Domino’s to open 500 more branches creating 17,000 jobs as pizza sales hit £1.3bn last year
PIZZA chain Domino’s is to open 500 more shops across the UK, creating around 17,000 more jobs.
The fast food giant announced the plans after like-for-like sales rose by 4.6 per cent in the UK.
Sales grew to £1.3billion in the UK, Ireland and internationally, even though the company’s profits actually plunged overall by 22 per cent to £61.9million.
The business was hampered by “growing pains” as it tries to expand internationally, according to Domino’s boss David Wild.
Only ten per cent of its business comes from outside the UK and Ireland.
Back home, business is booming.
The firm opened 59 stores last year and created 2,000 jobs in both countries: 58 in the UK, and one in Ireland.
Sales from its 1,103 UK and Irish branches – including the 59 new shops – rose by 7.1 per cent in the last year, with a huge 103million pizzas sold.
Domino’s told The Sun it can’t say where or when the 500 new stores will open.
But it said the business is in the planning stages for 60 more stores in the UK and Ireland.
It’s expected at least 30 will open this year, but Domino’s said it couldn’t reveal how many new stories there will be this year.
It’s thought Domino’s wants to open more shops in the same areas where it has branches already.
The chain said sales are particularly strong in student cities, such as Manchester and London.
Mr Wild said: “There are currently 1,103 stores across the UK, and we are confident of reaching our goal of 1,600 over time.”
He added: “Our strategy remains simple.
How to find Domino’s deals
ONE man, Tom Church, created a tool that will always find the best Domino’s offers.
The free tool finds all the valid and working discount codes for your local Domino’s pizza store.
It was created by the co-founder of LatestDeals.co.uk, Tom Church.
It was created by LatestDeals after thousands of people on its Facebook page started taking part in weekly events called “Project D”.
Discounts at Domino’s vary, because they are franchised.
The biggest discount code Tom has spotted is 50 per cent off the total order, and plenty of buy one get one free deals.
“We aim to be the number one pizza company in each neighbourhood, through a commitment to offering the best product and service to our customers.”
“After a period in the first half of 2017 when customers were telling us we weren’t offering value for money, we have renewed our focus on the appeal of our promotions and improved communication around them,” he continued.
The strategy seems to be working as now 88.2 per cent of orders are made using a deal or promotion, according to official data.
Its sales boost was helped by the launch of the cheeseburger pizza last year, which had 1million sales in three months.
But it’s not all plain sailing.
The business is currently fighting with some UK and Irish franchise owners.
They have formed a group, the Domino’s Franchise Association UK & Ireland, and are demanding more support from the company because they say costs of running their businesses have risen.
They also argue that opening more Domino’s shops where there are already branches will cut into their profits.
Domino’s has said it’s working to resolve the dispute but that it won’t sell food at a cheaper price to franchise owners, as that would cut into its profits.
Mr Wild said: “We want to resolve their concerns by finding a win-win solution. We don’t want to resolve them by finding lose-win solutions.”
Meanwhile, we’ve found the best Mother’s Day restaurant deals, which includes an offer at Domino’s.
