Domino's Pizza has reported strong profits growth in 2008 after consumers looked to cheaper alternatives to eating out during the downturn.
Profits at the pizza firm in the UK and Irish Republic rose 24.7% to £23.4m, with like-for-like sales up 10%.
The company opened 52 new stores during the year and created 1,800 jobs, with total sales up 18.4%.
Fast food and home delivery chains are some of the few businesses profiting during the recession.
Indeed a third of the company's 2.7 million customers during the year were new customers.
The company has also seen a strong start to the new year, with like-for-like sales up 15% in the first six weeks of 2009.
Domino's plans to open another 50 new stores this year, taking the total number of Domino's outlets to over 600. It hopes to have at least 1,000 open within the next 10 years.
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Tuesday, 17 February 2009
Domino's Pizza UK Reports Strong Results
Wednesday, 11 February 2009
Domino's Pizza Opens First Halal-only Store - But Not Without Opposition - Must be a slow news day at The Daily Telegraph
A Domino's Pizza outlet has infuriated locals after becoming the first in the country to take pork off the menu and offer only halal food.
The takeaway has told customers in the mixed-race area of Hall Green, Birmingham, that if they want ham or pork on their pizza they will have to go elsewhere.
Chris Yates, 29, a hospital worker living in Moseley, Birmingham, said he was told he couldn't have a 'Meteor' pizza, topped with pepperoni, sausage, meatballs, ground beef and smoky bacon, when he called up at the weekend.
He said: "It's a disgrace, I can appreciate them having it as an option but to have it completely halal is just not on," he fumed.
"I'm all for racial and religious tolerance but if anything this is intolerant to my beliefs and discriminatory against me.
"Instead I had to travel two miles out of my way to another branch – I was appalled. "Hall Green is a mixed race area and should therefore cater to its multicultural make-up.
"In a society that promotes racial and religious integration, this sort of things only isolates people."
While Peter Merholz, 38, from Hall Green, added: "This is a global pizza chain that is isolating western values and choice. It's alienating people and that's just not on.
"I'd been coming here for ages but now I'll go elsewhere because I can't get a pepperoni pizza, which is what I always have."
Halal items on the menu include halal spicy beef sausage, roast and tandoori chicken, halal pepperoni and halal cured turkey – all produced and stored within the Halal Food Authorities guidelines.
The change intends to appeal to the area's Muslim customers.
A worker at the store said: "The store wasn't doing very well so we had to do something – we needed people who weren't getting halal options to come to us.
"It's been like this for four weeks and business has picked up a little."
A spokesman for Dominos, who recently announced their profits were up 33 per cent, said: "In that particular area of Birmingham there are a large number of Muslims so there is naturally more of a demand for halal based products.
"We appreciate we cannot please everybody but there are alternatives, such as turkey ham, and we have thought long and hard about this decision and we are sure it is the right one."
For meat to be deemed Halal, it must meet certain conditions. These include that the animal should be killed by having its throat cut by a Muslim and any flowing blood of the carcase should be completely drained.
Masood Khawaja, President of the Halal Food Authority, said: "It's good news for Muslims, with changing pallets, who want a bit of variety in their diet. This is only the beginning and we are delighted that Domino's has participating in this trend."
Tuesday, 10 February 2009
Domino's Pizza Lauches "Secretary of Taste" Campaign
On Monday evening, President Obama pushed his stimulus plan to a national TV audience from the East Room of the White House.
The Secretary of Taste, meanwhile, took to the airwaves to promote a separate stimulus deal.
Pundits offered no opinion on which stimulus package has the better chance of success, but the Secretary of Taste's recipe had already been deemed an "American Legend" by its creators.
Indeed, the Secretary of Taste himself is a creation of the minds at Crispin Porter + Bogusky, and the stimulus package in question is the new "American Legends" line of specialty pizzas from Domino's Pizza.
While Republicans have criticized President Obama's stimulus package as too bloated, Domino's Secretary of Taste--in commercials that debuted Monday--boasts that the new pizzas contain 40% more cheese than consumers would normally find in their pies.
