Domino's Pizza (NYSE:DPZ) Group PLC was one of the beneficiaries of England’s good streak in the Euros, though the outlook remains uncertain as consumers return to pre-pandemic habits.
The football lifted trading in the past few weeks, with the England vs Scotland match being the best day for sales since the start of 2021.
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The collection business, which remained subdued during the pandemic, is expected to benefit from the lifting of all restrictions, although that will in turn impact the delivery arm as more hospitality venues resume operations.
In the 26 weeks ended 27 June, system sales climbed 30% to £752mln, with underlying profit before tax up 28% to £60mln. Net debt was cut by 12% to £177mln.
Total orders returned to a positive trend, up 3% in the first half, driven by collection orders up 27%.
The fast food chain added £35mln to the existing £45mln share buyback programme and will pay an interim dividend of 3p per share next month.
The FTSE-250 group has sold its Swedish and Icelandic businesses, so the only one left to sell off is the Swiss subsidiary.
Shares rose 3% to 433.6p on Tuesday morning.