Domino's Pizza Group said on Wednesday its orders increased in the current quarter on the back of higher delivery orders and discounted pricing, after reporting a like-for-like sales growth for the third quarter.
The franchise, which operates under the umbrella of US-based Domino's Pizza in the UK and Ireland, said total orders climbed 5.8% in the first five weeks of the fourth quarter.
Dominos' like-for-like sales grew 0.7% in the third quarter ended September 29, following a decline of 0.5% in the previous quarter.
"We're focused on growing our like-for-like sales in a sustainable way, primarily driven by order growth and not pricing, meaning lower ticket prices for customers and sustainable like-for-like sales growth driven by volume," CEO Andrew Rennie said.
Domino's said it expects full-year core earnings in the range of current market expectations of £142.4 million to £144.7 million (€170.8 million-€173.6 million).
Total system sales - a term used in the franchising industry to represent sales of all outlets that use a brand - rose to £374.8 million (€449.7 million) in the third quarter, from £363.7 million (€436.4 million) a year earlier.
The company operates more than 1,300 stores in the UK and Ireland.
In September, Domino’s officially opened its new, 2,550-square-metre Irish Supply Chain Centre (SCC) in Naas, Co. Kildare, following a €16 million investment.
The SCC opening comes at a time when the pizza company is recruiting 500 store roles, ahead of the festive period.
Domino’s noted that the facility will employ approximately 50 colleagues, bringing the total number of Domino’s roles in Ireland to around 3,000.
The increased capacity of the facility means that there is potential for a further 900 roles to be created in the communities where these new stores will be located.
Article by Reuters, additional reporting by Hospitality Ireland.
