Domino's online sales pass 20 per cent

Fast food takeaway chain Domino's Pizza UK has broken the 20 per cent mark in online sales for the half year ended 29 June - meaning one in five of its pizzas are now ordered over the web.

The company said ecommerce sales grew by 85.1 per cent to £25.3m, up from £13.7m during the same period in 2007. Online purchases now represent 21.8 per cent of all delivered sales for the company. This outstripped the general growth trend for the company.

silicon.com Retail & Leisure

Get the latest retail and leisure news straight to your inbox. Sign up for the R&L newsletter today!

Total Domino's sales for the half-year came to £170.2m, a growth of 19.5 per cent. Operating profit before tax and exceptional items came to £10.9m.

In a statement, Domino's chairman Stephen Hemsley said: "The trend that we are witnessing so far is that many consumers are trading down, which in our industry means that they are eating out less often and staying home. Once these consumers have decided to stay home, Domino's has the opportunity to serve them."

The growth in online sales for Domino's is in line with the latest predictions from the IMRG Capgemini eRetail Index, which claims online shopping has reached 17 per cent of all average consumer spend in the UK in the first half of 2008 and is on trend to top 20 per cent by the beginning of next year.