Pizza chain Domino’s is banking on Gareth Southgate’s England team to deliver a needed pick-up in sales after a slow January sent its first quarter takings sliding 0.4 percent to £385.1million.
Chief executive Andrew Rennie blamed some of January’s weakness on Domino’s decision to hold back its marketing spending, ahead of a blitz for this summer’s European football championships.
He said that Domino’s should see a flood of orders during the football, which will help it meet its full-year targets.
Although it saw increased sales in February and March, Mr Rennie said that April was tough given last year’s strong comparator.
Despite its weak trading, Mr Rennie insisted he was “excited by the momentum we have in the business”, including a £4 lunch offer launched last month. He said that Domino’s is “encouraged” by the early response to its lunch offer and that it has other initiatives in the works to improve its sales.
During its first quarter, Domino’s opened 14 new stores. It expects to open more than 70 outlets this year.
In January, it started a trial with Uber Eats which is live in 1,170 out of its 1,333 stores in the UK.
Customers order through Uber Eats, but Domino’s drivers deliver the orders.
