Domino's Pizza looks to slice some of its busiest Dublin outlets in two

Domino's Pizza is looking at splitting some of its stores in Dublin into two separate operations because they're so busy

John Mulligan

Domino's Pizza is looking at splitting some of its stores in Dublin into two separate operations because they're so busy.

It revealed the plan as it reported a 3.2pc rise in first-half sales in Ireland to €25.4m as the harsh climate that had characterised its business here during the downturn slipped firmly into the rearview mirror.

"We have not opened any new stores in the Republic of Ireland since 2011, but we are now looking carefully at whether there are store split opportunities in Dublin, where we have some very high sales units," the company confirmed.

Some of the Domino's Pizza stores in Dublin are among the busiest in the world. The chain has 48 outlets here.

UK-based Domino's Pizza Group, which holds the franchise for the brand in the UK, Ireland and other European territories, said that it has now experienced six consecutive quarters of sales growth in Ireland and is "encouraged" by the progress it has made here.

Chief executive David Wild said Ireland had continued its solid recovery. "Sales growth has been stronger in Dublin, but we are also seeing positive trends in other areas," he added.

"Longer opening hours have been of particular benefit in the Republic of Ireland and late-night (openings) have been a major contributor to the 
positive sales trend."

Domino's said that mobile devices account for 40.3pc of digital sales placed in Ireland, which is higher than in its core UK market. Overall e-commerce penetration is lower here than in the UK, however.

On a group basis, Domino's Pizza said that system sales in the first half of its financial year rose 14.9pc to £375m (€473m).

Operating profit excluding Germany and Switzerland climbed 15.3pc to £29.8m.