WILMINGTON, Mass., Jan. 14, 2015 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- UniFirst Corporation (NYSE:UNF), a leading provider of customized work uniforms, corporate attire, and facility service products to businesses throughout the U.S. and Canada, has been named the winner for Best Polo in the 2014 Wearables Apparel Design Awards. A recent addition to UniFirst's family of workwear brands, UniSport™ is a high-performance, high-image line of micro piqué polo shirts. Entries were judged on design appeal, wearability and overall look, with a final round of online voting open to the public. The UniSport polo will be featured in the February 2015 issue of Wearables magazine.

UniFirst's new UniSport polo is the winner in the 2014 Wearables Apparel Design Awards.

A photo accompanying this release is available at http://www.globenewswire.com/newsroom/prs/?pkgid=30029.

"This award is an incredible honor, especially given the tough competition," said Adam Soreff, director of marketing and communications at UniFirst. "We've seen increasing demand for more casual workwear options for both men and women that consistently look and feel great, while maintaining the professional benefits of a managed uniform program. Thanks to advanced fabric technology and our ISO certified manufacturing operations, UniFirst's new UniSport polos have answered the call." He added, "We're very excited to offer this new comfort polo line with a broad selection of color options that allows business customers to enhance their branding and employee image initiatives. These polos provide greater options for businesses who want to outfit their employees in a relaxed yet professional uniform."

UniSport polo shirts are offered exclusively by UniFirst as part of a managed uniform rental program or for purchase, and feature innovative UniWick moisture management technology for maximum breathability and comfort. The new polos resist snags while keeping employees feeling fresh, dry and comfortable, and provide a true wrinkle-free finish. Made of a polyester tricot micro piqué, smooth on the backside with a finely textured sheen finish on the face, the UniSport polos offer a polished look that is sturdy yet soft, making it ideal for a number of applications. Other features include hemmed sleeves that offer ease of movement, side vents for additional fit and body conformity, and a tag-free taped neck for increased comfort.

"We know that consumers overwhelmingly view employees who wear personalized company uniforms as being more professional, knowledgeable, and reliable than their non-uniformed counterparts," added Soreff. "Our new UniSport line continues to offer this benefit for businesses. The wide variety of colors, the crisp sheen, the wrinkle-free finish, the breathability, the ability to add high resolution custom embroidery —this is no ordinary polo. It's a first-class vehicle for portraying a company brand while answering the call for comfortable professionalism on the job."

For more information about the UniFirst family of brands, visit: www.unifirst.com/brands. For more information about UniFirst's customized uniform rental programs, visit www.unifirst.com/rental.

About UniFirst: Headquartered in Wilmington, Mass., UniFirst Corporation (NYSE:UNF) is a North American leader in the supply and servicing of uniform and workwear programs, as well as the delivery of facility service programs. Together with its subsidiaries, the company also provides first aid and safety products, and manages specialized garment programs for the cleanroom and nuclear industries. UniFirst manufactures its own branded workwear, protective clothing, and floorcare products, and with over 225 service locations, 260,000 customer locations, and 12,000 employee Team Partners, the company outfits more than 1.5 million workers each business day. For more information, contact UniFirst at 800.455.7654 or visit www.unifirst.com.

CONTACT: Meghan Marcus
         PR/Communications Specialist
         UniFirst Corporation
         978.527.3974
         Meghan_Marcus@unifirst.com