Who is soliciting my vote?

The Company is providing this Proxy Statement in connection with the solicitation by the Board of proxies to be voted at the Annual Meeting and at any reconvened or rescheduled meeting following any adjournment or postponement of the Annual Meeting.

What will I be voting on?

You will be voting on:

What are the Board of Directors voting recommendations?

The Board recommends that you vote:

Who is entitled to vote?

All stockholders who owned the Company’s common stock at the close of business on the record date, March 25, 2026, are entitled to attend and vote at the Annual Meeting, or at any adjournment or postponement of the Annual Meeting.

How many votes do I have?

You will have one vote on each matter for every share of the Company’s common stock you owned on the record date. There is no cumulative voting.

How many votes can be cast by all stockholders?

Each share of the Company’s common stock is entitled to one vote. On the record date, the Company had 62,830,271 shares of common stock outstanding and entitled to vote.

How many shares must be present to hold the Annual Meeting?

A majority of the outstanding shares of the Company’s common stock must be present or represented by proxy at the Annual Meeting in order to have a quorum. If the persons present or represented by proxy at the Annual Meeting constitute the holders of less than a majority of the outstanding shares of common stock as of the record date, the Annual Meeting may be adjourned to a subsequent date for the purpose of obtaining a quorum.

Shares are counted as present at the Annual Meeting if stockholders attend the meeting and vote virtually or if a proxy has been properly submitted by or on behalf of a stockholder. Abstentions and “broker non-votes” are counted for purposes of determining the presence of a quorum. A “broker non-vote” occurs when a bank, broker or other nominee (a “broker”) holding shares for a beneficial owner submits a proxy for the Annual Meeting without voting on a particular proposal because the broker has not received instructions from the beneficial owner

and does not have discretionary voting power with respect to that proposal. A broker may exercise its discretionary voting power with respect to the ratification of the appointment of Deloitte & Touche LLP as our independent registered certified public accounting firm for fiscal 2026 (Proposal 2), but does not have discretion to vote with

respect to the election of directors (Proposal 1), the non-binding advisory approval of the compensation of our NEOs (Proposal 3), or the non-binding advisory approval of the frequency of future Say-On-Pay votes (Proposal 4).

How many votes are required to elect directors and approve the other proposals?

Our Amended and Restated Bylaws (the “Amended Bylaws”) require that, in an uncontested election of directors (Proposal 1), each director will be elected by a majority of the votes cast by the shares present virtually or represented by proxy at the Annual Meeting and entitled to vote in the election of such director such that the number of shares voted “for” a director nominee must exceed the number of shares voted “against” that director nominee. Please see page 21 for a further description of our majority vote standard for the election of directors. Proposals 2 and 3 require the approval of the holders of a majority of votes present virtually or represented by proxy at the Annual Meeting and entitled to vote on the proposal. With respect to Proposal 4, the frequency receiving the greatest number of votes will be considered the frequency that stockholders approve. Abstentions have no effect on the determination of whether a director nominee has received the requisite amount of votes cast (Proposal 1), but will have the same effect as a vote “against” Proposals 2 or 3 and, with respect to Proposal 4, will have no effect. Broker non-votes have no effect on the determination of whether a director nominee is elected under Proposal 1 or whether Proposals 3 or 4 has received the requisite number of votes cast to pass. There will not be any broker non-votes with respect to Proposal 2, because brokers will have discretionary voting authority on Proposal 2.

Why did I receive a one-page notice in the mail regarding the internet availability of proxy materials instead of a full set of proxy materials?

We take advantage of the SEC rules that allow issuers to furnish proxy materials to their stockholders on the internet. We believe these rules allow us to provide our stockholders with the information they need while lowering the costs of delivery and reducing the environmental impact of our Annual Meeting. Consequently, most stockholders will not receive paper copies of our proxy materials. We will instead send these stockholders a Notice of Internet Availability of Proxy Materials, which indicates how our stockholders may: (i) access their proxy materials and vote their proxies over the internet or by telephone; or (ii) make a request to receive a printed set of proxy materials by mail.

How do I vote?

Registered Holders

If you are a “registered holder” (meaning your shares are registered in your name with our transfer agent, Equiniti Trust Company, LLC (“Equiniti ”)), then you may vote either during the Annual Meeting using the control number included on your Notice of Internet Availability of Proxy Materials or paper proxy card, or in advance of the Annual Meeting by proxy. If you decide to vote by proxy, you may vote via the internet, by telephone or by mail, and your shares will be voted at the Annual Meeting in the manner you direct. For those stockholders who receive a Notice of Internet Availability of Proxy Materials, the Notice provides information on how to access your online proxy card and vote via the internet or how to vote by telephone or receive a paper proxy card to vote by mail. Internet and telephone voting facilities for stockholders of record will close at 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time on May 18, 2026.

In the event that you return a signed proxy card on which no directions are specified, your shares will be voted as the Board recommends.

