Domino’s Pizza sold more than half a million pizzas on its biggest-ever day – equivalent to 12 every second. Customers ordered more than 535,000 pizzas for delivery – including its new cheeseburger pizza – during the course of the Friday before Christmas. Ecommerce sales also peaked on the night of the Strictly Come Dancing final, Saturday December 15, when online shoppers ordered 25% more pizzas than on the same day a year earlier.
The update came as the pizza delivery business reported group sales of £339.5m in the 13 weeks to December 30 – a rise of 5.5% compared to the same time last year, with online sales up by 10.8% to account for 80.1% of all sales.
Sales in the UK and Republic of Ireland market came in at £312.9m in the fourth quarter, up by 6.2% on last time after a year in which 59 new stores opened in the market. UK like-for-like (LFL) sales – which strip out the effect of those openings – were up by 4.5% during the period, and Irish sales up by 7.5% LFL. International sales came to £26.6m, down by 2% on last time and the retailer said it expected its international markets, including Germany, to make a loss of between £3m and £4m during the full 2018 year. Hurdles have included poor weather and integrating operations in Norway.
Chief executive David Wild said: “”I’m pleased with the continued strong performance in the UK and Ireland, where we opened a further 59 stores. Many families decided to kick off the festive season with a Domino’s, with the Friday before Christmas breaking all records as we sold more than 535,000 pizzas – equivalent to 12 every second.
“Our international businesses offer significant long term potential, but we have experienced growing pains this year, particularly in Norway, where we have faced business integration challenges. Looking ahead, we will invest further in robust teams and infrastructure in our newer markets, to create a solid platform for profitable growth.
“The UK delivered food market is vibrant and we estimate that it will grow at a compound rate of 8% a year to 2022. We aim to maintain our share of this market, thanks to over 30 years of experience in delivery, a leading brand, great-tasting pizza and superior franchisees.”
Domino’s expects to maintain its market share as the UK delivered food market reaches a forecast £9.3bn in value by 2022 – a compound annual growth rate of 8%. It sees potential for 1,600 UK stores. Currently it has 1,261 stores across the group, including international markets.
Image courtesy of Domino’s Pizza
