Domino's to trial Uber Eats partnership to boost growth

Domino's Pizza Group is to trial a partnership with delivery app Uber Eats next year as part of its growth plans.

The pizza chain, which operates 1,304 sites in the UK and Ireland, resisted the shift to third-party delivery apps for years and only began working with Just Eat in the UK in 2022.

Domino's said the partnership had helped it reach a wider customer base and boosted sales, pushing it to begin a trial with Uber Eats across select stores in the UK and Ireland in early 2024.

In its third quarter trading update, Domino's said it expected to open at least 60 new stores across the region in 2023, up from the 35 it launched in 2022.

New stores are already trading ahead of expectations and the chain has more than 45 sites in development for 2024.

Domino's said it had focused on promoting its app, as it encouraged higher spending and drove customers to order more frequently. The number of app customers reached 8.7m in the third quarter of this year, up 55% on 2022.

Like-for-like system sales rose 3.7% to £363.7m in the third quarter, while Domino's said it expected full-year underlying earnings to be in the £132m - £138m range.

Andrew Rennie, who joined Domino's as chief executive in August, said: "We've continued to make great strategic progress to drive sustainable growth.

"As we look into next year, we see inflation stabilising and our focus will be on continued customer and order growth, as well as franchisee profitability."

Domino's Pizza Group holds the master franchise agreement to own, operate and franchise Domino's stores in the UK and the Republic of Ireland.

Image: Shutterstock