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Employee Benefit Plans
 12 Months Ended
Aug. 29, 2026
Postemployment Benefits [Abstract]  
Employee Benefit Plans Employee Benefit Plans
Defined Contribution Retirement Savings Plan
The Company has a defined contribution retirement savings plan with a 401(k) feature for all eligible U.S. and Canadian employees not under collective bargaining agreements. The Company matches a portion of the employee’s contribution
and may make an additional contribution at its discretion. Contributions charged to expense under the plan for fiscal 2026, 2025 and 2024 were $15.9 million, $15.6 million and $20.3 million, respectively.
Pension Plan and Supplemental Executive Retirement Plan
The Company accounts for its pension plan and Supplemental Executive Retirement Plan on an accrual basis over employees’ estimated service periods.
The Company maintains an unfunded Supplemental Executive Retirement Plan (“SERP”) for certain eligible employees of the Company. The benefits are based on the employee’s compensation upon retirement. The amount charged to expense related to this plan amounted to approximately $1.2 million, $1.6 million and $1.7 million for fiscal 2026, 2025 and 2024, respectively.
The Company maintains a non-contributory defined benefit pension plan (“UniFirst Plan”) covering employees at one of its locations. The benefits are based on years of service. The UniFirst Plan assets are invested in a Guaranteed Deposit Account (“GDA”) that is maintained and operated by a third-party investment manager. The amount charged to expense related to this plan amounted to approximately $0.2 million for fiscal 2026, 2025 and 2024.
Plan Termination
The UniFirst Plan was terminated during fiscal 2026. In connection with the termination, the Company remeasured the plan's benefit obligation using assumptions appropriate for a terminating plan, reflecting an expected mix of lump-sum and annuity settlements with participants. During fiscal 2026, the Company made lump-sum distributions and other settlement payments to a portion of plan participants, resulting in a settlement charge recognized in other expense, net, representing the proportionate recognition of previously unrecognized net actuarial losses in accordance with ASC 715-30. The Company expects to complete the distribution of substantially all remaining plan assets and settle the remaining benefit obligation during fiscal 2027. Completion of the plan termination will require recognition of the remaining unrecognized net actuarial loss and prior service cost as an additional settlement charge, the amount of which will depend on final participant distribution elections, annuity pricing and interest rates at the time of settlement. The Company does not expect the additional settlement charge to be material to its results of operations.
Net periodic benefit cost other than service costs have been recorded in the accompanying Consolidated Statements of Income in other expense, net.
The components of net periodic benefit cost for fiscal 2026, 2025 and 2024 are as follows (in thousands):
UniFirst PlanSERP
202620252024202620252024
Service cost$74 $73 $74 $274 $390 $405 
Interest cost133 148 159 1,224 1,239 1,255 
Expected return on assets(72)(91)(90)— — — 
Amortization of prior service cost21 21 21 — — — 
Amortization of actuarial gain— — — (322)(41)(116)
Other events47 (10)— — — — 
Net periodic benefit cost$203 $141 $164 $1,176 $1,588 $1,544 
The Company’s obligations and funded status as of August 29, 2026 and August 30, 2025 are as follows (in thousands):
UniFirst PlanSERP
2026202520262025
Change in benefit obligation:
Projected benefit obligation, beginning of year$3,004 $3,609 $23,479 $25,880 
Service cost74 73 274 390 
Interest cost133 148 1,224 1,239 
Actuarial loss (gain)152 3 (1,508)(2,549)
Benefits paid(19)(37)(1,614)(1,481)
Settlements(768)(792)— — 
Projected benefit obligation, end of year$2,576 $3,004 $21,855 $23,479 
Change in plan assets:
Fair value of plan assets, beginning of year$2,474 $3,108 $— $— 
Actual return on plan assets(18)27 — — 
Employer Contributions197 168 — — 
Benefits paid(19)(37)— — 
Settlements(768)(792)— — 
Fair value of plan assets, end of year$1,866 $2,474 $— $— 
Funded status (net amount recognized)$(710)$(530)$(21,855)$(23,479)
As of August 29, 2026 and August 30, 2025, the accumulated benefit obligations related to the UniFirst Plan were $2.6 million and $3.0 million, respectively. As of August 29, 2026 and August 30, 2025, the accumulated benefit obligations related to the SERP were $20.4 million and $21.7 million, respectively.
