Domino's eyes unveiling 30-minute pizza delivery service in Bangladesh

Domino's Pizza Inc, the world's largest pizza company, announces the appointment of Maureen Pittenger as executive vice president – chief human resources officer, effective July 8, 2024. Pittenger will report to Domino's CEO, Russell Weiner, and oversee all human resources strategies and functions for the company.

Russell Weiner said, "We are excited to have Maureen join Domino's as she brings a proven track record of building high-performing teams. At Domino's, our people are our competitive advantage, and Maureen's expertise in leading workforce development on a global scale will help us get even better."

Pittenger comes to Domino's with over 20 years of experience in human resources. Most recently, she served as senior vice president and chief human resources officer at Dana Inc. since 2022, having joined the company in 2019 as vice president of corporate human resources. Her career also includes escalating leadership roles at Visteon Corp. starting in 2001.

Pittenger said, "I am thrilled to join Domino's and be a part of such a purpose- and performance-driven company. I look forward to working with such a talented team as we build on Domino's commitment to fostering a dynamic culture that attracts, retains, and develops top-tier talent aligned with Domino's core values and mission to Feed the Power of Possible."

Pittenger holds a bachelor's degree from the University of Michigan-Dearborn and a Juris Doctorate from Wayne State University.

Domino's Australia has recently unveiled an exciting collaboration with Red Bull, aiming to provide an energizing boost to pizza enthusiasts nationwide.

Expressing enthusiasm, Domino's ANZ CEO Josh Kilimnik has announced the introduction of Red Bull in all of their 760+ stores across Australia.

This move comes after the successful implementation of the partnership in international markets, marking the first-time availability of Red Bull in Domino's outlets nationwide.

Miles Wilson, the managing director of Red Bull Australia, expressed excitement about providing an energy boost to Domino's customers throughout the country.

He highlighted the opportunity to reach more Australians and emphasized the synergy between the two market-leading brands. Wilson noted that Red Bull, being the top-selling beverage item in convenience stores in Australia, found it fitting to unite with Domino's in an enjoyable and thrilling manner.

To commence their collaboration, Domino's is hosting a contest offering a chance for 10 fortunate individuals to win an exclusive house party catered by Domino's and Red Bull.

Among the prizes, two major winners will enjoy a grand package worth over $5,000, including a variety of Red Bull beverages, a professional DJ, and a generous supply of freshly-made pizzas for themselves and their friends.

Additionally, eight other winners will receive a prize valued at over $450, consisting of a supply of Domino's pizza and Red Bull to create their own exciting house party with their friends.

Domino's Pizza, which is among the biggest pizza chains globally, has announced its decision to abandon its efforts to establish a presence in the birthplace of pizza.

Media reports suggest that ePizza, Domino's Italian franchise partner, has started liquidating the company's assets in Italy in an attempt to recoup some of its initial investments.

This follows the closure of the pizza chain's outlets in Rome and Milan last year.

According to Xinhua news agency, the company's social media accounts have not been updated since last year and its Italian website was reported to be inactive as of Thursday.

Despite unsuccessful attempts to reach ePizza on Thursday, the US-based press office of Domino's Pizza has acknowledged the reports regarding the company's departure from Italy, as confirmed by Xinhua news agency.

Although Domino's Pizza is considered the largest pizza chain globally, generating $12.3 billion in annual revenue, the company, which has been around for 63 years, failed to establish a successful presence in Italy.

In 2015, Domino's Pizza made an entry into the Italian market with an ambitious plan of opening as many as 880 stores. However, the company was only able to reach a peak of 29 locations before closing down its last outlets in Rome and Milan last year.

Pizza's origin is unclear, but there are records from ancient times of soldiers cooking flatbread with toppings on their shields.

An ancient Roman poem, dated back to the first-century BC, describes locals cooking bread and cheese on hot ashes, referred to as "pinsa," a term that is still used today to describe certain types of Roman pizza.

While the origins of pizza are uncertain, the modern version of the dish is believed to have originated in Naples during the 18th century. It was initially a popular and filling meal among the lower classes.

Jubilant FoodWorks Limited (JFL) has reported its financial results for the quarter and nine-months ended 31st December 2019.

Operating Revenues for Q3 FY20 stood at Rs 10,596 million, a growth of 14.1% over Q3 FY19. Like for Like (LFL) Sales growth for Domino’s Pizza stood at 7.2% for the quarter. Same-Store Growth (SSG) for Domino’s Pizza was 5.9%, on a high base of 14.6% last year.

Growth was driven by a strong performance in Delivery, especially online sales. Online sales now contribute to 87% of Delivery sales. The Domino’s App saw 4.1 million downloads during the quarter.

The launch of the Masala Pizza range also helped drive sales during the quarter, with the performance of the innovation significantly exceeding internal targets.

EBITDA for Q3FY20 stood at Rs 2,536 million, at 23.9% of revenue. Profit after Tax in Q3 FY20 was at Rs 1,037 million, at 9.8% of revenue.

During the quarter, the business faced significant inflationary headwinds, especially in Dairy. However, the strong focus on driving operating efficiencies ensured that the business delivered sequential improvement in operating margins.