Beneficial Holders

If you are a beneficial owner of shares held in “street name” (meaning a broker holds shares on your behalf), then you may vote during the Annual Meeting using the control number included on your Notice of Internet Availability of Proxy Materials or the instructions that accompanied your proxy materials.

Alternatively, you may provide instructions to the nominee that holds your shares to vote by completing, signing and returning the voting instruction card that the nominee provides to you, or by using the voting arrangements described on the voting instruction card, the Notice of Internet Availability of Proxy Materials or other materials that the nominee provides to you.

If you do not vote or provide voting instructions to your nominee, this results in a broker non-vote and the nominee will not vote your shares on the election of directors (Proposal 1), the non-binding advisory approval of the compensation of our NEOs (Proposal 3), or the non-binding advisory approval of the frequency of future Say-On-Pay votes (Proposal 4), but your nominee may exercise its discretionary voting power with respect to the ratification of the appointment of Deloitte & Touche LLP as our independent registered certified public accounting firm for fiscal 2026 (Proposal 2) and register your shares as being present at the Annual Meeting for purposes of determining a quorum.

What does it mean if I receive more than one notice, proxy or voting instruction card?

It means that your shares may be registered differently or held in more than one account. Please provide voting instructions for all notices, proxy and voting instruction cards you receive. Certain brokers have procedures in place to discontinue duplicate mailings upon a stockholder’s request. You should contact your broker for more information.

Can I change my vote after I execute my proxy?

You may revoke or change a previously delivered proxy at any time before the Annual Meeting by delivering another proxy with a later date, by voting again via the internet or by telephone, or by delivering written notice of revocation of your proxy to our General Counsel and Corporate Secretary at our principal executive offices before the beginning of the Annual Meeting. You may also revoke your proxy by attending the Annual Meeting and voting virtually, although attendance at the Annual Meeting will not, by itself, revoke a valid proxy that was previously delivered. If you hold shares in “street name,” you must contact the nominee that holds the shares on your behalf to revoke any prior voting instructions. You also may revoke any prior voting instructions by voting virtually at the Annual Meeting using your control number as described above.

Will my vote be kept confidential?

Yes. The Company’s policy is that all proxy or voting instruction cards, ballots and vote tabulations which identify the vote of an individual stockholder are to be kept secret unless required by law. Your vote will be disclosed to Burlington or its agents only:

How do I attend and ask questions at the Annual Meeting?

This year, the Annual Meeting will again be held in a virtual-only format. This meeting format provides for an opportunity for participation from any location that is safe and convenient to any attendee, and we are committed to ensuring that our attendees have substantially the same opportunities to participate in a virtual setting as they would at an in-person meeting.

If you are a registered holder, you can attend the Annual Meeting by visiting www.virtualshareholdermeeting.com/BURL2026 and entering the 16-digit control number previously provided to you in your proxy materials. If your shares are held in “street name,” your control number should be included with your voting instructions received from your broker or other nominee. Please follow the instructions on your Notice of Internet Availability, proxy card, voting instruction form or other applicable proxy notice that you received for accessing the virtual Annual Meeting. If your broker or other nominee has not provided you with your control number or if you have misplaced your control number, please contact them for instructions on how to attend the virtual Annual Meeting.

Stockholders who attend the virtual Annual Meeting by following the above instructions will have an opportunity to vote and to submit questions electronically in accordance with the rules of conduct for the meeting, which will be available for review during the meeting at www.virtualshareholdermeeting.com/BURL2026. Guests without a control number may access the virtual Annual Meeting by visiting the virtual meeting site provided above, but will not be able to vote or submit questions during the meeting.

We will answer questions during the meeting that comply with the rules of conduct as time permits. Responses to such questions that we do not have time to respond to during the Annual Meeting will be posted to our Investor Relations website following the Annual Meeting. If we receive substantially similar questions, we will group such questions together.

How can I request technical assistance during the Annual Meeting?

The meeting will begin promptly at 8:00 a.m. Eastern Time. You may access the meeting webcast 15 minutes prior to the start time, and we encourage you to allow ample time to log in and test your computer audio system. If you encounter any difficulty accessing the Annual Meeting, please call the Call Center Support number displayed on the login page for the Annual Meeting site.

Who pays for this proxy solicitation?

We will bear the entire cost of this solicitation of proxies, including the preparation, assembly, printing and mailing of the Notice of Internet Availability of Proxy Materials, this Proxy Statement, the proxy and any additional solicitation material that we may provide to stockholders. Copies of solicitation material will be provided to brokerage firms, fiduciaries, custodians and other nominees holding shares in their names that are beneficially owned by others so that they may forward the solicitation material to such

beneficial owners. We have hired Innisfree M&A Incorporated (“Innisfree”), a proxy solicitation firm, to assist in soliciting proxies for an estimated fee of $17,500 plus reimbursement of reasonable expenses. Further, the original solicitation of proxies by mail and through the internet may be supplemented by solicitation by mail, email, facsimile, personal interview or telephone and other means by our directors, officers and associates. No additional compensation will be paid to these individuals for any such services.