The amounts recorded on the Consolidated Balance Sheets as of August 29, 2026 and August 30, 2025 are as follows (in thousands):
UniFirst Plan
SERP
2026202520262025
Deferred tax assets (liabilities)$48 $4 $(1,677)$(1,388)
Accrued liabilities710 530 21,855 23,479 
Accumulated other comprehensive (loss) income(141)(11)4,969 4,071 
As of August 29, 2026 and August 30, 2025, the amounts recognized in accumulated other comprehensive loss are as follows (in thousands):
UniFirst PlanSERP
2026202520262025
Net actuarial (loss) gain$(159)$36 $6,645 $5,459 
Unrecognized prior service cost(30)(51)— — 
Accumulated other comprehensive (loss) income$(189)$(15)$6,645 $5,459 
The weighted average assumptions used in calculating the Company’s projected benefit obligation as of August 29, 2026 and August 30, 2025 are as follows:
UniFirst PlanSERP
2026202520262025
Discount rate6.0%5.1%5.9%5.4%
Rate of compensation increaseN/AN/A5.0%5.0%
The weighted average assumptions used in calculating the Company’s net periodic service cost for fiscal 2026, 2025 and 2024 are as follows:
UniFirst PlanSERP
202620252024202620252024
Discount rate5.1%5.1%4.8%5.4%4.9%5.2%
Expected return on plan assets3.5%3.5%3.5%N/AN/AN/A
Rate of compensation increaseN/AN/AN/A5.0%5.0%5.0%
The benefit payments, which reflect expected future service, are expected to be paid for the five fiscal years subsequent to August 29, 2026 and thereafter are as follows (in thousands):
UniFirst PlanSERP
2027$2,576 $1,725 
2028— 1,666 
2029— 1,745 
2030— 1,542 
2031— 1,641 
Thereafter— 13,536 
Total benefit payments$2,576 $21,855 
Non-qualified Deferred Compensation Plan
The Company adopted the NQDC Plan effective on February 1, 2022. The NQDC Plan is an unfunded, non-qualified deferred compensation plan that allows eligible participants to voluntarily defer receipt of their salary and annual cash bonuses up to approved limits. In its discretion, the Company may credit one or more additional contributions to participant accounts. NQDC Plan participants who are not accruing benefits under the Supplemental Executive Retirement Plan are eligible to have discretionary annual employer contributions credited to their NQDC Plan accounts. All participants are also eligible to have employer supplemental contributions and employer discretionary contributions credited to their NQDC Plan accounts. The amounts of such contributions, if any, may differ from year to year and from participant to participant.
The amounts for employee or employer contributions charged to expense related to the NQDC Plan for fiscal 2026, fiscal 2025 and fiscal 2024, were $1.3 million, $1.0 million and $0.8 million, respectively.
The Company, at its discretion, may also elect to transfer funds to a trust account with the intention to fund the future liability. Total NQDC Plan assets were $5.7 million and $4.7 million as of August 29, 2026 and August 30, 2025, respectively, and are included within other long-term assets in the accompanying Consolidated Balance Sheets. Total NQDC Plan liabilities were $3.7 million and $2.8 million as of August 29, 2026 and August 30, 2025, respectively, and are included within current accrued liabilities in the accompanying Consolidated Balance Sheets.
Earnings and losses on contributions, based on investment elections, are recorded as a component of compensation expense in the period earned and are included within other (income) expense, net. For fiscal 2026, fiscal 2025, and fiscal 2024 other income was $0.6 million, $0.4 million and $0.6 million, respectively.