27th Apr 2006 07:00
Domino's Pizza UK & IRL PLC27 April 2006 For immediate release 27 April 2006 Domino's Pizza UK & IRL plc AGM STATEMENT AIM-listed Domino's Pizza UK & IRL plc (the "Company" or "Domino's"), the UK andIreland's leading pizza delivery company, will be holding its Annual GeneralMeeting at 1pm today. Stephen Hemsley, Chief Executive, will make the following statement: "I am pleased to report a strong start to the year with system sales in thefirst 16 weeks to 23 April 2006 ahead 18.9% (2005: 19.4%) to £70.0m (2005:£58.9m). In the same 16 weeks, like-for-like sales in the 357 mature stores(2005: 317 stores) were up 8.8% (2005: 7.9%). This growth was driven bysuccessful marketing campaigns which were supported by additional contributionsfrom our franchisees to the National Advertising Fund. "Whilst we are encouraged by the good start to 2006 and look forward to thepositive impact from this year's World Cup, we are also mindful of the highsales levels reached in previous years during the second half of the year. As aresult, we anticipate that like-for-like sales growth in the second half will bemore modest than the increases achieved year-to-date. "A total of 12 new stores were opened in the period (2005: 13) which keeps us ontrack to reach our target of 50 store openings this year. We remain confidentthat expectations for the year will be fully met. "As of today, there are 419 Domino's Pizza stores open and trading in the UK andIreland and the market continues to offer strong growth opportunities with thepotential for up to 1,000 in these territories. We will continue to focusexclusively on developing the Domino's Pizza brand in these markets." ENDS For further information, please contact:Domino's Pizza UK & IRL plcStephen Hemsley 0044 1908 580604Lee Ginsberg, Finance Director 00 44 1908 580611Bernadette Ahmed, PR Controller 00 44 1908 580693/ 00 44 7909 928016Hogarth Partnership LimitedChris Matthews 020 7357 9477Andrew JaquesAnthony Arthur Notes to Editors:Domino's Pizza UK & IRL plc is the parent company of Domino's Pizza Group Ltd('DPG') which holds the exclusive master franchise to own, operate and franchiseDomino's Pizza stores in the UK and Ireland. DPG is the leading player in the UKand Ireland's fast-growing pizza delivery market. The first UK store opened in1985 and the first Irish store opened in 1991. There are 419 stores in the UK and Ireland. Of these, 339 stores are in England,30 are in Scotland, 13 are in Wales, 11 are in Northern Ireland and 26 are inthe Republic of Ireland. Founded in 1960, Domino's Pizza is the recognised world leader in pizzadelivery. Through its primarily franchised system, Domino's Pizza operates aglobal network of more than 8,000 stores in more than 50 countries. For photography visit www.dominos.uk.com/media or contact The HogarthPartnership Limited on 020 7357 9477. High resolution images are also availablefor the media to review and download free of charge from www.vismedia.co.uk This information is provided by RNS The company news service from the London Stock ExchangeRelated Shares:
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