Who can I contact with questions?

If you have any questions or need assistance voting, please contact Innisfree. Stockholders may call 1-888-750-5834. Banks and brokers may call 1-212-750-5833.

Who are the proxyholders and how were they selected?

The proxyholders are Michael O’Sullivan, Kristin Wolfe and Karen Leu, each of whom was selected by our Board of Directors and is an officer of the Company. The proxyholders will vote all proxies, or record an abstention, in accordance with the directions on the proxy. If no direction is given, the shares will be voted as recommended by our Board of Directors.

Could other matters be decided at the Annual Meeting?

We do not know of any other matters that will be considered at the Annual Meeting. If any matter other than those described in this Proxy Statement arises at the Annual Meeting, the proxies will be voted at the discretion of the proxy holders.

Is a stockholder list available for examination?

For ten days prior to the Annual Meeting, a complete list of stockholders of record entitled to vote at the Annual Meeting will be available for examination by any stockholder for any purpose relevant to the Annual Meeting. Please contact our General Counsel and Corporate Secretary at 1-609-387-7800 x 53214 if you wish to examine the list prior to the Annual Meeting.

Are there any stockholder proposals this year?

No stockholder proposals are included in this Proxy Statement, and we have not received notice of any stockholder proposals to be raised at the Annual Meeting.

Where and when will I be able to find the voting results?

You can find the official results of the voting at the Annual Meeting in our Current Report on Form 8-K that we will file with the SEC within four business days after the Annual Meeting. If the official results are not available at that time, we will provide preliminary voting results in the Form 8-K and will provide the final results in an amendment to the Form 8-K as soon as they become available.

Consideration of Skills and Experience

Below we identify and describe the key skills and experience that the Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee considers in concluding a director is qualified to serve on the Board. The Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee considers the skills and experience of directors and director nominees individually and in the broader context of the Board’s overall composition and the Company’s current and future needs. The experiences, qualifications, attributes and skills that the Board considered in the nomination of our directors are reflected in their individual biographies beginning on page 12 and the skills matrix below. The matrix is a summary; it does not include all the experiences and skills that each director offers, and if a particular experience or skill is not listed it should not suggest that it is not possessed by the director.

Ms. Vecchio, 60, has served as our Group President and Chief Merchandising Officer since July 2021. Prior to her promotion to this role, Ms. Vecchio served as our President and Chief Merchandising Officer from April 2019 through July 2021 and as our Chief Merchandising Officer/Principal from January 2017 through April 2019. From the commencement of her employment with us in May 2015 through January 2017, Ms. Vecchio served as our Executive Vice President and Chief Merchandising Officer. From January 2014 to May 2015, Ms. Vecchio provided consulting services to our merchandising organization. From 1997 to June 2011, Ms. Vecchio held various positions in the merchandising organization of Ross Stores, most recently serving as Executive Vice President of Merchandising—Mens/Kids from December 2009 through June 2011 and as Senior Vice President/GMM from February 2005 through December 2009 with various areas of responsibilities including Mens, Kids, Shoes, Lingerie and Hosiery. From 1988 through 1997, Ms. Vecchio held various positions in the merchandising organization of Macy’s.

Mr. Marquette, 54, has served as our President and Chief Operating Officer since October 2021. Before joining Burlington, Mr. Marquette served as the Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of Ross Stores from March 2021 through his resignation in July 2021. Prior to that, he was Ross Stores’ Group Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer from 2019 to 2021, Group Senior Vice President and Deputy Chief Financial Officer from 2018 to 2019, and Senior Vice President, Finance from 2017 to 2018. He was also Senior Vice President, Store Operations from 2015 to 2017, Group Vice President, Store Operations from 2013 to 2015, and Vice President, Store Operations Finance from 2009 to 2013. Prior to joining Ross in 2008 as Director, Strategic Planning, Mr. Marquette held various consulting and management roles over a 12-year period with Bain & Company, Carter’s Inc., and PricewaterhouseCoopers.

Ms. Wolfe, 48, has served as our Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer since August 2022. Before joining Burlington, Ms. Wolfe served in a wide range of financial, strategic and operational roles at Ross Stores, Inc. Ms. Wolfe most recently served as Group Senior Vice President, Corporate Finance of Ross Stores, Inc. from 2021 through her resignation in May 2022. Between 2009 and 2021, Ms. Wolfe served in a number of other roles at Ross Stores, including Senior Vice President, Store Operations from 2018 to 2021, Group Vice President, Store Finance and Strategy from 2016 to 2018, Vice President, Store Finance and Strategy from 2014 to 2016, Senior Director, Corporate Strategy from 2012 to 2014 and Director, Store Operations Finance from 2009 to 2012. Prior to her career with Ross Stores, Ms. Wolfe held various roles over a 10-year period with Bain & Company.