The store opening momentum further accelerated during the quarter. A total of 47 stores were opened during the quarter, 44 for Domino’s Pizza, 2 for Dunkin’ Donuts and 1 for Hong’s Kitchen. This was the highest store opening count in 20 quarters.

Domino’s Pizza Bangladesh continued to do very well. During the quarter, the company opened its third store in Bangladesh.

Shyam S. Bhartia, Chairman, and Hari S. Bhartia, Co-Chairman, Jubilant FoodWorks Limited said, “We have maintained strong growth momentum despite a slowdown in consumption trends. This was driven by our increased focus on the basics of the business while elevating the customer experience. We will continue to emphasize our key pillars of growth to deliver sustained growth going forward.”

Pratik Pota, CEO and Whole-time Director, Jubilant FoodWorks Limited, added, “We are pleased with the quarter’s performance. Faced with a challenging demand environment and unprecedented inflationary commodity trends, we delivered strong revenue growth of 14.1% and a sequential improvement in EBITDA margins. Underlining our belief in the potential of the Indian Food Service market, we stepped up the pace of new store expansion, opening 47 new stores during the quarter.”

Store Matrix

Jubilant FoodWorks Limited (JFL) has reported its financial results for the quarter and half year ended 30^th September 2018.

EBITDA for Q2 FY19 came in at Rs 1,475 million at 16.7% of revenue, a growth of 44.4% over Q2 FY18. Profit after Tax in Q2 FY19 was at Rs.777 million at 8.8% of revenue and a growth of 60.2% over Q2 FY18.

Operating Revenues for Q2 FY19 were Rs 8,814 million, a growth of 21.3% over Q2 FY18 and a sequential growth of 3.1% over the previous quarter, driven by a strong Same Store Growth (SSG) of 20.5% in Domino’s Pizza.

The strong performance in Q2 FY19 was a result of continued momentum driven by strategic initiatives taken during the recent past such as the product upgrade All New Domino’s, Every Day Value (EDV) extension to regular pizza and the continued momentum of online sales driven by the new Domino’s app.

The company stepped up the store opening momentum during the quarter, with 24 new Domino’s stores being opened, the highest in the last seven quarters.

Dunkin’ Donuts too did well with strong growth driven by Donuts and Beverages; its losses more than halved over last year.

Shyam S. Bhartia, Chairman, and Hari S. Bhartia, Co-Chairman, Jubilant FoodWorks Limited, said, "We are pleased with our Q2 FY 19 performance. Strong growth momentum continues to be driven by successful execution of growth strategy outlined at the beginning of FY 2018."

Pratik Pota, CEO and Whole-time Director, Jubilant FoodWorks Limited, said, "Despite significantly increased competitive intensity, Q2FY19 was yet another strong quarter delivered by our continued focus on the basics. Growth was driven by a strong and sustained momentum in Delivery Orders. In particular, our Digital focus showed good results with strong online sales growth, enabled by the new Domino’s App garnering strong user ratings and having a slew of innovative and user-friendly features. Dunkin’ Donuts too delivered healthy growth and is moving towards profitability."

A suburban house in New Zealand ordered a pizza from Dominos and then after sometime, they get a pizza delivered by drone.

Yes, you read that correct, one of Flirtey's DRU drones delivered the pizza to the family.

To avoid the charging of delivery boys everywhere, Dominos has introduced advanced technology in the pizza delivery service.

Don Meij, CEO and Managing Director of Domino's Group, said, "We invested in this partnership, and technology, because we believe drone delivery will be an essential component of our pizza deliveries, so even more customers can receive the freshest, hottest pizza we can offer."

He says the goal is to deliver pizza within 10 minutes.

Meji further added, "They can avoid traffic congestion and traffic lights, and safely reduce the delivery time and distance by traveling directly to customers' homes. This is the future. This will actually create jobs. As we expand, we will look to hire additional team members whose roles will be focused on drone order loading and fleet management."

Matt Sweeny, CEO, Flirtey, said, "The eyes of Silicon Valley and the world are on New Zealand, which has the most forward-thinking aviation regulations, and Flirtey and Domino’s are excited to be bringing world-leading technology, international investment, and high paying jobs to New Zealand. We have been 

Innovative Foods Ltd (IFL), which owns the Sumeru brand is planning to raise Rs 50-60 crore, according to a PTI report.

The group which is known for making frozen fries, sausages, paranthas and prawns will use the fund for brand development; retail expansion and technology upgrade to rapidly grow the frozen foods arm.

Innovative Foods which is owned by India Equity Partners (IEP) may also look for additional equity or raise the funding through another investor through a share sale, said a top official.

The brand supplies the frozen food to restaurant chains like Domino's, Dunkin Donuts, Cafe Coffee Day, McDonald's and Subway.

"The business plan is with IEP and it is being considered whether to bring in additional equity or to raise the money through another investor through a share sale," Kannan Sitaram, CEO, IFL and Operating Partner at IEP told PTI.

Sumeru is the third largest frozen foods brand in the country after McCain and Godrej Tyson Foods' Yummiez.