, and their legal advisors engaged in discussions regarding the regulatory aspects of the transaction and Cintas’ general retention philosophy for its workforce and that of a potentially combined company. Cintas representatives also delivered to UniFirst representatives a confirmatory due diligence request list.

On February 10, 2026, representatives of UniFirst management, Cintas management, Paul Hastings, Davis Polk, Morgan Stanley and UniFirst’s financial advisors had a meeting at which representatives of the Davis Polk antitrust team presented on the likely path to obtaining regulatory approvals.

Following the above discussions, Cintas reaffirmed its position that it would agree to a reverse termination fee of no more than $350.0 million, and that it would require two four-months extensions at the end of a 10 months termination date to the extent needed to clear antitrust approvals. Cintas also asked for confirmation that a 50% cash and 50% stock mix for purposes of the merger consideration was acceptable to UniFirst.

On February 10, 2026, a national news service published an article reporting that UniFirst was in active discussions to be acquired by Cintas.

On February 14, 2026, the UniFirst Board held a meeting at which members of UniFirst management and representatives of Paul Hastings were present. Members of UniFirst management reviewed with the UniFirst Board the latest communications with Cintas representatives. Following discussion, the UniFirst Board agreed to the merger consideration in the form of 50% cash and 50% stock, and agreed to proceed with a $350.0 million reverse termination fee and the two four-months extensions to the termination date proposed by Cintas, provided that Cintas agreed to a retention program to be designed by UniFirst management that would protect UniFirst from losing critical workforce in the event of an extended regulatory review process that went past 10 months post-signing.

On February 16, 2026, members of UniFirst management presented to representatives of Cintas management a proposed retention program that was put together in coordination with the Compensation Committee of the UniFirst Board and a compensation consultant retained by the Committee (the “Retention Program”). The overarching goal of the program was to retain various key components of the UniFirst workforce, including operational, sales and support service employees, in addition to key members of senior management.

Between February 17, 2026 and February 19, 2026, representatives of UniFirst and Cintas discussed various aspects of the Retention Program, including the timing of communicating retention and transaction bonuses to the affected employees and the members of the senior leadership team that would qualify for transaction bonuses, and agreed in principle to the general components of the program.

Starting on February 19, 2026, and until the execution of the merger agreement, UniFirst uploaded due diligence materials (including non-public information and data) to a virtual data room (the “Data Room”) that was

made available to representatives of Cintas and its advisors. The due diligence information made available to representatives of Cintas and its advisors in the Data Room continued to be supplemented and updated by UniFirst and its representatives in response to information requests from representatives of Cintas and its advisors during the period through March 10, 2026.

On February 19, 2026, representatives of Davis Polk delivered to representatives of Paul Hastings a draft merger agreement. The draft merger agreement, among other things, contemplated a voting and support agreement to be provided by certain members of the Croatti family (including with respect to shares held indirectly by them).

On February 20, 2026, representatives of Davis Polk delivered to representatives of Paul Hastings a draft of the voting and support agreement.

On February 21, 2026, the UniFirst Board held a meeting at which members of UniFirst management and representatives of Paul Hastings were present. Representatives of UniFirst management updated the UniFirst Board on the latest communications with Cintas and its representatives, including the ongoing due diligence, the receipt of the draft transaction documentation and discussions related to the Retention Program.

From February 20, 2026 through March 10, 2026, as directed by the UniFirst Board, members of UniFirst management and representatives of each of UniFirst’s financial advisors met on various occasions with representatives of Cintas and its advisors to discuss ongoing diligence and process-related matters. During the same period of time, representatives of Paul Hastings and Davis Polk negotiated the terms of the merger agreement, the voting and support agreement and ancillary documents; and representatives of UniFirst and Cintas also negotiated the details of the Retention Program.

On February 23, 2026, the independent members of the UniFirst Board held a meeting to discuss the Retention Program and the status of transaction-related workstreams.

On February 25, 2026, the UniFirst Board held a meeting at which members of UniFirst management and a representative of Paul Hastings were present. Representatives of UniFirst management updated the UniFirst Board on the latest communications with Cintas and its representatives, including the ongoing due diligence, the negotiation of the draft transaction documentation, regulatory matters and discussions related to the Retention Program.

On March 2, 2026, representatives of Morgan Stanley and representatives of each of UniFirst’s financial advisors spoke to discuss progress on due diligence, contract negotiations and timing.

On March 5, 2026, a national news service published an article reporting that Cintas was in advanced talks to buy UniFirst, and that the companies were discussing a price that would exceed the $275.00 per share offer publicly proposed by Cintas in December 2025. The price of Cintas shares increased from $200.12 at the market close on March 4, 2026, the day before the press article, to $203.61 at the market close on March 6, 2026.

Beginning on March 6, 2026, at the direction of Mr. Nowicki and in light of the share price increase experienced by Cintas stock after publication of the March 5, 2026 press article, representatives of each of UniFirst’s financial advisors held discussions with representatives of Morgan Stanley about the Cintas share price that would be used to calculate the exchange ratio for purposes of the stock component of the merger consideration.

On March 7, 2026, representatives of Morgan Stanley delivered to representatives of UniFirst’s financial advisors a proposal under which the exchange ratio would be based on the price of Cintas shares immediately prior to the announcement of a transaction, with a double-collar such that the assumed price would in no event be lower than $200.00 per share or higher than $205.00 per share. Cintas’ proposal would expire before the market opening on Monday, March 9, 2026.

On March 8, 2026, the UniFirst Board held a meeting at which members of UniFirst management and representatives of Paul Hastings were present. Representatives of UniFirst management updated the UniFirst Board on the latest communications with Cintas, including Cintas’ proposal on the Cintas share price value to be used for purposes of the exchange ratio. Following discussion, the UniFirst Board decided to decline the Cintas proposal so that the exchange ratio would instead be set on the basis of the spot price of Cintas stock before the announcement of the transaction.

On March 9, 2026, UniFirst and Cintas representatives continued working to finalize confirmatory due diligence and the remaining open points in the Merger Agreement, the most material of which related to the interim operating covenants governing UniFirst’s business conduct prior to closing and the Retention Program.

On the evening of March 9, 2026, Mr. Nowicki and members of UniFirst management met with members of Cintas management. During the meeting, the attendees agreed, pending UniFirst Board approval, to an exchange ratio based on the $200.77 per share closing price of Cintas stock on that day. The attendees also resolved all remaining material points in the transaction documents and Retention Program.

On the morning of March 10, 2026, the UniFirst Board held a meeting, during which representatives of each of UniFirst’s financial advisors and Paul Hastings and members of UniFirst management participated. At the meeting, UniFirst management and representatives of UniFirst’s financial advisors updated the UniFirst Board regarding the latest discussions with Cintas representatives. At the meeting, representatives of Paul Hastings reviewed with the members of the UniFirst Board their fiduciary duties in the context of their consideration of the potential transaction, as well as the principal terms of the merger agreement and other transaction documentation. Also at this meeting, representatives of each of UniFirst’s financial advisors reviewed with the UniFirst Board their respective financial analysis of the merger consideration. The UniFirst Board also approved the application of an exchange ratio based on a $200.77 per Cintas share price discussed the prior day with Cintas representatives.

During the course of the day, representatives of UniFirst and Cintas continued to work to finalize the transaction documentation.

After the closing of financial markets in New York on March 10, 2026, the independent members of the UniFirst Board met for an executive session with a representative of Paul Hastings to discuss the status of the Cintas transaction. The UniFirst Board then held a second meeting, during which representatives of each of UniFirst’s financial advisors and Paul Hastings and members of UniFirst management participated. At the meeting, UniFirst management and representatives of each of UniFirst’s financial advisors updated the UniFirst Board regarding the latest progress on finalizing the transaction documentation. Thereafter, representatives of Goldman Sachs delivered to the UniFirst Board an oral opinion, which was confirmed by delivery of a written opinion dated March 10, 2026, to the effect that, as of that date and based on and subject to various assumptions and limitations described in its opinion, the merger consideration to be paid to the holders (other than Cintas and its affiliates) of UniFirst Stock, pursuant to the merger agreement was fair from a financial point of view to such holders, taken in the aggregate. Also at this meeting, J.P. Morgan delivered to the UniFirst Board an oral opinion, which was confirmed by delivery of a written opinion dated March 10, 2026, to the effect that, as of that date and based upon and subject to the assumptions made, procedures followed, matters considered and limitations on the review undertaken by J.P. Morgan in preparing such opinion, the merger consideration to be paid to the holders of shares of UniFirst stock pursuant to the merger agreement was fair, from a financial point of view, to such holders. Following discussion, and after taking into consideration the information provided by and discussed with its advisors, including the factors described in greater detail in the section of this proxy statement/prospectus titled “—UniFirst Board Reasons for the Merger,” the UniFirst Board unanimously (1) determined that the merger agreement is advisable, fair to and in the best interests of UniFirst and its shareholders; (2) approved the execution and delivery of the merger agreement and performance by UniFirst of its covenants and obligations contained therein and the consummation by the UniFirst of the mergers; (3) adopted and declared advisable the merger agreement and the mergers; (4) directed that the adoption of the merger agreement be submitted to UniFirst’s shareholders for their approval at a special meeting of shareholders; and (5) subject to the terms of the merger agreement, recommended that the UniFirst’s shareholders approve the merger agreement.

The merger agreement, the voting and support agreement and the other transaction documents were executed on the evening of March 10, 2026.

Before the opening of financial markets in New York on March 11, 2026, the parties issued a joint press release announcing the merger agreement.

By unanimous vote of the members of the UniFirst Board, at a meeting held on March 10, 2026, the UniFirst Board (i) approved the merger agreement and the transactions contemplated by the merger agreement, including the mergers, (ii) determined that the merger agreement and the transactions contemplated by the merger agreement, including the mergers, are in the best interests of UniFirst and UniFirst’s shareholders, and (iii) directed that the

approval of the merger agreement with respect to the first merger be submitted to a vote at the special meeting. The UniFirst Board recommends that UniFirst shareholders vote “FOR” the merger proposal, “FOR” the non-binding compensation advisory proposal and “FOR” the adjournment proposal.