Mr. Pasch, 55, has served as our Executive Vice President and Chief Human Resources Officer since September 2023. Prior to his promotion to this role, he served as SVP of Human Resources from December 2021 through September 2023 and as SVP of Talent Acquisition, Benefits, Compensation, and HRIS from April 2019 through December 2021. From August 2013 through April 2019, Mr. Pasch served as Vice President of Talent Acquisition. He has also served as Director of Organizational Development and as Director of HR for Stores Support from the commencement of his employment with Burlington in April 2010 through February 2013. Prior to joining Burlington, Mr. Pasch held various roles in HR, Stores Support, and Supply Chain Operations over an eleven-year period with Finlay Fine Jewelry.

The Board has developed and adopted Corporate Governance Guidelines (the “Guidelines”) to assist the Board in the exercise of its responsibilities and to best serve the interests of the Company and its stockholders. The Guidelines cover matters including selection and composition of the Board; criteria for director independence; director compensation and performance evaluations; the operation, structure and meetings of the Board and the committees of the Board; and other matters relating to our corporate governance. The Guidelines also describe the Company’s stock ownership guidelines and compensation recoupment (or “clawback”) policy, which is incremental to our policy (adopted by the Compensation Committee) complying with the requirements of Section 954 of the Dodd-Frank Act and the related rules and regulations promulgated by the SEC and the New York Stock Exchange (“NYSE”). The Guidelines are available in the Investor Relations section of our corporate website, which can be accessed at www.burlingtoninvestors.com, under “Governance—Governance Overview.” The information contained on our website does not constitute a part of this Proxy Statement.

The Amended Bylaws require that, in an uncontested election, each director will be elected by a majority of the votes cast by the shares present virtually or represented by proxy at the Annual Meeting and entitled to vote in the election of such director, such that the number of shares voted “for” a director nominee must exceed the number of shares voted “against” that director nominee. The Guidelines require that, following any election of directors other than a contested election of directors, any incumbent director who was a nominee and who did not receive a majority of the votes cast by the shares present virtually or represented by proxy at the meeting and entitled to vote on the election of directors must promptly tender his or her offer of resignation to the Board for consideration by the Board.

The Guidelines further provide that a recommendation on whether or not to accept such a resignation offer will then be made by the Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee or, if each member of the Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee did not receive the required majority vote or the Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee is otherwise unable to act, a majority of the Board will appoint a special committee of independent directors for the purpose of making a recommendation to the Board (the committee with authority to act is referred to as “Nominating Committee”). If no independent directors received the required majority vote, the Guidelines require that the Board act on the resignation offers. Within 60 days following certification of the stockholder vote, the Nominating Committee will consider the resignation offer and recommend to the Board the action to be taken. Absent a compelling reason for the director to remain on the Board, as determined by the Board in its business judgment, the Board will accept the resignation offer. Any director who tenders his or her resignation will not participate in the Nominating Committee recommendation or Board action regarding whether to accept the resignation offer. The Board will determine whether to accept the resignation offer and publicly disclose the decision and the reasons for the decision, by a press release, a filing with the SEC or other broadly disseminated means of communication, within 90 days following certification of the stockholder vote.

Our Amended Bylaws permit a stockholder, or a group of up to 20 stockholders, owning at least 3% of our outstanding common stock continuously for at least three years, to nominate and include in our proxy materials for an annual meeting of stockholders director nominees constituting up to the greater of two nominees or 20% of the number of directors in office. The stockholders’ proxy access rights are subject to the satisfaction of conditions and other requirements by the stockholders and the director nominees as specified in our Amended Bylaws.

John Mahoney has served as Chairman of the Board since February 2020 and as a member of the Board since December 2013. Under the Guidelines, a Chair of the Board shall be elected annually from among the directors by the Board, and the Board retains the right to exercise its discretion in combining or separating the offices of Board Chair and Chief Executive Officer. This determination is made depending on what is in the best interest of the Company in light of all circumstances. In the event that the Chair is not an independent director, the Guidelines provide that the Board will appoint an independent director to serve in a lead capacity (the “Lead Independent Director”), with clearly delineated duties set forth in the Guidelines. Mr. Mahoney served as the Lead Independent Director from March 2016 until his appointment as Chairman. As Mr. Mahoney is an independent director, the Board does not currently have a Lead Independent Director.

From his previous roles within senior management of Staples, Inc., as well as his former and current roles on public company boards that operate in a variety of industries and businesses, Mr. Mahoney brings to the Chairman role a career of leading large organizations. This expertise, combined with his extensive knowledge of Burlington and our strategic objectives and challenges, makes Mr. Mahoney well-positioned to continue in the Chairman role. Mr. Mahoney provides strong independent leadership to the Board, and the Board believes that having an independent Chair allows our Chief Executive Officer to focus on the operations of our business while the independent Chair focuses on leading the Board in its responsibilities.

