Domino's Pizza Takes Slice Of World Cup Success

Domino's Pizza has seen its profit rise by 10% in the first-half of the year, boosted by the World Cup.

Britain's pizza delivery chain benefited from football fans staying in for the games, whilst it extended its trading hours.

It also said improved marketing and promotions drove sales up.

In the 26 weeks to June 29, pre-tax profit rose to £24.5m.

At UK stores that have been open for more than a year, sales increased by 11.3% with strong growth in online.

It said 61.5% of all UK sales were done online in the six months.

Of that figure, 30.9% of online orders were taken via mobile devices.

The group said it was also seeing improved consumer confidence in its sector, with discretionary spending on the rise.

Chief executive David Wild said: "It's been another strong year for Domino's and I am particularly delighted by the sales performance in our core UK business, which has continued into 2014, confirming the strength of our offer for both new and existing customers.

"We sold 65.5 million pizzas across the group during the year and created over 1,500 jobs, which is no mean feat."

But the company said it continued to struggle with the expansion of its business in Germany.

As it grappled with restructuring costs and weak trading, Domino’s said it was seeking to recruit franchisees to take over its poorly performing outlets in the country.

Mr Wild said the company was committed to its plans for the German division, which closed four outlets and posted an operating loss of £4.7m in the first-half.

Most of Domino’s Pizza’s 868 stores are based in the UK, but as well as Germany, it also operates in Ireland (Other OTC: IRLD - news) and Switzerland.