In evaluating the merger agreement and the transactions contemplated by the merger agreement, including the mergers, the UniFirst Board consulted with UniFirst’s senior management, outside legal counsel and financial advisors. In recommending that UniFirst shareholders vote their shares of UniFirst stock in favor of approval of the merger agreement and the transactions contemplated thereby, including the first merger, the UniFirst Board also considered a number of factors, including the following factors (not necessarily in order of relative importance) which the UniFirst Board viewed as being generally positive or favorable in coming to its determination and recommendation:

The UniFirst Board also considered a number of uncertainties, risks and other countervailing factors relating to entering into the merger agreement and the transactions contemplated by the merger agreement (including the mergers), including, but not limited to (not necessarily in order of relative importance):

The UniFirst Board believed that, overall, the potential benefits of the mergers to UniFirst shareholders outweighed the risks and uncertainties of the mergers and outweighed UniFirst’s other financial and strategic alternatives, including to continue to operate as a stand-alone public company.

The foregoing discussion of factors considered by the UniFirst Board in reaching its conclusions and recommendation includes the principal factors considered by the UniFirst Board, but is not intended to be exhaustive and may not include all of the factors considered by the UniFirst Board. In light of the wide variety of factors considered in connection with its evaluation of the merger agreement and the transactions contemplated by the merger agreement, including the mergers, and the complexity of these matters, the UniFirst Board did not find it practicable, and did not attempt to, quantify, rank or otherwise assign any relative or specific weights to the specific factors considered in reaching its determination to approve the merger agreement and the transactions contemplated by the merger agreement, including the mergers, and makes its recommendation to the UniFirst shareholders. Rather, the UniFirst Board viewed its decisions as being based on the totality of the information presented to it and the factors it considered, including its discussions with, and questioning of, members of UniFirst’s management and UniFirst’s advisors, as well as its experience and history. Moreover, each member of the UniFirst Board applied his or her own personal business judgment to the process and may have given different weight to different factors.

Certain UniFirst directors and executive officers may have interests in the mergers that are different from, or in addition to, the interests of holders of UniFirst stock generally. The UniFirst Board was aware of and considered

these potential interests, among other matters, in evaluating the mergers and in making its recommendation to UniFirst shareholders. For a discussion of these interests, see the section titled “Interests of UniFirst’s Directors and Executive Officers in the Mergers” beginning on page 66 of this proxy statement/prospectus.

It should be noted that this explanation of the reasoning of the UniFirst Board and all other information presented in this section is forward looking in nature and, therefore, should be read in light of the factors discussed in the section titled “Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements” beginning on page 27 of this proxy statement/prospectus.

Cintas’ obligation to complete the mergers is not conditioned upon its obtaining financing for the mergers. Cintas intends to fund the aggregate cash consideration payable in connection with the mergers with a combination of cash on hand, the issuance of unsecured debt securities in a public or private offering and debt financing, which could include revolving loans and term loans.

On March 10, 2026, in connection with the merger agreement, Cintas entered into a commitment letter with the Debt Commitment Parties, pursuant to which, subject to the terms and conditions set forth therein, the Debt Commitment Parties have committed to provide the Bridge Facility consisting of two separate tranches: a $1,600,000,000 tranche (“Tranche A”) and a $1,250,000,000 tranche (“Tranche B”). The funding of the Bridge Facility provided for in the commitment letter is subject to the satisfaction of certain customary limited conditions, including the consummation of the mergers in accordance with the merger agreement and the execution and delivery of definitive documentation with respect to the Bridge Facility in accordance with the terms set forth in the commitment letter.

On March 27, 2026, Cintas Corporation No. 2, a direct subsidiary of Cintas, entered into the Revolving Credit Agreement among Cintas Corporation No. 2, as borrower, certain lenders and KeyBank National Association, as administrative agent, which refinanced in full the loans under that certain Third Amended and Restated Credit Agreement, dated as of March 23, 2022, among the same parties. The Revolving Credit Agreement provides, among other things, that $1,250,000,000 of the commitments under the Revolving Credit Agreement are available for the consummation of the mergers, subject to the satisfaction of certain customary limited conditions, including the consummation of the mergers in accordance with the merger agreement. The commitments under Tranche B of the Bridge Facility were replaced by the Revolving Facility.

In connection with the mergers, Cintas currently expects to terminate UniFirst’s existing credit facility (the “Target Existing Credit Facility”) with Bank of America, N.A. and backstop or cash collateralize the outstanding letters of credit issued thereunder.

Pursuant to an engagement letter dated January 21, 2026, UniFirst retained J.P. Morgan as its co-financial advisor in connection with the mergers.

At the meeting of the UniFirst Board on March 10, 2026, J.P. Morgan rendered its oral opinion to the UniFirst Board that, as of such date and based upon and subject to the assumptions made, procedures followed, matters considered and limitations on the review undertaken by J.P. Morgan in preparing its opinion, the merger consideration to be paid to the holders of UniFirst stock in the mergers pursuant to the merger agreement was fair, from a financial point of view, to such holders. J.P. Morgan confirmed its March 10, 2026 oral opinion by delivering its written opinion to the UniFirst Board, dated March 10, 2026, that, as of such date, the merger consideration to be paid to the holders of UniFirst stock in the mergers pursuant to the merger agreement was fair, from a financial point of view, to such holders.

The full text of the written opinion, which sets forth, among other things, the assumptions made, procedures followed, matters considered and limitations on the review undertaken by J.P. Morgan in preparing its opinion, is attached as Annex C to this proxy statement/prospectus and is incorporated herein by reference. The summary of the opinion of J.P. Morgan set forth in this proxy statement/prospectus is qualified in its entirety by reference to the full text of such opinion. UniFirst’s shareholders are urged to read the opinion in its entirety. J.P. Morgan’s opinion was addressed to the UniFirst Board (in its capacity as such) in connection with and for the purposes of its

evaluation of the mergers, was directed only to the merger consideration to be paid to the holders of UniFirst stock in the mergers and did not address any other aspect of the mergers. J.P. Morgan expressed no opinion as to (1) the fairness of any consideration to be paid in connection with the mergers to the holders of any other class of securities, creditors or other constituencies of UniFirst, (2) the allocation of the aggregate merger consideration to be paid to all holders of UniFirst stock between the holders of UniFirst common stock and UniFirst class B common stock, or the relative fairness of the merger consideration to the holders of any shares of UniFirst stock or (3) the underlying decision by UniFirst to engage in the mergers. J.P. Morgan also did not express any opinion as to the voting rights associated with the UniFirst class B common stock or any governance or other rights of the holders thereof (and did not take any such rights into account in their analysis), and, for purposes of their opinion, J.P. Morgan assumed that each share of the UniFirst class B common stock is economically equivalent to a share of UniFirst common stock. The issuance of J.P. Morgan’s opinion was approved by a fairness committee of J.P. Morgan. The opinion does not constitute a recommendation to any shareholder of UniFirst as to how such shareholder should vote with respect to the merger proposal or any other matter.

In arriving at its opinion, J.P. Morgan, among other things:

In addition, J.P. Morgan held discussions with certain members of the management of UniFirst with respect to certain aspects of the mergers, and the past and current business operations of UniFirst and Cintas, the financial condition and future prospects and operations of UniFirst and Cintas, the effects of the mergers on the financial condition and future prospects of UniFirst and Cintas and certain other matters J.P. Morgan believed necessary or appropriate to its inquiry.

In giving its opinion, J.P. Morgan relied upon and assumed the accuracy and completeness of all information that was publicly available or was furnished to or discussed with J.P. Morgan by UniFirst or otherwise reviewed by or for J.P. Morgan. J.P. Morgan did not independently verify any such information or its accuracy or completeness and, pursuant to J.P. Morgan’s engagement letter with UniFirst, J.P. Morgan did not assume any obligation to undertake any such independent verification. J.P. Morgan did not conduct and was not provided with any valuation or appraisal of any assets or liabilities, nor did J.P. Morgan evaluate the solvency of UniFirst or Cintas under any state or federal laws relating to bankruptcy, insolvency or similar matters. In relying on financial analyses and forecasts provided to J.P. Morgan or derived therefrom, J.P. Morgan assumed that they were reasonably prepared based on assumptions reflecting the best currently available estimates and judgments by UniFirst’s management as to the expected future results of operations and financial condition of UniFirst and Cintas to which such analyses or forecasts relate. J.P. Morgan expressed no view as to such analyses or forecasts or the assumptions on which they were based. J.P. Morgan also assumed that the mergers and the other transactions contemplated by the merger agreement will have the tax consequences described in discussions with, and materials furnished to J.P. Morgan by, representatives of UniFirst, and will be consummated as described in the merger agreement. J.P. Morgan also assumed that the representations and warranties made by UniFirst and Cintas in the merger agreement and the related agreements were and will be true and correct in all respects material to its analysis. J.P. Morgan is not a legal,

regulatory or tax expert and relied on the assessments made by advisors to UniFirst with respect to such issues. J.P. Morgan further assumed that all material governmental, regulatory or other consents and approvals necessary for the consummation of the mergers will be obtained without any adverse effect on UniFirst or Cintas or on the contemplated benefits of the mergers.

The projections furnished to J.P. Morgan were prepared by UniFirst’s management, as discussed more fully under “The Mergers—Unaudited Prospective Financial Information Prepared by UniFirst” beginning on page 63 of this proxy statement/prospectus. UniFirst does not publicly disclose internal management projections of the type provided to J.P. Morgan in connection with J.P. Morgan’s analysis of the mergers, and such projections were not prepared with a view toward public disclosure. These projections were based on numerous variables and assumptions that are inherently uncertain and may be beyond the control of UniFirst’s management, including, without limitation, factors related to general economic and competitive conditions and prevailing interest rates. Accordingly, actual results could vary significantly from those set forth in such projections. For more information regarding the use of projections and other forward-looking statements, please see the section titled “The Mergers—Unaudited Prospective Financial Information Prepared by UniFirst” beginning on page 63 of this proxy statement/prospectus.