Pursuant to our Amended Bylaws, the Board Chair will preside at all meetings of the Board at which he or she is present and will have such powers and perform such duties as the Board of Directors may from time to time prescribe. Current additional responsibilities of the Chair include:

The Board believes that its current leadership structure is appropriate and meets the Company’s current needs. The Board regularly assesses its leadership structure to determine the leadership structure that is the most appropriate for the Company at the time, including whether to combine the positions of Board Chair and Chief Executive Officer or keep them separate. In conducting such assessments, the Board may consider, among other things:

The Board provides oversight of overall risks, with emphasis on strategic risks, which occurs as an integral and continuous part of the Board’s oversight of our business. For example, our principal strategic risks are reviewed as part of the Board’s regular discussion and consideration of our strategy, including the development and monitoring of specific initiatives and their overall alignment with our strategy. Similarly, the Board reviews the principal factors influencing our operating results, including the competitive environment, and discusses with our management the major events, activities and challenges affecting the Company.

While the Board is ultimately responsible for risk oversight, the Board has delegated to the Audit Committee the primary responsibility for oversight of our risk assessment and management process. The enterprise risk management process that we use to identify and manage key risks is designed so that management has processes in place to appropriately manage risk and considers a number of strategic, operational and macroeconomic and industry risks, including legal, regulatory and compliance risks that could adversely impact the company or management’s achievement of business objectives.

Our internal audit department conducts an annual enterprise risk assessment to identify key risks across these categories, receiving feedback from members of senior management, the Board and Deloitte & Touche LLP, our independent registered certified public accounting firm, during the process. In conjunction with identifying enterprise risks, the internal audit department also undertakes an annual process to identify fraud risk. The Audit Committee reviews the results of these assessments and the related frameworks annually, and the Board and/or appropriate Board committees also discuss selected risks in more detail throughout the year. The head of the Company’s internal audit function regularly reports to the Audit Committee and, along with our Chief Executive Officer, Chief Financial Officer and representatives from Deloitte & Touche LLP, regularly meets in private sessions with the Audit Committee.

Our risk oversight process, including key risk focus areas for the Board and each of its committees, is summarized below. Additional detail regarding each committee’s oversight and responsibilities is included below under the caption entitled “Board Committees.”

Our Board has significant oversight of our corporate strategy and long-range operating plans. Acting as a full Board and through each independent Board committee, the Board is fully engaged in the Company’s strategic planning process. Setting the strategic course of the Company involves a high level of constructive engagement between management and the Board. Management develops and prioritizes strategic plans, which are then reviewed with the Board along with the Company’s challenges, industry dynamics and other factors.

Management provides the Board with updates throughout the year regarding the implementation and results of the Company’s strategic plans, as well as frequent updates regarding the Company’s financial performance. In addition, our CEO communicates regularly with the Board on important business opportunities and developments. As a result, the Board has substantial oversight of the development and implementation of the Company’s strategic plans, and the Board is able to effectively monitor the Company’s progress and provide meaningful feedback with respect to the strategic goals and objectives.

Under the Guidelines, our Board will determine the independence of a director according to the definitions of “independent director” included in the pertinent listing standards of the NYSE and other relevant laws, rules and regulations. The Board evaluates any relationships of each director and nominee, as well as any member of his or her immediate family, with the Company and makes an affirmative determination whether or not such director or nominee is independent.

The Board has affirmatively determined that (i) each of our directors other than Mr. O’Sullivan, our CEO, is independent under the criteria established by the NYSE for director independence; (ii) Mses. Goodman and Sen and Messrs. Sullivan, Goodwin, and Skirvin meet the

additional independence requirements of the NYSE and the SEC applicable to Audit Committee members; and (iii) Ms. Tocio and Messrs. Hitch and English meet the additional independence requirements of the NYSE and the SEC applicable to Compensation Committee members.

During fiscal 2025, the Board held four meetings. Each director attended at least 92% of the meetings of the Board and of the committees of which such director was a member during this period.

We invite all incumbent directors, as well as all nominees for election as director, to attend the Annual Meeting, but we do not have a formal attendance requirement. All then-serving directors attended our 2025 Annual Meeting of Stockholders.

Our independent directors meet in separate executive sessions without management during regularly scheduled Board meetings to review matters concerning the relationship of the Board with management and such other matters as deemed appropriate. The independent Chairman or the Lead Independent Director, as applicable, presides over executive sessions of the independent directors.

The Board values an open dialogue with stockholders and believes that it is important to foster long-term relationships and understand stockholder perspectives. We have a robust outreach program and routinely engage with stockholders to help the Board and management gain insights and feedback. During the course of these engagements, we seek input on a variety of corporate governance, executive compensation and ESG topics that may impact our business or reputation. These engagements include the participation of leaders from our investor relations, legal and corporate social responsibility departments, as well as directors when requested and appropriate. Stockholder feedback is shared with our Board and its committees as appropriate.

