Domino's says key U.S. sales figure jumped nearly 10%

ANN ARBOR (AP) - Domino's said its sales jumped 9.7 percent at U.S. stores open at least a year in the second quarter, boosted by the convenience of its digital ordering options and loyalty program.

The increase marked the 21st straight quarter the figure has grown, the company said. Sales at stores open at least a year are considered a key metric because they strip out the volatility of newly opened and closed locations.

Domino's has been trying to take market share from other major chains and smaller players by making it as easy as possible to order its pizzas, whether that's online or through its app. Pizza Hut, which is owned by Yum Brands Inc. and has been trying to turn around slumping sales, has conceded that it needs to work on making its food more convenient to buy as well.

For the period ended June 19, Domino's profit rose to $49.3 million, or 98 cents per share. A year earlier the Ann Arbor, Michigan-based company earned $45.9 million, or 81 cents per share. Analysts surveyed by Zacks Investment Research expected 93 cents per share.

Total revenue climbed to $547.3 million from $488.6 million, topping the $529.2 million that Wall Street expected. The figure includes sales from new store openings.

The international unit reported a 7.1 percent rise in same-store sales.

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Elements of this story were generated by Automated Insights (http://automatedinsights.com/ap) using data from Zacks Investment Research. Access a Zacks stock report on DPZ at http://www.zacks.com/ap/DPZ.

Published: Tue, Jul 26, 2016