Domino’s shares plunge as customers shun price hikes

Domino’s shares plunge as customers shun price hikes

Stocks tumble to an all-time low of 25% following a drop in first-half results.

Domino’s woes reflect the pain that rising inflation is inflicting on consumers and businesses. (Domino’s pic)
SYDNEY:
Shares of Domino’s Pizza Enterprises Ltd plummeted the most on record in Sydney after the pizza chain operator said its first-half earnings fell as customers spurned price increases meant to offset inflationary pressures.

The stock tanked as much as 25% on Wednesday after the Australia-based company said price hikes have hurt customer counts, especially in Europe and Asia. A key measure of the firm’s earnings in the six months to December tumbled 21% from a year ago, according to a company statement.

Domino’s woes reflect the pain rising inflation is inflicting on both consumers and corporations. It’s the latest among a slew of Australian companies flagging inflation concerns during the country’s February earnings season.

BHP Group Ltd on Tuesday said mounting energy and labour costs damped its results, while Commonwealth Bank of Australia earlier this month noted that it has set aside more capital cushions as consumers feel the pinch from higher price pressures.

In response to the price increases, some Domino’s customers “reduced their ordering frequency which resulted in December trading being significantly below our expectations,” CEO Don Meij said in the statement.

After initially resisting passing on higher costs to consumers, the company eventually lifted prices. But “given the speed of the change, it was difficult to forecast the effect on customer repurchasing rates, especially where customers order less frequently such as Japan or Germany,” Meij added.

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