J.P. Morgan’s opinion was necessarily based on economic, market and other conditions as in effect on, and the information made available to J.P. Morgan as of, the date of such opinion. J.P. Morgan’s opinion noted that subsequent developments may affect J.P. Morgan’s opinion, and that J.P. Morgan does not have any obligation to update, revise or reaffirm such opinion. J.P. Morgan’s opinion is limited to the fairness, from a financial point of view, of the merger consideration to be paid to the holders of UniFirst stock in the mergers, and J.P. Morgan has expressed no opinion as to (1) the fairness of any consideration to be paid in connection with the mergers to the holders of any other class of securities, creditors or other constituencies of UniFirst, (2) the allocation of the aggregate merger consideration to be paid to all holders of UniFirst stock between the holders of UniFirst common stock and UniFirst class B common stock, or the relative fairness of the merger consideration to the holders of any shares of UniFirst stock or (3) the underlying decision by UniFirst to engage in the mergers. J.P. Morgan also did not express any opinion as to the voting rights associated with the UniFirst class B common stock or any governance or other rights of the holders thereof (and did not take any such rights into account in their analysis), and, for purposes of their opinion, J.P. Morgan assumed that each share of the UniFirst class B common stock is economically equivalent to a share of UniFirst common stock. Furthermore, J.P. Morgan expressed no opinion with respect to the amount or nature of any compensation to any officers, directors, or employees of any party to the mergers, or any class of such persons relative to the merger consideration to be paid to the holders of UniFirst stock in the mergers or with respect to the fairness of any such compensation. J.P. Morgan expressed no opinion as to the price at which UniFirst common stock or Cintas common stock will trade at any future time.

The terms of the merger agreement, including the merger consideration to be paid to the holders of UniFirst stock, were determined through arm’s-length negotiations between UniFirst and Cintas, and the decision to enter into the merger agreement was solely that of the UniFirst Board. J.P. Morgan’s opinion and financial analyses were only one of the many factors considered by the UniFirst Board in its evaluation of the mergers and should not be viewed as determinative of the views of the UniFirst Board or UniFirst’s management with respect to the mergers or the merger consideration.

In accordance with customary investment banking practice, J.P. Morgan employed generally accepted valuation methodologies in rendering its opinion to the UniFirst Board, and in the financial analysis presented to the UniFirst Board in connection with the rendering of such opinion. The following is a summary of the material financial analyses utilized by J.P. Morgan in connection with rendering its opinion to the UniFirst Board and does not purport to be a complete description of the analyses or data presented by J.P. Morgan. Some of the summaries of the financial analyses include information presented in tabular format. The tables are not intended to stand alone, and in order to more fully understand the financial analyses used by J.P. Morgan, the tables must be read together with the full text of each summary. Considering the data set forth below without considering the full narrative description of the financial analyses, including the methodologies and assumptions underlying the analyses, could create a misleading or incomplete view of J.P. Morgan’s analyses.

Using publicly available information, J.P. Morgan compared selected financial data of UniFirst with similar data for selected publicly traded companies engaged in businesses which J.P. Morgan judged to be sufficiently analogous to those engaged in by UniFirst. The companies selected by J.P. Morgan were as follows:

These companies were selected, among other reasons, because they are publicly traded companies with operations and businesses that, for the purposes of J.P. Morgan’s analysis, may be considered similar or adjacent to those of UniFirst. However, certain of these companies may have characteristics that are materially different from those of UniFirst. The analyses necessarily involve complex considerations and judgments concerning differences in financial and operational characteristics of the companies involved and other factors that could affect the selected companies differently than they would affect UniFirst.

Using publicly available information, J.P. Morgan calculated, for each selected company, the ratio of the company’s enterprise value to the consensus equity research analyst estimates for the company’s adjusted earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization pre-stock based compensation (“Adj. EBITDA”) for the calendar years ending 2026 (the “EV/2026E Adj. EBITDA”) and 2027.

Based on the results of this analysis, J.P. Morgan selected a reference range of 8.0x – 10.0x for EV/2026E Adj. EBITDA for UniFirst. After applying such range to the projected Adj. EBITDA for UniFirst for the twelve-month period ending August 29, 2026 as set forth in the UniFirst forecasts, the analysis indicated the following range of implied per share equity value (rounded to the nearest $0.50) for UniFirst common stock:

The range of implied per share equity values for UniFirst common stock was compared to (i) the unaffected closing share price of UniFirst common stock of $153.05 on November 11, 2025, the day prior to UniFirst’s disclosure that a shareholder had nominated directors to the UniFirst Board and (ii) the value of the merger consideration of $310.00 per share of UniFirst stock.

Using publicly available information, J.P. Morgan examined selected public transactions involving businesses which J.P. Morgan judged to be similar to UniFirst’s business (or aspects thereof). The following transactions were selected by J.P. Morgan as relevant to the evaluation of the mergers:

None of the selected transactions reviewed were identical to the mergers. However, the selected transactions were chosen because certain aspects of the transactions, for purposes of J.P. Morgan’s analysis, may be considered similar to the mergers. The analyses necessarily involve complex considerations and judgments concerning differences in financial and operational characteristics of the companies involved and other factors that could affect the transactions differently than they would affect the mergers.

Using publicly available information, J.P. Morgan calculated, for each selected transaction, the multiple of the target company’s firm value (calculated as fully diluted equity value, plus net debt, preferred equity and non-controlling interests and less unconsolidated investments, as applicable) implied in the relevant transaction to the target company’s EBITDA for the last 12 months prior to the date of announcement of the applicable transaction (the “FV/LTM EBITDA Multiple”).

Based on the results of this analysis, J.P. Morgan selected a FV/LTM EBITDA Multiple reference range for UniFirst of 11.7x to 14.2x. J.P. Morgan then applied such reference range to UniFirst’s estimated Adj. EBITDA for

the trailing 12 months ended February 28, 2026 (calculated using UniFirst’s actual Adj. EBITDA for the second half of fiscal year 2025 and UniFirst’s estimated Adj. EBITDA for the first half of fiscal year 2026 included in the UniFirst forecasts described in the section titled “The Mergers—Unaudited Prospective Financial Information Prepared by UniFirst” beginning on page 63). The analysis indicated a range of implied equity value per share of UniFirst common stock (rounded to the nearest $0.50) of approximately $215.50 to $260.00, which J.P. Morgan compared to (i) the unaffected closing share price of UniFirst common stock of $153.05 on November 11, 2025, the day prior to UniFirst’s disclosure that a shareholder had nominated directors to the UniFirst Board and (ii) the value of the merger consideration of $310.00 per share of UniFirst stock.

J.P. Morgan conducted a discounted cash flow analysis for the purpose of determining an implied fully diluted equity value per share for UniFirst common stock. J.P. Morgan calculated the unlevered free cash flows that UniFirst is expected to generate at fiscal year-end for 2026 through 2030 (as set forth in the UniFirst forecasts described in the section titled “The Mergers—Unaudited Prospective Financial Information Prepared by UniFirst,” beginning on page 63, which were prepared by UniFirst’s management and discussed with the UniFirst Board and subsequently approved by the UniFirst Board for use by J.P. Morgan in connection with its financial analyses). J.P. Morgan also calculated a range of terminal values for UniFirst at the end of this period by applying perpetual growth rates ranging from 2.0% to 3.0%, based on guidance provided by UniFirst’s management, to estimate the value of unlevered free cash flow in the terminal year for UniFirst at the end of fiscal year 2030, as derived from the UniFirst forecasts. J.P. Morgan then discounted the unlevered free cash flow estimates and the range of terminal values to present value as of February 28, 2026 using discount rates ranging from 7.50% to 8.50% for UniFirst, which range was chosen by J.P. Morgan based upon an analysis of the weighted average cost of capital of UniFirst.

The present values of the unlevered free cash flow estimates and the range of terminal values were then adjusted for UniFirst’s estimated net cash as of March 6, 2026, as provided by UniFirst management. Based on the foregoing, this analysis indicated the following ranges of implied per share equity value (rounded to the nearest $0.50) for UniFirst common stock:

The range of implied per share equity values for UniFirst common stock was compared to (i) the unaffected closing share price of UniFirst common stock of $153.05 on November 11, 2025, the day prior to UniFirst’s disclosure that a shareholder had nominated directors to the UniFirst Board and (ii) the value of the merger consideration of $310.00 per share of UniFirst stock.

The foregoing summary of certain material financial analyses does not purport to be a complete description of the analyses or data presented by J.P. Morgan. The preparation of a fairness opinion is a complex process and is not necessarily susceptible to partial analysis or summary description. J.P. Morgan believes that the foregoing summary and its analyses must be considered as a whole and that selecting portions of the foregoing summary and these analyses, without considering all of its analyses as a whole, could create an incomplete view of the processes underlying the analyses and its opinion. As a result, the ranges of valuations resulting from any particular analysis or combination of analyses described above were merely utilized to create points of reference for analytical purposes and should not be taken to be the view of J.P. Morgan with respect to the actual value of UniFirst. The order of analyses described does not represent the relative importance or weight given to those analyses by J.P. Morgan. In arriving at its opinion, J.P. Morgan did not attribute any particular weight to any analyses or factors considered by it and did not form an opinion as to whether any individual analysis or factor (positive or negative), considered in isolation, supported or failed to support its opinion. Rather, J.P. Morgan considered the totality of the factors and analyses performed in determining its opinion.

