Strong Turkey performance prompts DP Eurasia to up growth forecasts
A branch of Domino's Pizza, run by DP Eurasia, is seen in the capital Ankara, Turkey, Aug. 6, 2018. (Shutterstock Photo)


DP Eurasia, which runs the Domino’s Pizza brand in Turkey and Russia, hiked its full-year guidance on Tuesday as it expects strong demand to continue.

"The strong like-for-like performance achieved in Turkey in the first half of the year and the expectation of continued buoyant trading enables raised guidance for full-year like-for-like growth rates in Turkey," it said in a statement.

It now expects like-for-like growth in Turkey, its biggest market, at 35-40% compared to 21-25% previously, while adjusted EBITDA (earnings before interest tax, depreciation and amortization) is now likely to be slightly ahead of the market's current expectations.

The company's shares, which have risen 99% so far this year, jumped 6% to a two-year high.

Its first-half adjusted EBITDA rose 129.7% to TL 98 million ($11.83 million).

DP Eurasia said it saw unprecedented demand in Turkey, with like-for-like sales growing 65% in the first half, driven mainly by delivery and tailwinds from a temporary reduction in the value-added tax (VAT) rate to 1% from 8%.

The growth was boosted amid the COVID-19-inspired shift to home deliveries. All restrictions on dine-in and curfews were lifted in Turkey at the beginning of July.

"Our Turkish business continues to expand in record-breaking fashion despite the challenging inflationary environment that we have been experiencing," DP Eurasia said.

Turkey’s annual inflation quickened to 19.25% in August, its highest level in more than two years, driven by a nearly 30% increase in food prices.

DP Eurasia’s Russian business returned to profit in the first half with an adjusted EBITDA of TL 12.9 million compared with a loss of TL 3 million a year before.

DP Eurasia said the Russian business continues to show encouraging signs of improvement and added that both markets were operating without restrictions.