Domino’s Pizza serves up record number of orders amid World Cup and app boost

Domino’s Pizza has reported a record number of orders in the last three months of 2022, as it enjoyed a boost from the World Cup and a surge in collections.

The UK and Ireland takeaway giant said it had 18.5 million orders in the fourth quarter, its best ever quarter, with total orders up 4% and collection orders up 28% compared with the same period in 2021.

Domino’s said it had been an “exceptionally busy year”, after it launched new takeaway deals to target customers facing cost pressures, such as “price slice” with £8, £10 and £12 deals for small, medium, and large pizzas.

Attracting consumers through more value-for-money offers will be key in 2023, the pizza giant said.

The company also rolled out new products to tie in with people watching football at home and over the festive season, with its ultimate spicy sausage pizza driving sales across the whole campaign, it revealed.

Collections in the fourth quarter were up by a third compared with the same period in 2021 and outpaced pre-pandemic levels.

Nevertheless, Domino’s saw its underlying pre-tax profit fall by 13% last year, to £99 million from £114 million, which it said was partly due to investment in new cloud-based technology platforms over the year.

It also reported a slight decline in sales compared with 2021, which was still affected by UK lockdowns and prompted a boom in at-home deliveries and takeaways.

Compared with pre-pandemic levels in 2019, the group’s total sales were up by a fifth, from £1.2 billion to £1.46 billion.

Domino’s said its app customers now make up more than half of its online orders.

App customers are “important”, the firm said, because they spend 43% more on average than those who only order through the website, and they order 51% more frequently.

Interim chief executive Elias Diaz Sese said: “Our outstanding fourth-quarter performance gives the business powerful momentum into this year and there’s a lot to be excited about.

“Strong national value campaigns, continued growth of collections, accelerated new store openings, digital initiatives and a full year on the Just Eat platform are all set to drive further growth.

“We are confident that our asset-light business model, our franchise partners’ relentless focus on service, and digitally focused investment will deliver further market share gains and create value for shareholders.

“In the current challenging economic environment, we’re committed to giving our customers the best possible quality, value and service, and are excited about the many opportunities we see for Domino’s in 2023 and beyond.”