Analyses based upon forecasts of future results are inherently uncertain, as they are subject to numerous factors or events beyond the control of the parties and their advisors. Accordingly, forecasts and analyses used or made by J.P. Morgan are not necessarily indicative of actual future results, which may be significantly more or less favorable than suggested by those analyses. Moreover, J.P. Morgan’s analyses are not and do not purport to be appraisals or

otherwise reflective of the prices at which businesses actually could be acquired or sold. None of the selected companies reviewed as described in the above summary is identical to UniFirst and none of the selected transactions reviewed as described in the above summary were identical to the mergers. However, the companies selected were chosen because they are publicly traded companies with operations and businesses that, for purposes of J.P. Morgan’s analysis, may be considered similar to those of UniFirst and the transactions selected were chosen by J.P. Morgan because certain aspects of the transactions, for purposes of J.P. Morgan’s analysis, may be considered similar to the mergers. The analyses necessarily involve complex considerations and judgments concerning differences in financial and operational characteristics of the companies involved and other factors that could affect the companies compared to UniFirst and the transactions compared to the mergers.

As a part of its investment banking business, J.P. Morgan and its affiliates are continually engaged in the valuation of businesses and their securities in connection with mergers and acquisitions, investments for passive and control purposes, negotiated underwritings, secondary distributions of listed and unlisted securities, private placements and valuations for corporate and other purposes. J.P. Morgan was selected to advise UniFirst with respect to the mergers and deliver an opinion to the UniFirst Board with respect to the mergers on the basis of, among other things, such experience and its qualifications and reputation in connection with such matters and its familiarity with UniFirst and the industries in which it operates.

For financial advisory services rendered in connection with the mergers, UniFirst has agreed to pay J.P. Morgan an estimated fee of approximately $42,000,000, $5,000,000 of which became payable to J.P. Morgan at the time J.P. Morgan delivered its opinion, and the remainder of which is contingent and payable upon the consummation of the mergers. In addition, UniFirst has agreed to reimburse J.P. Morgan for its reasonable costs and expenses incurred in connection with its services, including the reasonable fees and expenses of counsel, and will indemnify J.P. Morgan against certain liabilities arising out of J.P. Morgan’s engagement.

During the two years preceding the date of J.P. Morgan’s opinion, neither J.P. Morgan nor its affiliates have had any material financial advisory or other material commercial or investment banking relationships with Cintas. During the two years preceding the date of J.P. Morgan’s opinion, J.P. Morgan and its affiliates have had commercial or investment banking relationships with UniFirst, for which J.P. Morgan and such affiliates have received customary compensation. Such services during such period have included acting as lead arranger on a syndicated facility in June 2025. During the two-year period preceding the date of J.P. Morgan’s opinion, the aggregate fees recognized by J.P. Morgan from UniFirst were approximately $2,000,000. In addition, J.P. Morgan and its affiliates hold, on a proprietary basis, less than 1% of the outstanding common stock of each of UniFirst and Cintas. In the ordinary course of its businesses, J.P. Morgan and its affiliates actively trade the debt and equity securities or financial instruments (including derivatives, bank loans or other obligations) of UniFirst or Cintas for their own account or for the accounts of customers and, accordingly, they likely hold long or short positions in such securities or other financial instruments.

Goldman Sachs delivered its opinion to the UniFirst Board that, as of March 10, 2026, and based upon and subject to the factors and assumptions set forth therein, the merger consideration to be paid to the holders (other than Cintas and its affiliates) of the outstanding shares of UniFirst stock pursuant to the merger agreement was fair from a financial point of view to such holders, taken in the aggregate.

The full text of the written opinion of Goldman Sachs, dated March 10, 2026, which sets forth assumptions made, procedures followed, matters considered, qualifications and limitations on the review undertaken in connection with Goldman Sachs’ opinion, is attached as Annex D to this proxy statement/prospectus. The summary of Goldman Sachs’ opinion contained in this proxy statement/prospectus is qualified in its entirety by reference to the full text of Goldman Sachs’ written opinion. Goldman Sachs provided advisory services and its opinion for the information and assistance of the UniFirst Board in connection with its consideration of the transactions. Goldman Sachs’ opinion is not a recommendation as to how any holder of shares of UniFirst stock should vote with respect to the transactions or any other matter.

In connection with rendering the opinion described above and performing its related financial analyses, Goldman Sachs reviewed, among other things,

Goldman Sachs also held discussions with members of the senior management of UniFirst regarding their assessment of the past and current business operations, financial condition and future prospects of UniFirst; reviewed the reported price and trading activity for the shares of UniFirst common stock and shares of Cintas common stock; compared certain financial and stock market information for UniFirst with similar information for certain other companies the securities of which are publicly traded; reviewed the financial terms of certain recent business combinations in the uniform services industry and in other industries; and performed such other studies and analyses, and considered such other factors, as Goldman Sachs deemed appropriate.

For purposes of rendering its opinion, Goldman Sachs, with the UniFirst Board’s consent, relied upon and assumed the accuracy and completeness of all of the financial, legal, regulatory, tax, accounting and other information provided to, discussed with or reviewed by, it, without assuming any responsibility for independent verification thereof. In that regard, Goldman Sachs assumed, with the UniFirst Board’s consent, that the UniFirst forecasts were reasonably prepared on a basis reflecting the best then available estimates and judgments of the management of UniFirst. In rendering its opinion, Goldman Sachs did not take into account any differential voting or other rights between the shares of UniFirst common stock and the shares of UniFirst class B common stock. Goldman Sachs did not make an independent evaluation or appraisal of the assets and liabilities (including any contingent, derivative or other off-balance-sheet assets and liabilities) of UniFirst or Cintas or any of their respective subsidiaries and Goldman Sachs was not furnished with any such evaluation or appraisal. Goldman Sachs assumed that all governmental, regulatory or other consents and approvals necessary for the consummation of the transactions would be obtained without any adverse effect on UniFirst or Cintas or on the expected benefits of the transactions in any way meaningful to its analysis. Goldman Sachs assumed that the transactions would be consummated on the terms set forth in the merger agreement, without the waiver or modification of any term or condition the effect of which would be in any way meaningful to its analysis.

Goldman Sachs’ opinion does not address the underlying business decision of UniFirst to engage in the transactions, or the relative merits of the transactions as compared to any strategic alternatives that may be available to UniFirst; nor does it address any legal, regulatory, tax or accounting matters. Goldman Sachs’ opinion addresses only the fairness from a financial point of view to the holders (other than Cintas and its affiliates) of the outstanding shares of UniFirst stock, as of the date of its opinion, of the merger consideration to be paid to such holders, taken in the aggregate, pursuant to the merger agreement. Goldman Sachs does not express any view on, and its opinion does not address, any other term or aspect of the merger agreement or transactions or any term or aspect of any other agreement or instrument contemplated by the merger agreement or entered into or amended in connection with the transactions, including any allocation of the merger consideration, the fairness of the transactions to, or any consideration received in connection therewith by, the holders of any other class of securities, creditors, or other constituencies of UniFirst; nor as to the fairness of the amount or nature of any compensation to be paid or payable to any of the officers, directors or employees of UniFirst, or class of such persons, in connection with the transactions, whether relative to the merger consideration to be paid to the holders (other than Cintas and its affiliates) of the outstanding shares of UniFirst stock, taken in the aggregate, pursuant to the merger agreement or otherwise. Goldman Sachs expresses no opinion with respect to the allocation of the aggregate consideration payable pursuant to the merger agreement, including between the holders of the outstanding shares of UniFirst common stock and UniFirst class B common stock pursuant to the merger agreement. Goldman Sachs does not express any opinion as to the prices at which shares of Cintas common stock or UniFirst common stock will trade at any time or, as to the potential effects of volatility in the credit, financial and stock markets on UniFirst, Cintas or the transactions, or as to the impact of the transactions on the solvency or viability of UniFirst or Cintas or the ability of UniFirst or Cintas to pay their respective obligations when they come due. Goldman Sachs’ opinion is necessarily based on economic, monetary, market and other conditions as in effect on, and the information made available to it as of, the date thereof and Goldman Sachs assumes no responsibility for updating, revising or reaffirming its opinion based on circumstances, developments or events occurring after the date of its opinion.

Goldman Sachs’ advisory services and its opinion are provided for the information and assistance of the UniFirst Board in connection with its consideration of the transactions and such opinion does not constitute a recommendation as to how any holder of UniFirst stock should vote with respect to such transactions. Goldman Sachs’ opinion was approved by a fairness committee of Goldman Sachs.

The following is a summary of the material financial analyses delivered by Goldman Sachs to the UniFirst Board in connection with rendering the opinion described above. The following summary, however, does not purport to be a complete description of the financial analyses performed by Goldman Sachs, nor does the order of analyses described represent relative importance or weight given to those analyses by Goldman Sachs. Some of the summaries of the financial analyses include information presented in tabular format. The tables must be read together with the full text of each summary and are alone not a complete description of Goldman Sachs’ financial analyses. Except as otherwise noted, the following quantitative information, to the extent that it is based on market data, is based on market data as it existed on or before March 9, 2026, the last trading day before the signing of the merger agreement, and is not necessarily indicative of current market conditions.

Using the UniFirst forecasts, Goldman Sachs performed an illustrative discounted cash flow analysis on UniFirst to derive a range of illustrative present values per share of UniFirst stock. Using the mid-year convention for discounting cash flows and discount rates ranging from 8.25% to 9.25%, reflecting estimates of UniFirst’s weighted average cost of capital, Goldman Sachs discounted to present value as of February 26, 2026 (i) estimates of unlevered free cash flow for UniFirst for the fiscal years in the period from August 31, 2026 to August 31, 2030 as reflected in the UniFirst forecasts and (ii) a range of illustrative terminal values for UniFirst, which were calculated by applying perpetuity growth rates ranging from 2.5% to 3.5% to a terminal year estimate of the unlevered free cash flow to be generated by UniFirst as reflected in the UniFirst forecasts (which analysis implied terminal value to last twelve month (“LTM”) earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization (“EBITDA”) multiples ranging from 7.7x to 11.0x). The range of perpetuity growth rates was estimated by Goldman Sachs utilizing its professional judgment and experience, taking into account the UniFirst forecasts and market expectations regarding long-term real growth of gross domestic product and inflation. Goldman Sachs derived such discount rates by application of the Capital Asset Pricing Model (“CAPM”) which requires certain company-specific inputs, including UniFirst’s target capital structure weightings, the cost of long-term debt, after-tax yield on cash, if any, future applicable marginal cash tax rate and a beta for UniFirst, as well as certain financial metrics for the United States financial markets generally.

