UniFirst continues to maintain a solid balance sheet and overall financial position. Cash and cash equivalents at the end of the quarter totaled $120.1 million, up from $48.8 million at the end of fiscal 2011. Cash provided by operating activities for the full fiscal year was $161.7 million, up 87.6% compared to $86.2 million in fiscal 2011. The improved cash flows were primarily the result of higher earnings as well as lower cash outflows related to working capital. At the end of the year, long-term debt was $104.7 million or 10.5% of total capital.

Outlook

Mr. Croatti continued, “We move into fiscal 2013 with a high level of uncertainty regarding the trajectory of employment levels and the economy as a whole. We are currently projecting our fiscal 2013 revenues to be between $1.325 billion and $1.338 billion and diluted earnings per share to be between $4.65 and $4.85. Our guidance for fiscal 2013 includes one extra week of operations compared to fiscal 2012 due to the timing of our fiscal calendar.

“Also embedded in this guidance is a projected decline in the revenues and operating income of our Specialty Garments segment of approximately 10% and 20%, respectively, compared to fiscal 2012. Despite these projected declines, we are optimistic regarding the longer term outlook for this segment.”

UniFirst Corporation is one of the largest providers of workplace uniforms, protective clothing, and facility services products in North America. The Company employs approximately 11,000 Team Partners who serve more than 240,000 customer locations in 45 U.S. states, Canada, and Europe from over 200 customer service, distribution, and manufacturing facilities. UniFirst is a publicly held company traded on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol UNF and is a component of the Standard & Poor's 600 Small Cap Index.

UniFirst Corporation