01:11 PM EDT, 03/11/2026 (MT Newswires) -- Consumer stocks were softer Wednesday afternoon, with the State Street Consumer Staples Select Sector SPDR ETF (XLP) down 1% and the State Street Consumer Discretionary Select Sector SPDR ETF (XLY) decreasing 0.3%.

In corporate news, Cintas ( CTAS ) on Wednesday agreed to buy UniFirst ( UNF ) in a cash-and-stock deal worth about $5.5 billion as the uniform supplier aims to expand service capabilities. Cintas ( CTAS ) shares rose 2.3%, and UniFirst ( UNF ) jumped past 8%.