Global pizza giant Dominos is tucking into bigger profits than expected after first-quarter sales broke expectations.

Driven by hearty demand from consumers in the USA, shares in the world's biggest pizza delivery business, which had risen by more than 20% this year, climbed a further 7% on Monday.

Now in its 64th year, the franchise giant is celebrating its ability to go against the trend in America where consumers have been tightening their belts - and says the success comes from a loyalty program and smooth operations with Über Eats, with which it signed a delivery agreement last year.

Domino's slice of the takeaway market in Gloucestershire is hefty: it has restaurants in Cirencester, Dursley and Stroud, plus another four across Gloucester and three in Cheltenham, making ten in total, as well as one just over the border in Ross-on-Wye.

Its business across the UK and Ireland also reflects homeland fortunes: in March, the company said that a continued "organic" sales growth in 2023 drove expectation of in excess of 70 new stores in 2024.

Andrew Rennie, Domino's Pizza Group UK and Ireland CEO, said: "Last year we continued to make strong strategic progress with 61 new store openings whilst offering our customers compelling value. These efforts delivered an increase in sales and shareholder returns with continued robust profit growth."

He added: "Following a great year for store openings in 2023 we are accelerating our growth and expect to have 1,600 UK & Ireland stores delivering £2.0 billion of system sales by 2028 and 2,000 stores by 2033 delivering £2.5 billion of system sales. Crucially, we have alignment with our franchisees and there is a strong, motivated second generation talent coming through the franchisee ranks to help drive this growth."

An investor's forecast also shows that the Über Eats trial over here has reflected the success of the USA scheme, while seven stores were opened in Q1 of 2024.

A further 33 await planning agreement or are under construction; in total, 70 new stores are in the pipeline for the UK and Ireland this year.

The report added: "We expect to see some food cost deflation in FY24 which, in line with our model, will be passed through to our franchise partners. In FY23 we proactively took action to reduce our cost base and this will partially offset the overall impact of inflation on our cost base in FY24. As a result, we expect to deliver FY24 Underlying EBITDA in line with current market expectations, and so delivering another year of further profit growth, despite the continued uncertain consumer environment."

Domino's has also staged an April rollout for an offer which suggests a direct move on Tesco's Meal Deal scheme, the latter having been key to the supermarket's mission to create "magnetic" value to customers. 

The firm's £4 Lunch Deal will include options on a 7-inch Cheeky Little Pizza dubbed "personal pizza" as well as hot wraps, Domino's social media making a clear reference to an intent to disrupt the office and student lunch sector: "You can say sayonara to those packet sandwiches that are sparking no joy whatsoever."

● Domino's was founded in Michigan in 1960 by Tom Monaghan and his brother, James. They took over the running of a takeaway called DomiNick's, but not long after, out of concern for maintaining his hours as a full-time postman, James got cold feet and traded his half of the business for the VW Beetle they used for delivery.