Domino's Pizza says it intends to hire more than 8,000 drivers in the UK and Ireland in the run-up to Christmas. The fast-food chain has already recruited thousands of workers in the past year or so to keep up with demand. Domino's said it offered good long-term prospects, as more than 90% of store managers had started in the kitchen or as delivery drivers. It also stressed that most of the jobs on offer were permanent and not just for Christmas. Domino's operations director Nicola Frampton said 2021 had been a busy year for the firm so far, but the busiest period was "just around the corner". At the same time, Domino's said sales in the 13 weeks to 26 September were up 8.8% on a like-for-like basis to £375.8m. Orders collected from stores rose 40.3% and are now at 82% of pre-pandemic levels. The chain said it was still on target to open 30 new stores this year, having opened five in the latest trading period. The company said it sold seven pizzas each second over the 13 weeks, with online orders peaking at 13 a second on 3 July during England's match against Ukraine in the Euro 2020 football tournament. But it also warned that supply chain problems and rising staff wages were starting to have an effect.
