Domino’s eyes bigger slice of Indian pizza market in small towns

Domino’s will allocate in smaller towns one-third of the 250 stores it plans to establish in the next 18 months in India, with pizza consumption increasing rapidly in the hinterlands.

According to Sameer Khetarpal, CEO and MD of Jubilant FoodWorks Ltd, the master franchise for Domino’s in India, new stores are being planned in tier-3 and tier-4 locations like Latur or Chengalpattu before the competition comes in.

In smaller Indian towns, dine-in is heavier while in bigger cities, Domino's customers order more over the app or through aggregators.

From January to November 2022, Domino’s received numerousorders for pizzas from many smaller cities, the Indian food delivery app, Swiggy, reported.

Pizzas were among the top five dishes ordered on Swiggy in cities like Surat, Lucknow, Raipur, and Mangaluru. Cities like Ahmedabad and Surat ordered over 1,30,766 and 61,122 pizzas, respectively, said a Swiggy spokesperson.

The Indian pizza market, dominated by American brands such as Domino’s, Pizza Hut, and Papa John's, is valued at nearly $2 billion.