Goldman Sachs derived ranges of illustrative enterprise values for UniFirst by adding the ranges of present values it derived above. Goldman Sachs then subtracted from the range of illustrative enterprise values it derived for UniFirst the amount of UniFirst’s total net cash as of March 6, 2026, as provided by and approved for Goldman Sachs’ use by the UniFirst Board, to derive a range of illustrative equity values for UniFirst. Goldman Sachs then divided the range of illustrative equity values it derived by the number of fully diluted outstanding shares of UniFirst as of March 6, 2026, as provided by and approved for Goldman Sachs’ use by the UniFirst Board, using the treasury stock method, to derive a range of illustrative present values per share of $186.00 to $257.00.

Using the UniFirst forecasts, Goldman Sachs performed an illustrative analysis of the implied present value of an illustrative future value per share of UniFirst stock. For this analysis, Goldman Sachs first calculated the implied enterprise value for UniFirst as of August 31 for each of the fiscal years 2026 through 2029, by applying a range of illustrative enterprise value to next twelve-month (“NTM”) EBITDA (“EV/NTM EBITDA”) multiples of 8.5x to 9.5x to estimates of UniFirst’s NTM EBITDA for each of the fiscal years 2026 through 2029. This illustrative range of EV/NTM EBITDA multiple estimates was derived by Goldman Sachs utilizing its professional judgment and experience, taking into account current and historical EV/NTM EBITDA multiples for UniFirst.

Goldman Sachs then subtracted the amount of UniFirst’s forecasted net debt for each of the fiscal years 2026 through 2029, each as provided by and approved for Goldman Sachs’ use by the UniFirst Board, from the respective implied enterprise values in order to derive a range of illustrative equity values as of August 31 for UniFirst for each of the fiscal years 2026 through 2029. Goldman Sachs then divided these implied equity values by the projected

year-end number of fully diluted outstanding shares of UniFirst stock for each of fiscal years 2026 through 2029, calculated using information provided by and approved for Goldman Sachs’ use by the UniFirst Board, to derive a range of implied future values per share of UniFirst stock. Goldman Sachs then added the cumulative dividends per share of UniFirst stock expected to be paid to holders of the outstanding shares of UniFirst stock through the end of each of the fiscal years 2026 through 2029, using the UniFirst forecasts. Goldman Sachs then discounted these implied future equity values per share of UniFirst stock and the cumulative dividends per share of UniFirst stock to February 26, 2026 using an illustrative discount rate of 9.0%, reflecting an estimate of UniFirst’s cost of equity. Goldman Sachs derived such discount rate by application of the CAPM, which requires certain company-specific inputs, including a beta for UniFirst, as well as certain financial metrics for the United States financial markets generally. This analysis resulted in a range of illustrative present values per share of UniFirst stock of $160.00 to $218.00.

Goldman Sachs analyzed certain information relating to the following selected transactions in the uniform services industry since 2015. For each of the selected transactions, Goldman Sachs calculated and compared the implied enterprise value of the applicable target company based on the consideration paid in the transaction as a multiple of the target company’s LTM adjusted EBITDA based on information in public filings, press releases and Bloomberg and Wall Street research. While none of the companies that participated in the selected transactions are directly comparable to UniFirst, the companies that participated in the selected transactions are companies with operations that, for the purposes of analysis, may be considered similar to certain of UniFirst’s results, market sizes and product profile.

The following table presents the results of this analysis:

Based on the results of the foregoing calculations and Goldman Sachs’ professional judgment and experience, Goldman Sachs applied a reference range of EV/LTM adjusted EBITDA multiples of 11.7x to 14.2x to UniFirst’s LTM adjusted EBITDA as of February 26, 2026, as provided by and approved for Goldman Sachs’ use by the management of UniFirst, to derive a range of implied enterprise values for UniFirst. Goldman Sachs then subtracted from the range of illustrated enterprise values it derived for UniFirst the amount of UniFirst’s net cash as provided by and approved for Goldman Sachs’ use by the management of UniFirst, and divided the result by the number of fully diluted outstanding shares of UniFirst stock as of March 6, 2026, as provided by and approved for Goldman Sachs’ use by the management of UniFirst, to derive a reference range of implied values per share of UniFirst stock of $216.00 to $260.00.

Goldman Sachs reviewed and analyzed, using publicly available information, the acquisition premia for all-cash transactions announced from January 1, 2015 through March 9, 2026 (excluding transactions in the finance and real estate industries) involving a public company based in the United States as the target where the disclosed enterprise values for the transaction were between $1,000,000,000 and $10,000,000,000. For the entire period, using publicly available information, Goldman Sachs calculated the median, 25th percentile and 75th percentile premiums of the price paid in the 568 transactions relative to the target’s last undisturbed closing stock price prior to announcement of the transaction. This analysis indicated a median premium of 36%, 25th percentile premium of 21% and 75th percentile premium of 59% across the period. Using this analysis, Goldman Sachs applied a reference range of illustrative premiums of 21% to 59% to the undisturbed closing price per share of UniFirst stock of $153.05 as of November 11, 2025 to derive a range of implied equity values per share of UniFirst stock of $185.00 to $243.00.

The preparation of a fairness opinion is a complex process and is not necessarily susceptible to partial analysis or summary description. Selecting portions of the analyses or of the summary set forth above, without considering the analyses as a whole, could create an incomplete view of the processes underlying Goldman Sachs’ opinion. In

arriving at its fairness determination, Goldman Sachs considered the results of all of its analyses and did not attribute any particular weight to any factor or analysis considered by it. Rather, Goldman Sachs made its determination as to fairness on the basis of its experience and professional judgment after considering the results of all of its analyses. No company or transaction used in the above analyses as a comparison is directly comparable to UniFirst or Cintas or the transactions.

Goldman Sachs prepared these analyses for purposes of Goldman Sachs providing its opinion to the UniFirst Board as to the fairness from a financial point of view to the holders (other than Cintas and its affiliates) of the outstanding shares of UniFirst stock, as of the date of its opinion, of the merger consideration to be paid to such holders, taken in the aggregate, pursuant to the merger agreement. These analyses do not purport to be appraisals nor do they necessarily reflect the prices at which businesses or securities actually may be sold. Analyses based upon forecasts of future results are not necessarily indicative of actual future results, which may be significantly more or less favorable than suggested by these analyses. Because these analyses are inherently subject to uncertainty, being based upon numerous factors or events beyond the control of the parties or their respective advisors, none of UniFirst, Cintas, Goldman Sachs or any other person assumes responsibility if future results are materially different from those forecast.

The merger consideration was determined through arm’s-length negotiations between UniFirst and Cintas and was approved by the UniFirst Board. Goldman Sachs provided advice to UniFirst during these negotiations. Goldman Sachs did not, however, recommend any specific amount of consideration to UniFirst or the UniFirst Board or that any specific amount of consideration constituted the only appropriate consideration for the transactions.

As described above, Goldman Sachs’ opinion to the UniFirst Board was one of many factors taken into consideration by the UniFirst Board in making its determination to approve the merger agreement. The foregoing summary does not purport to be a complete description of the analyses performed by Goldman Sachs in connection with the fairness opinion and is qualified in its entirety by reference to the written opinion of Goldman Sachs attached as Annex D.

Goldman Sachs and its affiliates (collectively, “Goldman Sachs Affiliated Entities”) are engaged in advisory, underwriting, lending and financing, principal investing, sales and trading, research, investment management and other financial and non-financial activities and services for various persons and entities. Goldman Sachs and its affiliates and employees, and funds or other entities they manage or in which they invest or have other economic interests or with which they co-invest, may at any time purchase, sell, hold or vote long or short positions and investments in securities, derivatives, loans, commodities, currencies, credit default swaps and other financial instruments of UniFirst, Cintas, any of their respective affiliates and third parties, including Ronald Croatti Trust-1993, the Red Cat Limited Partnership, the Queue Limited Partnership and Cecelia Levenstein, each, a significant shareholder of UniFirst (the “UniFirst Significant Shareholders”), and Scott D. Farmer, a significant shareholder of Cintas (together with the UniFirst Significant Shareholders, the “Significant Shareholders”), and any of their respective affiliates (collectively, “Relevant Parties”) or any currency or commodity that may be involved in the transactions contemplated by the merger agreement. Goldman Sachs acted as co-financial advisor to UniFirst in connection with, and participated in certain of the negotiations leading to, the transactions contemplated by the merger agreement. During the two-year period ended March 10, 2026, Goldman Sachs Investment Banking has not been engaged by UniFirst or its affiliates to provide financial advisory or underwriting services for which Goldman Sachs has recognized compensation. During the two-year period ended March 10, 2026, Goldman Sachs Investment Banking has not been engaged by Cintas or its affiliates to provide financial advisory or underwriting services for which Goldman Sachs has recognized compensation. During the two-year period ended March 10, 2026, Goldman Sachs Investment Banking has not been engaged by the Significant Shareholders or their affiliates to provide financial advisory or underwriting services for which Goldman Sachs has recognized compensation. As of March 10, 2026, Goldman Sachs Investment Banking was not mandated by any Relevant Party to provide to any such person financial advisory and/or underwriting services. As of March 10, 2026, Goldman Sachs Investment Banking was not soliciting any Relevant Party to work on financial advisory and/or underwriting matters for any such persons on which it has not been mandated. Goldman Sachs may in the future provide financial advisory and/or underwriting services to the Relevant Parties and their respective affiliates and/or as applicable, portfolio companies, for which Goldman Sachs Investment Banking may receive compensation.