Our stockholder outreach efforts undertaken in connection with the 2026 Annual Meeting included engaging a number of our stockholders, collectively representing approximately 69% of our outstanding shares as of December 31, 2025. The stockholders to whom we reached out either arranged for individual discussions with us, informed us that a meeting was not necessary, or did not indicate that a meeting was necessary.

Given the Board’s commitment to understanding the perspectives of our stockholders and to considering direct stockholder feedback, we believe that this process keeps our Board informed of stockholders’ priorities and allows the Board to address stockholder feedback effectively.

In recent years, we have taken a number of actions based on stockholder feedback to strengthen our corporate governance, executive compensation and ESG programs and related disclosure. For example, the Board adopted proxy access and implemented a majority voting standard in uncontested director elections; the Compensation Committee revised the design of our long-term incentive plan such that a significant portion of the awards made to our NEOs are now granted in the form of performance stock units with vesting based on pre-established goals linked to our performance (and the Compensation Committee increased the PSU mix from 50% to 65% beginning with LTIP grants made on May 1, 2025); and we added a matrix to our Proxy Statement to describe each director’s skills. We also enhanced our chemical management program and set our first environmental targets for reducing Scope 1 and 2 greenhouse gas emissions, and we now publish our current EEO-1 report, which can be accessed at www.burlingtoninvestors.com, under “Corporate Social Responsibility.”

In addition, based on stockholder feedback and an extensive review of prevailing corporate governance trends and market practices, the Board adopted an amendment to our Charter in 2024 to declassify the Board, which amendment was overwhelmingly approved by our stockholders.

These examples evidence our continued commitment to remain responsive on a variety of stockholder concerns. We encourage our stockholders to share feedback at any time, and the Board has established a process to facilitate stockholders’ communications with the Board as described below.

Stockholders and other interested parties may communicate directly with the Board, the independent directors as a group or specified individual directors by writing to such individual or group care of our General Counsel and Corporate Secretary at the following address: Burlington Stores, Inc., 2006 Route 130 North, Burlington, New Jersey 08016. Our General Counsel and Corporate Secretary will forward all correspondence to the relevant group or individual.

In addition, the Audit Committee has adopted a policy to ensure that procedures are in place for the receipt, retention and treatment of complaints or concerns regarding accounting, financial reporting, internal accounting controls or auditing matters, and complaints regarding these matters may be submitted to our Legal Department by email (BSIsubmissions@burlington.com) or by writing care of our General Counsel and Corporate Secretary at the address set forth in the immediately preceding paragraph. Complaints may also be submitted confidentially and anonymously by contacting our ethics and compliance hotline, which is maintained by an independent third-party service provider.

We have a long-standing approach of compensating our executives, as well as our non-employee directors, in part with stock awards. We believe that retention of a meaningful amount of the Company’s stock encourages a long-term perspective and further aligns the interests of these individuals with those of our stockholders.

Accordingly, the Compensation Committee has adopted stock ownership guidelines providing that (i) the CEO should own shares of our common stock with a value equal to or exceeding six times his or her then-current base salary; (ii) the Company’s executive officers and the remaining members of the Company’s executive leadership team (excluding the CEO) should own shares of our common stock with a value equal to or exceeding three times his or her then-current base salary; and (iii) non-employee directors should own shares of our common stock with a value equal to or exceeding five times the annual base cash retainer paid to non-employee directors.

Stock ownership includes shares owned directly or held in trust by the individual and shares subject to unvested service-based restricted stock and restricted stock unit awards. Stock ownership under the guidelines does not include shares that an individual has the right to acquire through unvested performance-based restricted stock unit awards or shares subject to outstanding stock options (whether vested or unvested).

Until the required ownership level is reached, as determined by the Company, all individuals subject to the stock ownership guidelines will be required to retain 50% of the shares of common stock underlying each equity grant received from us after giving effect to any tax withholding obligations arising from the vesting or exercise of such grants.

As of the end of fiscal 2025, each NEO and non-employee director owned shares in excess of the applicable guideline or was in compliance with the retention requirement described above.

Director education about the Company and our industry is an ongoing process, which begins when a director joins the Board. Upon joining the Board, new directors are provided with an orientation about the Company, including our business, strategy and governance. During the orientation process, new directors have a series of meetings with executives responsible for each of our business units to develop relationships and gain an understanding of the Company’s operations, strategies, challenges and opportunities. Based on input from our directors, we believe that the orientation process provides new directors with a strong foundation in our business and accelerates their ability to fully engage in Board deliberations.

Identification of Director Nominees

The Board is responsible for nominating candidates for election as directors by our stockholders and filling vacancies and new directorships on the Board, in each case based on the recommendation of the Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee. The Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee identifies nominees by first considering the broader context of the Board’s overall composition and the Company’s current and future needs to establish which skills and experience are needed on the Board.

