Fast food chain Domino’s Pizza has specifically pointed to IT investment as one of the key factors behind the firm's 15 per cent sales growth to more than £55m.

The delivery company says the introduction of real-time technology and online ordering has been responsible for strong performance in the first half of the year.

Profits are also up by almost 36 per cent to £8.4m and the firm wants to increase the use of technology at franchises to further boost sales. It is launching a national incentive to get all outlets to upgrade their technology by 2010 to improve delivery time.

Real-time technology, which allows the chain to measure the time it takes to make pizzas, has allowed stores to improve the time it takes to cook the pizzas and get them out to customers more quickly, the firm says.

E-commerce continues to be Domino’s fastest growing sales channel, up more than 60 per cent in June and 42 per cent for the half-year to £13.6m.

Online sales now account for more than 14 per cent of all delivered pizza sales in the UK, says the firm.

Online ordering continues to generate higher sales per order than in store.

‘I am very pleased with the excellent first half, which has further strengthened our market leadership not only in terms of sales but also by pioneering innovations that are leading the way in the home delivery food industry,’ said Domino’s chief executive Stephen Hemsley.