The ad series, starting with two spots and more planned, will run through April 12 on cable and broadcast networks shows, including "Medium," "Grey's Anatomy," "The Bachelor" and "The Simpsons." GroupM's Mindshare is the media buyer.
The "American Legends" campaign will also include online, promotional print, direct mail and packaging--with redesigned pizza boxes reflecting the American Legends theme.
"These pizzas are packed with so much bold taste in every bite, I had to endorse them as a part of my taste stimulus package," the Secretary of Taste was quoted in a press release. "These specialty pizzas are as American as apple pie, and they will comfort young and old through these tough times. I've even lobbied for 40% more cheese and the approval of America's Dairy Farmers."
The American Legends line of pizzas, featuring new topping combos in addition to cheesy crusts and the extra cheese overall, includes Honolulu Hawaiian, Cali Chicken Bacon Ranch, Pacific Veggie, Memphis BBQ Chicken, Buffalo Chicken and Philly Cheese Steak.
Saturday, 7 February 2009
Eating Pizza Should Turn You On For Valentine's Day
In the run-up to Valentine's Day, Canada's largest pizza chain claims cheese is a natural aphrodisiac conducive to romance.
In a release from its Toronto headquarters, Pizza Pizza said it had commissioned experts to examine the properties of various pizza toppings regarding their ability to heighten passion.
"Cheese contains phenylethylamine, or PEA, a natural amphetamine that the brain manufactures in response to the feelings of love," the release said. "In fact, cheese contains 10 times the levels of PEA normally found in chocolate."
Other romance-inducing toppings cited were olives, jalapenos and tomatoes, but they all paled beside cheese, the company said. No mention was made of the multiplying effects off all the ingredients.
The Pizza company also added information on how to set the mood for Valentine's day at it's pizzapizza.ca Web site.
Papa John's Pizza Honcho Warns Against Eating Too Much Pizza
The U.S. founder of Papa John's Pizza warned customers during a British interview that it is unhealthy to eat more than two slices of his pies.
John Schnatter, 47, hailed the nutritional value of his chain's pizzas during an interview with BBC Radio 4's "Today" program, saying: "Pizzas are healthy for you if you don't eat too much of it," The Daily Telegraph reported Friday.
However, he warned that the health benefits of pizza, which Papa John's does not sell by the slice, wane with higher quantities.
"You can't eat five or six slices," he said. "But if you eat one or two slices it's very nutritious. A slice or two is good for you."
The show's business presenter, Adam Shaw, joked that Schnatter's statement might upset shareholders.
"I'm not sure your investors would want to hear you tell people don't eat too much of our pizzas," he said.
Sunday, 1 February 2009
Domino's Pizza Halifax Becomes First Pizza Delivery Business in Calderdale to Be Awarded 5 Stars by Local EHO
Domino’s Pizza in Halifax has become the first pizza delivery store in the Calderdale area to score top marks in the Scores on the Doors food hygiene scheme.
The store at Ward End has been awarded five stars – the highest possible rating for Scores on the Doors, which provides consumers with the official local authority ratings for food businesses across the country. All premises are inspected under the Food Law Code of Practice issued by the Food Standards Agency. Domino’s Halifax was awarded the five stars for excellence based on the store’s standard of hygiene, structural condition of the premises and the management of the business.
Kevin Jones, owner of the Domino’s Halifax store, said: “We pride ourselves on delivering high quality, delicious pizzas and take our hygiene and operational standards extremely seriously. We are delighted to have been awarded the highest possible rating in the Scores on the Doors scheme. This is a great achievement and one which is down to the hard work, care and meticulous attention of the staff to meeting the high standards that are synonymous with Domino’s. This is the first time the Halifax store has been assessed under the Scores on the Doors scheme and I’m delighted that we’re the only pizza delivery shop in Calderdale that has achieved this standard.”
To order a pizza from Halifax’s top scoring pizza delivery store, telephone Domino’s on 01422 366166 or visit the store at 4 – 5 Southgate House, Ward End, Halifax.
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