Current members of the Board with skills and experience that are relevant for our business and who are willing to continue in service are considered for re-nomination, and the Board recognizes that incumbent directors should not expect to be renominated automatically or continually. The Board applies equal rigor to its director renomination process, and each year the Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee evaluates each incumbent director’s candidacy in light of the considerations discussed in this Proxy Statement.

The Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee will also periodically consider whether the Board should increase its size to add directors with relevant skills and experience or fresh perspectives that are needed on the Board. In the event that the Board determines to nominate a new director, the Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee will then identify the desired skills and experience of a new nominee. The Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee may, in its discretion, also engage a consultant or search firm to assist in identifying qualified individuals.

As set forth in the Guidelines, it is the policy of our Board that directors should possess the highest personal and professional ethics, integrity and values, and be committed to representing the long-term interests of our stockholders. It is also the policy of the Board that the composition of the Board and its committees adheres to the standards of independence required by the NYSE and applicable law and reflects a range of talents, ages, skills, character, background, experience and expertise sufficient to provide sound and prudent guidance with respect to the operations and interests of the Company.

In fiscal 2025, the Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee undertook a broad and extensive search for one or more new directors. After considering candidates referred by various sources, including our directors, the Board appointed Michael Skirvin as a director, adding valuable executive experience to our Board.

Director Candidates Recommended by Stockholders. The Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee will consider and evaluate persons recommended by stockholders in the same manner as it considers and evaluates other potential directors.

Proxy Access. Our Amended Bylaws enable eligible stockholders to have their own qualifying director nominee(s) included in the Company’s proxy materials, along with candidates nominated by our Board of Directors, as described in further detail above under the caption entitled “Proxy Access.”

Composition and Board Tenure

The Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee strives to identify director candidates from a pool of high-caliber individuals whose range of talents, perspectives, experiences and backgrounds would preserve and enhance the Board's overall composition. The Board also aims to maintain an appropriate balance of tenure across our directors.

Service on other boards

While the Board recognizes that its members benefit from service on other public company boards, the Board also believes that our directors must be able to dedicate the time necessary for the diligent performance of their duties, including preparing for and attending Board and committee meetings. In this respect, the number of other public company boards our directors may join are generally limited to ensure that a director is not “over-boarded.” The Guidelines provide that directors who are executive officers should not serve on the board of more than one other public company (in addition to the Company), and no director should serve on more than three other boards of public companies in addition to our Board. In addition, no director may serve as a member of our Audit Committee if he or she serves on the audit committees of more than two other public companies unless the Board determines that such simultaneous service would not impair the ability of such director to effectively serve on our Audit Committee, and this determination is disclosed in our annual proxy statement. Any director seeking to join the board of directors of another public company or other for-profit enterprise must first notify the Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee.

Directors who change their present job responsibility

It is the sense of the Board that directors who retire or otherwise change from the principal occupation they held when they were originally invited to join our Board should promptly notify the Chair of the Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee and should be encouraged to (but are not required to) volunteer to resign from the Board. The Board does not believe that such directors should necessarily leave the Board. The Guidelines provide that the Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee should review with the Board the continued appropriateness of that director’s membership under the circumstances, if the director offers his or her resignation, or the appropriateness of that director being nominated for re-election to the Board following his or her current term.

The Board and the Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee frequently assess the composition of the Board and seek to strike a balance between the knowledge and understanding of our business that comes from longer-term service on the Board with the fresh ideas and perspective that can come from adding new members. The Board has determined that neither director term limits nor a mandatory retirement age is required to strike this balance.

While term limits or a mandatory retirement age could help ensure that there are new viewpoints available to the Board, they hold the disadvantage of losing the contribution of directors who over time have developed increasing insight into us and our operations, and therefore provide an increasing contribution to the Board as a whole. The Board believes it can continue to maintain a composition closely aligned with our business needs, including fresh perspectives, a range of viewpoints and relevant qualifications, through the annual evaluation process and the process for nominating director candidates.

This approach to refreshment has yielded regular additions of accomplished directors with relevant skills. Recent additions to the Board include Michael Skirvin in November 2025, Shira Goodman in January 2025, and Michael Goodwin in December 2020.

The Board and the Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee also regularly assess the composition of the Board's committees. In fiscal 2025, certain committee rotations took place in order to refresh the committees' memberships, as further described in the section entitled "Board Committees."

We have adopted a written code of conduct (the “Code of Conduct”) which applies to all of our directors, officers and other associates, including our principal executive officer, principal financial officer and principal accounting officer. The Code of Conduct establishes policies and practices that address many topics, including the health, wellness and safety of our associates; unacceptable workplace conduct and harassment and discrimination; business ethics; product safety; and compliance with anti-bribery laws, among others. As set forth in the Code of Conduct, we will not tolerate any retaliation against one of our associates who, in good faith, asks questions, makes reports of possible violations of the Code of Conduct or Company policies or assists in an investigation of suspected wrongdoing. To the greatest extent possible, all reports are responded to in a way that protects the privacy of everyone involved.