As of March 10, 2026, Goldman Sachs Affiliated Entities had (i) no direct GS Principal Investment (as defined below) in UniFirst and/or its affiliates (excluding any Significant Shareholder and its other affiliates) (ii) no direct

GS Principal Investment in Cintas and/or its affiliates (excluding any Significant Shareholder and its other affiliates) and (iii) no direct GS Principal Investment in any Significant Shareholder and/or their respective affiliates (but excluding Cintas, UniFirst or their other respective affiliates).

On the public side of Goldman Sachs’ informational wall (the “Public Side”) and in the ordinary course of its various business activities, Goldman Sachs Affiliated Entities may also own equity securities in the Relevant Parties and/or their respective affiliates arising from engaging in market making, trade execution, clearing, custody, margin lending and other similar financing transactions, securities lending, and related activities (including by acting as agent for third parties executing their transactions or as principal supplying liquidity to market participants, and any related hedging, other risk management or inventory management) (collectively, “Market Making Activities”), which positions change frequently. Regulatory, informational and operational barriers separate the Public Side from Goldman Sachs Investment Banking.

For purposes of this section of the proxy statement/prospectus, (x) Goldman Sachs relied on its books and records to (i) unless otherwise indicated, calculate all amounts and (ii) determine whether an entity is an affiliate, portfolio company, subsidiary or majority-owned subsidiary of another entity, and (y) the following terms have the definitions set forth below:

“GS Principal Investments” (including any associated commitments) are (i) direct balance sheet investments in equity interests or equity securities held by Goldman Sachs Affiliated Entities for its own account or (ii) direct investments in equity interests held by a fund managed by a Goldman Sachs Affiliated Entity which fund is primarily for the benefit of Goldman Sachs Affiliated Entities and/or its current and former employees and not third-party clients. GS Principal Investments do not include equity interests arising from Market Making Activities, equity derivatives, convertible debt instruments, or warrants or equity kickers received in connection with senior secured loans, mezzanine loans, warehouse loans, preferred equity with a fixed rate of return or other similar types of financing transactions (which may also be subject to hedging or other risk-mitigating instruments). GS Principal Investments also do not include investments by funds managed by Goldman Sachs Affiliated Entities which funds are almost entirely for the benefit of third-party clients (“GS Client Funds”), which funds can co-invest alongside, and/or make investments in, the Relevant Parties or their respective Related Entities. As investment managers for GS Client Funds, Goldman Sachs Affiliated Entities are required to fulfill a fiduciary responsibility to GS Client Funds in making decisions to purchase, sell, hold or vote on, or take any other action with respect to, any financial instrument.

“Related Entities” are, as applicable, a person or entity’s subsidiaries, affiliates, portfolio companies and/or funds managed thereby.

The UniFirst Board selected Goldman Sachs as its co-financial advisor because it is an internationally recognized investment banking firm that has substantial experience in transactions similar to the transactions. Pursuant to a letter agreement dated January 21, 2026, UniFirst engaged Goldman Sachs to act as its co-financial advisor in connection with the transactions. The engagement letter between UniFirst and Goldman Sachs provides for a transaction fee that is estimated, based on the information available as of the date of announcement, at approximately $42,000,000, of which $5,000,000 was payable upon the execution of the merger agreement, and the remainder of which is contingent upon the consummation of the transactions. In addition, UniFirst has agreed to reimburse Goldman Sachs for certain of its expenses, including attorneys’ fees and disbursements, and to indemnify Goldman Sachs and related persons against various liabilities, including certain liabilities under the federal securities laws.

UniFirst does not, as a matter of course, make long-term projections as to future performance available to the public other than generally providing, on a quarterly basis, estimated ranges of certain expected financial results and operational metrics for the current or impending fiscal year in its regular earnings press releases and other investor materials. UniFirst avoids making public projections for extended periods due to, among other things, the unpredictability of the underlying assumptions and estimates.

In connection with a possible transaction, UniFirst management prepared certain internal financial forecasts for UniFirst (the “UniFirst forecasts”) as described in the section titled “The Mergers — Background of the Mergers”. The UniFirst forecasts were provided by UniFirst management to the UniFirst Board and UniFirst’s financial advisors. The UniFirst forecasts were provided by UniFirst management to the UniFirst Board in connection with

their evaluation of the transactions and also were provided to UniFirst’s financial advisors, Goldman Sachs and J.P. Morgan, and were approved for their respective use and reliance, in connection with their respective financial analyses and opinions described in the sections “The Mergers—Opinion of UniFirst’s Financial Advisors—Opinion of J.P. Morgan” beginning on page 53 and “The Mergers—Opinion of UniFirst’s Financial Advisors— Opinion of Goldman Sachs” beginning on page 58. None of the UniFirst forecasts were provided to Cintas, Morgan Stanley or its other advisors in connection with Cintas’ due diligence of UniFirst.

The UniFirst forecasts were prepared by UniFirst management and are based on numerous variables, assumptions and estimates as to future events made by UniFirst management that UniFirst management believed were reasonable at the time the UniFirst forecasts were prepared, taking into account the relevant information available to management at the time. The UniFirst forecasts were not prepared for public disclosure. The inclusion of the UniFirst forecasts in this proxy statement/prospectus does not constitute an admission or representation by UniFirst that the information is material, particularly in light of the inherent risks and uncertainties associated with such forecasted financial information. You should note that the UniFirst forecasts constitute forward-looking statements.

No assurances can be given that if the UniFirst forecasts and the underlying assumptions had been prepared as of the date of this proxy statement/prospectus, similar variables, expectations or assumptions would be used and similar forecasted financial information would be prepared. In addition, the UniFirst forecasts may not reflect the manner in which the combined company would operate after the mergers. UniFirst has not updated the UniFirst forecasts included in this proxy statement/prospectus, and UniFirst undertakes no obligation to update or otherwise revise the UniFirst forecasts to reflect circumstances existing since their preparation or to reflect the occurrence of subsequent or unanticipated circumstances or events, even in the event that any or all of the underlying variables, expectations, assumptions or information are shown to be inappropriate, or to reflect changes in economic, competitive, financial, market or industry conditions.

The summary of the UniFirst forecasts is included in this proxy statement/prospectus to give UniFirst shareholders access to nonpublic information that was provided to the UniFirst Board and UniFirst’s financial advisors in connection with evaluating the transactions contemplated by the merger agreement, including the mergers. It is not being included in this proxy statement/prospectus in order to influence any UniFirst shareholder as to whether or how such shareholder should vote or act with respect to any of the proposals to be presented at the special meeting or any other matter.

The following table presents a summary of the UniFirst forecasts prepared by UniFirst’s management for the fiscal years ending August 31, 2026 through August 31, 2030.

The inclusion of the UniFirst forecasts in this proxy statement/prospectus should not be regarded as an indication that UniFirst, or any of its affiliates, advisors or representatives (including Goldman Sachs and J.P. Morgan), have considered the UniFirst forecasts to be predictive of actual future events, and the UniFirst forecasts should not be relied upon as such. UniFirst’s internal financial forecasts upon which the UniFirst forecasts were based are subjective in many respects. The UniFirst forecasts did not take into account any changes or expenses attributable solely to the transactions contemplated by the merger agreement nor do they reflect any effects of the mergers, how Cintas may operate the UniFirst business following the mergers or effect of the failure of the mergers to be consummated.

Although presented with numerical specificity, the UniFirst forecasts were based on numerous variables, assumptions and estimates as to future events made by UniFirst management that UniFirst management believed were reasonable at the time the UniFirst forecasts were prepared, taking into account the relevant information available to management at the time. These variables, assumptions and estimates are inherently uncertain and many are beyond the control of UniFirst and UniFirst management. Important factors that may affect actual results and cause these internal financial UniFirst forecasts not to be achieved include, but are not limited to, risks and uncertainties relating to the business of UniFirst (including, without limitation, that the effect of the announcement or pendency of the transactions contemplated by the merger agreement, UniFirst’s ability to retain and hire key personnel, its ability to maintain relationships with customers, suppliers, business partners and other third parties, or its operating results and business generally, risks related to diverting management’s attention from UniFirst’s ongoing business operations, and the risk that shareholder litigation in connection with the transactions contemplated by the merger agreement may result in significant costs of defense, indemnification and liability) and other risks identified in the section “Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements” beginning on page 27 of this proxy statement/prospectus, as well as additional factors discussed in UniFirst’s periodic filings with the SEC, including in its most recent Annual Report on Form 10-K (which is incorporated by reference herein). Various assumptions underlying the UniFirst forecasts may not prove to have been, or may no longer be, accurate. The UniFirst forecasts may not be realized, and actual results may be significantly higher or lower than projected in the UniFirst forecasts.

The UniFirst forecasts reflect assumptions as to certain business strategies or plans that are subject to change and are susceptible to multiple interpretations. The UniFirst forecasts do not take into account any circumstances or events occurring after the date they were prepared.

The UniFirst forecasts cover multiple years, and such information by its nature becomes less predictive with each successive year. As a result, the inclusion of the UniFirst forecasts in this proxy statement/prospectus should not be relied on as necessarily predictive of actual future events and actual results may differ materially (and are likely to differ materially if the mergers are completed) from the UniFirst forecasts. For all of these reasons, the UniFirst forecasts, and the assumptions upon which they are based, (1) are not guarantees of future results; (2) are inherently speculative; and (3) are subject to a number of risks and uncertainties. Accordingly, there can be no assurance that the UniFirst forecasts will be realized and actual results will differ, and may differ materially, from those contained in the UniFirst forecasts.

