Domino’s Pizza is finding that even a successful growth recipe can lose some of its heat.
The London-listed takeaway group reported slower sales growth in the latest quarter, as momentum from new product launches and an earlier-year boost linked to the World Cup failed to prevent cooling customer demand.
Like-for-like sales — a key measure that strips out the impact of newly opened stores — rose by 2.3 per cent in the three months to September 30, down sharply from 5.2 per cent in the previous quarter.
Order numbers reflected the slowdown. Like-for-like orders increased by just 1.4 per cent, compared with 2.2 per cent in the preceding three months.
Investors responded cautiously, sending Domino’s shares down 4.5 per cent on Wednesday morning.
The figures nevertheless mark an improvement on a difficult 2025, when weaker orders weighed on the business. Like-for-like sales have risen by 4 per cent over the first nine months of 2026, while total quarterly sales grew by 3.5 per cent, helped by new store openings.
Chief executive Nicola Frampton described the performance as “strong”, pointing to the group’s efforts to attract customers through product innovation and its established delivery model.
“Our strong performance year-to-date reflects our organic growth strategy and we have been rewarded by our focus on the core Domino’s business model,” she said.
The company has sought to broaden its appeal beyond traditional pizza offerings. Its Italianos range of thinner pizzas has generated strong sales since launching earlier this year, while Chick ‘N’ Dip, its fried chicken brand introduced last year, is designed to capture younger consumers’ appetite for chicken.
The strategy reflects a broader challenge for restaurant operators: finding new ways to stimulate demand without undermining profitability in a market where customers remain sensitive to prices and household budgets.
Frampton credited the launches, the brand and the company’s franchise partners and supply chain with helping Domino’s attract customers “more often whilst achieving more for less”.
Management said trading remained in line with market expectations and reiterated its confidence in meeting full-year earnings guidance.
But the deceleration in sales and orders suggests that maintaining growth may become harder as the initial excitement around new products fades.
“Whilst there is a lot of work still to be done,” Frampton acknowledged, the group remained confident about the full year and said it was laying the foundations for growth in 2027 and beyond.
For Domino’s, the next test is whether innovation can turn a recovery into sustained momentum — before a cooling appetite for takeaway puts further pressure on its growth ambitions.
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