Domino’s Pizza Group has announced its Trading Statement covering the 13 week period to 30 March 2014, making a strong start to the year with system sales rising by 14.8% to £188.5m (2013: £164.1m), largely driven by strong like-for-like sales growth in the first part of the quarter.
Successful meal deal drives sales
Like-for-like sales in the UK in 725 mature stores increased by 10.8% (2013: 6.6% in 670 mature stores) thanks in part to their most successful meal deal ever offered – the Winter Survival Deal – and some weaker comparative figures due to the impact of snow in the early weeks of the same period last year. In addition, like-for-like sales, in Euros, in the Republic of Ireland remained in positive territory, rising by 3.4% (2013: 8.1%) in the period.
69% of UK delivered sales via internet
The proportion of sales taken via e-commerce continues to grow with 69.4% of all UK delivered sales (2013: 61.9% of UK delivered sales) now coming via the internet. Sales taken through all online platforms were up 25% to £103m (2013: £82.4m) and, of this, 34% was taken through mobile devices (2013: 25.2%).
In the German market the Group continues to implement its plan focused on establishing successful store level economics. Like-for-like sales, in Euros, in 17 mature stores (2013: 6 mature stores) were up by 3.2% (2013: 40.3%). In Switzerland, like-for-like sales, in Swiss Francs, in the 10 mature stores were up by 1.8% in the period.
David Wild, Interim Chief Executive Officer, commented:
“We are pleased with the like-for-like performance in our core UK and ROI business. The pipeline and franchisee demand for new stores is healthy. Whilst we expect the number of sites opened in the year to be second half weighted, we remain confident in delivering our target of 40-50 new stores in 2014.
“Like-for-like growth in Germany remains subdued as we transition our stores across to franchisee ownership and focus on store level economics.
“In Switzerland, we are refreshing the estate, remaining on course to reach break even by the final quarter of 2014/early 2015.
“In summary, although it is still early and we face some tough comparatives later in the year, the plans we have in place are strong and I look forward with optimism.”
Stephen Hemsley, Chairman, commented: “This is a pleasing set of results for the UK and ROI and we continue to implement our stated plans for Germany and Switzerland. The process for finding a new CEO is well advanced and the Board looks forward to updating the market in the near future.”