The UniFirst forecasts are included in this proxy statement/prospectus solely because they were used to assist the UniFirst Board with its consideration and evaluation of the mergers and approved by the UniFirst Board for Goldman Sachs and J.P. Morgan to use and rely upon in connection with their respective financial analyses and opinions. Although they were prepared on an accounting basis consistent with UniFirst’s financial statements, they were not prepared with a view toward public disclosure or toward compliance with published guidelines of the SEC, GAAP or the guidelines established by the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants for preparation and presentation of prospective financial information. The UniFirst forecasts included in this proxy statement/prospectus have been prepared by, and are the responsibility of, UniFirst management. Neither UniFirst’s independent auditor nor any other independent accountant has audited, reviewed, compiled, examined or applied agreed-upon procedures with respect to the UniFirst forecasts, and accordingly, does not express an opinion or any other form of assurance with respect thereto. The report of Ernst & Young LLP included in UniFirst’s most recent Annual Report on Form 10-K (which is incorporated by reference herein) relates to UniFirst’s previously issued consolidated financial statements. It does not extend to the UniFirst forecasts and should not be read to do so.

Adjusted EBITDA, EBIT, NOPAT and Unlevered Free Cash Flow contained in the UniFirst forecasts are each a “non-GAAP financial measure,” which is a performance measure that is not calculated in accordance with GAAP.

The non-GAAP financial measures used in the UniFirst forecasts were relied upon by Goldman Sachs and J.P. Morgan for purposes of their respective opinions, at the direction of UniFirst management, with the approval of the UniFirst Board. The non-GAAP financial measures used in the UniFirst forecasts were also relied upon by the UniFirst Board in connection with its evaluation of the mergers. The SEC rules which would otherwise require a reconciliation of a non-GAAP financial measure to a GAAP financial measure do not apply to non-GAAP financial measures included in disclosures relating to a proposed business combination such as the mergers if the disclosure is included in a document such as this proxy statement/prospectus. In addition, reconciliations of non-GAAP financial measures to the most directly comparable GAAP measures were not relied upon by Goldman Sachs and J.P. Morgan for purposes of their respective opinions nor were they relied upon by the UniFirst Board in connection with its evaluation of the mergers. Accordingly, UniFirst has not provided a reconciliation of the financial measures included in the UniFirst forecasts to the relevant GAAP financial measures. Non-GAAP measures have limitations as analytical tools, and you should not consider these measures in isolation or as substitutes for analysis of our financial results as reported under GAAP. For example, in evaluating Adjusted EBITDA and other metrics derived from it, you should be aware that in the future UniFirst will incur expenses such as those that are the subject of adjustments in deriving Adjusted EBITDA and you should not infer from our presentation of Adjusted EBITDA that our future results will not be affected by these expenses or any unusual or non-recurring items.

For these reasons, as well as the basis and assumptions on which the UniFirst forecasts were compiled, the inclusion of specific portions of the UniFirst forecasts by Goldman Sachs and J.P. Morgan for purposes of each of these financial advisors’ respective opinions should not be regarded as an indication that such UniFirst forecasts will be an accurate prediction of future events, and they should not be relied on as such. None of UniFirst nor any of its affiliates, advisors, officers, directors, partners or representatives (including Goldman Sachs and J.P. Morgan) can give you any assurance that actual results will not differ from these UniFirst forecasts.

Except to the extent required by applicable federal securities laws, none of UniFirst nor any of its affiliates, advisors, officers, directors, partners or representatives (including Goldman Sachs and J.P. Morgan) undertake any obligation to update or otherwise revise or reconcile the UniFirst forecasts or the specific portions presented to reflect circumstances existing after the date the UniFirst forecasts were generated or to reflect the occurrence of future events, even in the event that any or all of the assumptions are shown to be in error. Therefore, readers of this proxy statement/prospectus are cautioned not to place undue reliance on the specific portions of the UniFirst forecasts set forth above. None of UniFirst nor any of its affiliates, advisors, officers, directors, partners or representatives (including Goldman Sachs and J.P. Morgan) intend to make publicly available any update or other revision to these UniFirst forecasts. In addition, none of UniFirst nor any of its affiliates, advisors, officers, directors, partners or representatives (including Goldman Sachs and J.P. Morgan) have made, make or are authorized in the future to make, any representation to any shareholder or other person regarding UniFirst’s ultimate performance compared to the information contained in the UniFirst forecasts or that projected results will be achieved, and any statements to the contrary should be disregarded. The UniFirst forecasts should be evaluated in conjunction with the historical financial statements and other financial information contained in UniFirst’s public filings with the SEC. UniFirst has made no representation to Cintas, Merger Sub Inc. or Merger Sub LLC, in the merger agreement or otherwise, concerning the UniFirst forecasts.

You should be aware that UniFirst’s directors and executive officers may have certain interests in the mergers that may be different from, or in addition to, the interests of UniFirst’s shareholders more generally. The UniFirst Board was aware of these interests and considered them, among other matters, in evaluating and negotiating the merger agreement, approving the merger agreement and the mergers and recommending that the merger agreement be approved by UniFirst’s shareholders (to the extent the interests existed at such time). These interests are described and quantified in detail in the narrative and tables below. For additional information see the section titled “The Mergers—UniFirst’s Reasons for the Mergers; Recommendation of UniFirst Board of Directors” beginning on page 48 of this proxy statement/prospectus.

UniFirst’s named executive officers as of the date hereof are Steven S. Sintros (Chief Executive Officer), Shane O’Connor (Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer), Kelly Rooney (Chief Operating Officer), David M. Katz (Executive Vice President, Sales & Marketing) and David A. DiFillippo (Former Executive Vice President, Operations). Mr. DiFillippo retired from employment with UniFirst on January 6, 2026, and does not hold any unvested equity. The only compensation to which he is entitled in connection with the consummation of the mergers is the merger consideration that is payable with respect to his vested Company SAR Awards. Although

William Ross ceased serving as an executive officer role in December 2025, William Ross is deemed for purposes of this proxy statement/prospectus to be an executive officer because he served as an executive officer for a portion of UniFirst’s current fiscal year.

UniFirst’s directors as of the date hereof are Steven S. Sintros, Cynthia Croatti, Michael Iandoli, Joseph M. Nowicki, Sergio Pupkin and Cecilia McKenney. Although Raymond C. Zemlin ceased serving as a director in December 2025 in connection with his retirement, Raymond C. Zemlin is deemed for purposes of this proxy statement/prospectus to be a director because he served as a director for a portion of UniFirst’s current fiscal year.

Except as otherwise specifically noted, for purposes of quantifying the payments and benefits described in this section, the following assumptions were used:

As a result of the foregoing assumptions, which may or may not actually occur or be accurate on the relevant date, including the assumptions described in this section. The actual amounts, if any, to be received by the directors and executive officers may materially differ from the amounts set forth below.

For information regarding beneficial ownership of the shares of UniFirst stock held by each of UniFirst’s directors and executive officers and all directors and executive officers as a group, see the section of this proxy statement/prospectus titled, “The Mergers—Share Ownership of Directors and Executive Officers of UniFirst” beginning on page 73 of this proxy statement/prospectus. Each of UniFirst’s directors and executive officers will be entitled to receive, for each share of UniFirst stock held by such individual, the merger consideration in the same manner as other UniFirst shareholders.

UniFirst has granted Company RSU Awards, Company SAR Awards, and Company PSU Awards under the Company Equity Plans. At the first effective time, the awards will be treated as follows:

At the first effective time, each Terminating Company RSU Award will be canceled and converted into the right to receive the merger consideration in respect of the number of shares of UniFirst common stock subject to such Terminating Company RSU Award immediately prior to the first effective time. Each Continuing Company RSU Award will be assumed by Cintas and converted into a converted RSU with respect to a number of shares of Cintas

common stock equal to the product (rounded down to the nearest whole share) obtained by multiplying (A) the number of shares of UniFirst common stock subject to the Continuing Company RSU Award immediately prior to the first effective time by (B) the Equity Award Conversion Ratio, and each such converted RSU will continue to have, and will be subject to, the same terms and conditions that applied to the corresponding Continuing Company RSU Award immediately prior to the first effective time. 

At the first effective time, each Terminating Company SAR Award will be deemed exercised immediately prior to the first effective time for a number of shares of UniFirst common stock equal to the excess, if any, of (A) the number of shares of UniFirst common stock subject to such Terminating Company SAR Award immediately prior to the first effective time less (B) the number of shares of UniFirst common stock (rounded up to the nearest whole share) having a fair market value (determined by reference to the Company Final Price) equal to the aggregate per-share exercise price applicable to such Terminating Company SAR Award, and such shares of UniFirst common stock will be canceled and converted upon the first effective time into the right to receive the merger consideration. Each Continuing Company SAR Award will be assumed by Cintas and converted into a converted SAR Award with respect to a number of shares of Cintas common stock equal to the product (rounded down to the nearest whole share), obtained by multiplying (A) the number of shares of UniFirst common stock subject to the Continuing Company SAR Award immediately prior to the first effective time by (B) the Equity Award Conversion Ratio, with such converted SAR Award having a per-share exercise price equal to (i) the per-share exercise price of the Continuing Company SAR Award immediately prior to the first effective time divided by (ii) the Equity Award Conversion Ratio (rounded up to the nearest cent), and each such converted SAR Award will continue to have, and will be subject to, the same terms and conditions that applied to the corresponding Continuing Company SAR Award immediately prior to the first effective time. Each Terminating Company SAR Award for which the applicable per-share exercise price exceeds the Company Final Price will be canceled as of the first effective time for no consideration.