In addition to the Code of Conduct, we have also adopted a written Code of Ethics for the Chief Executive Officer and Senior Financial Officers (the “Code of Ethics”).

Copies of each code are available in the Investor Relations section of our corporate website, which can be accessed at www.burlingtoninvestors.com, under “Governance—Governance Overview.”

We will provide any person, without charge, upon request, a copy of our Code of Conduct or Code of Ethics. Such requests should be made in writing to the attention of our General Counsel and Corporate Secretary at the following address: Burlington Stores, Inc., 2006 Route 130 North, Burlington, New Jersey 08016. We intend to satisfy any disclosure requirement under Item 5.05 of Form 8-K regarding an amendment to, or waiver from, a provision of the Code of Ethics that applies to our principal executive officer, principal financial officer or principal accounting officer by posting such information in the Investor Relations section of our corporate website, which can be accessed at www.burlingtoninvestors.com, under “Governance—Governance Overview.”

Culture

At Burlington, we have a shared commitment to behaving and conducting our business ethically and with integrity. We live by our Core Values:

Adherence to our Core Values is part of the annual performance evaluation for all associates.

With our Core Values vital to our efforts, we strive to cultivate an environment where every associate feels valued, respected, and included. Associates are given an opportunity to share their perspectives by participating in our associate engagement survey. This is an important activity in our organization as it provides valuable feedback and helps us understand where we are succeeding and where we have opportunities to improve.

Our Board also, directly and through its committees, receives periodic updates on specific topics such as our strategies for attracting and retaining talent throughout the organization.

Each director also receives our annual Code of Conduct training, and from time to time the Board participates in store and distribution center tours and site visits to our buying offices to gain a real time view of our operations, product offerings, customer service and culture.

Compensation Philosophy

The Compensation Committee reviews director compensation at least annually and recommends any changes to the Board for approval. The Compensation Committee assesses director compensation to align with Board and committee requirements and for market competitiveness against the Company’s compensation peer group as described on page 51. In making these assessments, the Compensation Committee reviews analyses prepared by Meridian Compensation Partners LLC (“Meridian”), the Compensation Committee’s independent consultant.

Burlington’s philosophy on compensating its independent, non-management directors is to use a mix of cash and equity that will align the interests of our directors with the long-term interests of our stockholders and compensate our directors fairly and competitively for the obligations and responsibilities of serving on the Board. To implement this philosophy, we target a split between cash and equity, within a reasonable range of the median, utilizing the same peer group used to evaluate executive compensation decisions.

Directors who are Company associates do not receive directors’ fees or equity grants based on their Board service. Accordingly, Mr. O’Sullivan does not receive any additional compensation for his service on the Board. Compensation provided to Mr. O’Sullivan in his capacity as an executive officer is disclosed in the Fiscal 2025 Summary Compensation Table. Our independent, non-management directors receive compensation for their service as described below. All directors are entitled to receive reimbursement for out-of-pocket expenses incurred in connection with their service on the Board. No perquisites are provided to our independent, non-management directors.

Annual Cash Retainers

The cash retainer component of our director compensation program for fiscal 2025 consisted of the following, which did not change as compared to the fiscal 2024 director compensation program:

Cash retainers are payable in equal quarterly installments and pro-rated for partial quarters. Our directors do not receive any meeting fees.

Stock Awards

The Board believes that director stock ownership is a mark of strong corporate governance and provides greater alignment of interests between directors and stockholders. Accordingly, the compensation plan adopted by the Board for independent, non-management directors provides a majority of each such director’s annual compensation to be based on Burlington stock. For fiscal 2025, each then-serving independent, non-management director received a grant of restricted stock units (“RSUs”) with a market value at the time of grant of $170,000, made following the Company’s 2025 Annual Meeting of Stockholders. The market value for the fiscal 2025 RSU grants did not change as compared to the fiscal 2024 RSU grants to our independent, non-management directors. Mr. Skirvin received a pro-rated grant of RSUs in connection with his appointment to the Board in November 2025.

The fiscal 2025 RSUs are scheduled to vest on May 21, 2026, subject to the director’s continued service on the Board through such date.

If a director’s service on the Board terminates prior to the full vesting of an RSU award by reason of the director’s death or retirement, such director will become fully vested upon death or will vest on a pro-rata basis as of the date of retirement. If the vesting date of an award is after the date of the Annual Meeting of Stockholders and a director
elects to not stand for re-election at such Annual Meeting
of Stockholders, then such award will become fully vested. Vesting of RSUs does not accelerate by reason of a change in control; provided, however, that 100% of such RSUs will vest if the recipient ceases to serve as a director following such change in control and prior to the vesting date. Directors are not entitled to any privileges of ownership with respect to the shares subject to RSU awards (including, without limitation, voting rights or the right to receive dividends) unless and until, and only to the extent, such shares become vested.

The following chart illustrates the annual director compensation program, excluding committee and Board Chair fees: