UniFirst rejected bid from Elis, which is still pursuing Vestis, Bloomberg says

Paris-listed Elis SA (ELSSF) made a non-binding proposal for UniFirst (UNF), whose board rejected it in recent days, and the companies aren’t currently in talks, people familiar with the matter told Bloomberg’s David Carnevali, Aaron Kirchfeld, and Dinesh Nair. UniFirst reached out to Elis to gauge its interest in a possible deal after Elis’ takeover approach to rival Vestis (VSTS) became public last month, said the sources. Elis and Vestis are still holding exploratory talks about a potential deal, while Vestis has attracted interest from other parties, including private equity firms, the report added. On September 9, Vestis confirmed that it received a preliminary inquiry from Elis SA regarding a potential transaction involving the company. “The board of directors takes seriously and evaluates any inquiries regarding the company and all alternatives available to the company. There can be no assurance that any transaction or other alternative will result from this inquiry. The company does not undertake to make any further announcements with respect to this or any other inquiries or any strategic alternatives,” Vestis has stated.