At the first effective time, each Terminating Company PSU Award will be canceled and converted into the right to receive the merger consideration in respect of the number of shares of UniFirst common stock subject to the Terminating Company PSU Award immediately prior to the first effective time, with such number determined based on the Deemed Performance Level. Each Continuing Company PSU Award will be assumed by Cintas and converted into an award of converted RSUs with respect to a number of shares of Cintas common stock equal to the product (rounded down to the nearest whole share), obtained by multiplying (A) the number of shares of UniFirst common stock subject to the Continuing Company PSU Award immediately prior to the first effective time (with such number determined based on the Deemed Performance Level) by (B) the Equity Award Conversion Ratio. Except as otherwise provided in the merger agreement, each converted RSU will continue to have, and will be subject to, the same terms and conditions (including time-based vesting conditions, but excluding any performance-based vesting conditions) that applied to the corresponding Continuing Company PSU Award immediately prior to the first effective time.

The following table sets forth, for each executive officer and director, the Company RSU Awards, Company SAR Awards and Company PSU Awards (with performance deemed earned at 150% of target) held as of the assumed closing date. As described in further detail above, the Company SAR Awards held by non-employee directors and executive officers will be canceled and converted into the right to receive the merger consideration, and the Company RSU Awards and the Company PSU Awards held by executive officers will be canceled and converted into converted RSUs, which such awards will be eligible for accelerated vesting upon certain qualifying terminations of employment following the closing. For limited purposes of quantifying the converted RSUs and the value of converted RSUs, we have assumed that the Equity Award Conversion Ratio is 1.5805 and assumed that the value per share of Cintas common stock is $191.71. Ultimately, the value of any converted RSU will be based on the Equity Award Conversion Ratio at closing (as actually determined in accordance with the merger agreement), and the value of a share of Cintas common stock when the converted RSU ultimately vests. Actual amounts may differ from the amounts set forth below.

Given the additional work performed by Messrs. Nowicki, Pupkin, and Iandoli, and Mmes. McKenney and Croatti in connection with the mergers, in March 2026 the Compensation Committee of the UniFirst Board approved one-time payments of $100,000 (or in the case of Mr. Nowicki, $150,000) for each non-employee director, and the receipt of an additional monthly payment of $20,000 (or in the case of Mr. Nowicki, $25,000) by each non-employee director, from February 2026 through the closing of the mergers.

UniFirst maintains the UniFirst Corporation Executive Employment Plan (which we refer to as the “executive plan”), which provides severance payments and benefits (which we refer to as the “severance

benefits”) for the executive officers (excluding Mr. DiFillippo) upon a termination of employment by UniFirst without “Cause” or as a result of a voluntary resignation by the participant with “Good Reason” (as such terms are defined in the executive plan), in either case occurring within the 24 months following, or the 30 days prior to, a change in control, such as the mergers (which we refer to each as, a “qualifying termination”). Upon the occurrence of a qualifying termination, subject to the named executive officer’s timely execution and delivery of an effective and irrevocable general release of claims (which we refer to as the “release requirement”), the severance payments and benefits will consist of (i) a lump sum cash severance benefit, paid as soon as practicable following the satisfaction of the release requirement, equal to 1.5 times (or for Mr. Sintros, 2.0 times) the sum of the executive officer’s (x) base salary as of the date of the termination and (y) target cash incentive bonus for the year of termination, (ii) the executive’s prorated annual bonus (at target) for the year of termination, paid as soon as practicable following the satisfaction of the release requirement and (iii) an amount equal to the executive officer’s monthly COBRA premium cost for 18 months (or for Mr. Sintros, 24 months). Payment of the severance payments and benefits is conditioned upon the applicable executive officer satisfying the release requirement, which will also provide for certain restrictive covenant obligations. Because Mr. DiFillippo retired from his employment, he did not have a qualifying termination, and was not eligible to receive any severance payments or benefits under the executive plan. Mr. DiFillippo remains subject to certain restrictive covenant obligations, including non-compete and non-solicitation of customer and employee obligations that will lapse on January 5, 2028.

Prior to the closing, each executive officer (excluding Messrs. DiFillippo and Ross) will enter into a letter agreement with UniFirst confirming the parties’ understanding that the consummation of the mergers will provide such executive officer with the right to resign from employment with “Good Reason” and be eligible to receive severance benefits pursuant to the terms of the executive plan. The letter agreement will also provide that the executive officer will be eligible to receive the full acceleration of the executive officer’s converted RSUs and converted SARs outstanding as of March 10, 2026, as applicable, if the executive officer resigns with “Good Reason.” Each executive officer (excluding Mr. DiFillippo) who is issued a Company RSU Award in 2026 will also be entitled to prorated vesting of such Company RSU Award in connection with a qualifying termination.

For an estimate of the value of the severance payments, pursuant to Item 402(t) of Regulation S-K, to each named executive officer (excluding Mr. DiFillippo) upon a qualifying termination in connection with the mergers, see the section of this proxy statement/prospectus titled, “The Mergers—Interests of UniFirst’s Directors and Executive Officers in the Mergers—Quantification of Payments and Benefits” beginning on page 71. The severance payments and benefits in this section are considered to be “double-trigger” (i.e., amounts triggered by a change in control for which payment is also conditioned upon a qualifying termination).

Prior to the closing, UniFirst may enter into a letter agreement with each executive officer (other than Messrs. Sintros, DiFillippo, and Ross) providing for a retention bonus that is designed to ensure the retention of such executive officer following the closing (which we refer to as a “retention bonus”), in the following amounts: (i) $2,000,000 for Ms. Rooney, (ii) $1,750,000 for Mr. O’Connor and (iii) $1,250,000 for Mr. Katz. The retention bonuses will be paid to the applicable executive officer as soon as possible following the 120-day anniversary of the first effective time, subject to continued employment of the named executive officer through such date, or if the named executive officer experiences a qualifying termination following the first effective time, as soon as reasonably practicable following the satisfaction of the release requirement.

UniFirst maintains the UniFirst Corporation Unfunded Supplemental Executive Retirement Plan (which we refer to as the “SERP”) and the UniFirst Corporation Deferred Compensation Plan (which we refer to as the “NQDC plan”). The SERP will be terminated at the closing in accordance with its terms, and all unvested benefits will vest at such time and be payable within the following 90 days. Messrs. Sintros, O’Connor, Katz, and DiFillippo each participate in the SERP and will receive a lump-sum cash payment in connection with the termination of the SERP, calculated in accordance with the terms of the SERP.

Further, it is currently anticipated that the NQDC plan will be terminated at the closing. Messrs. O’Connor, Katz, and DiFillippo, and Ms. Rooney participate in the NQDC plan, and pursuant to the terms of the NQDC plan, each will receive a distribution of his or her full account balance in connection with a termination of the NQDC plan

within 12 months following the date of the plan termination. The value of the unvested benefits under the SERP and the NQDC plan that will accelerate and vest in connection with the consummation of the mergers is set forth in the section of this proxy statement/prospectus titled “—Quantification of Potential Payments and Benefits” below.

The executive plan does not provide for any gross-up with respect to any excise tax imposed by Section 4999 of the Code. However, if any payment to any executive officer (other than Mr. DiFillippo) in connection with the consummation of the mergers would constitute a “parachute payment” within the meaning of Section 280G of the Code that could result in an excise tax under Section 4999 of the Code or the denial of deduction under Section 280G of the Code, such compensatory payments to the applicable executive officer will be reduced by the minimal amount necessary such that no portion of the payments would be subject to such excise tax or the denial of deduction pursuant to the executive plan. Such reductions, if any, will not be determinable until after the consummation of the mergers since, as of the date of this proxy statement/prospectus, no determinations have been made as to whether any executive officer (other than Mr. DiFillippo) will suffer a qualifying termination, and the year of the closing will materially impact the calculations of amounts potentially subject to such excise taxes. Because these variables materially affect the determination of whether and to what extent any executive officer will be subject to such excise taxes, calculations cannot be determined until after the consummation of the mergers. UniFirst and Cintas have agreed to undertake mitigation strategies, to the extent reasonably available, to reduce the potential for such excise taxes.

Prior to the closing, UniFirst, Cintas or their respective affiliates may, in their discretion, initiate discussions regarding agreements, arrangements and understandings with one or more of the executive officers regarding their employment or other future services or compensation or benefits and may enter into definitive agreements with such individuals regarding the foregoing, subject to the interim operating covenants set forth in the merger agreement and applicable restrictions therein.

Pursuant to the terms of the merger agreement, directors and named executive officers will be entitled to certain ongoing indemnification and insurance coverage for a period of six years following the consummation of the mergers under the director’s and officer’s liability insurance policies of the combined company. For additional information with respect to the indemnification and insurance coverage, see the section of this proxy statement/prospectus titled “—Director, Officer and Employee Indemnification and Insurance” below.

This section sets forth the information required by Item 402(t) of Regulation S-K regarding the compensation of each of UniFirst’s named executive officers that is based on or otherwise relates to the mergers. As noted above, the assumed closing date is April 21, 2026, which is the latest practicable date prior to the filing of this proxy statement/prospectus. The applicable SEC disclosure rules refer to this compensation as “golden parachute” compensation, and in this section of this proxy statement/prospectus we use such term to describe the merger-related compensation payable to the UniFirst’s named executive officers. The merger-related compensation payable to these individuals is the subject of an advisory (non-binding) vote of UniFirst’s stockholders, as described below in the section of this proxy statement titled “The UniFirst Proposals—UniFirst Proposal II: Advisory Vote on UniFirst Merger-Related Compensation” beginning on page 105 of this proxy statement/prospectus.

The amounts shown in the table below are estimates based on various assumptions that may or may not actually occur or be accurate on the relevant date the mergers are completed, including the assumptions described above in the section of this proxy statement/prospectus titled “—Certain Assumptions” and below in the footnotes to the table, and the amounts shown in the table below do not reflect certain compensation actions that may occur after the date of this proxy statement/prospectus and before the completion of the mergers. The amounts in the table below do not attempt to forecast any additional equity or cash award grants, issuances or forfeitures that may occur prior to the closing. As a result of the foregoing assumptions, which may not actually occur or be accurate on the relevant date, including the assumptions described in the footnotes to the table below, the actual amounts, if any, to be received by a named executive officer may differ materially from the amounts set forth below.