Domino’s ANZ leadership reset puts franchise profits first

Domino’s Pizza Enterprises group chief executive Andrew Gregory has taken direct responsibility for Australia and New Zealand following the departure of regional chief executive Merrill Pereyra. The change puts franchise partner profitability at the centre of a leadership reset, while the US brand owner is pressing the Australian-listed group for better results across its international markets.

Gregory takes charge of Australia and New Zealand

In an announcement reported on 12 October, Domino’s Pizza Enterprises said it and Pereyra had mutually agreed that he would leave the business. Pereyra had been appointed in January, making his tenure as head of the Australia and New Zealand operation less than a year.

Gregory will oversee the region immediately while the company searches for a replacement regional chief executive. The existing leadership team will support him during that period.

Gregory became group chief executive in August, having previously led McDonald’s in Australia and New Zealand. His additional regional responsibilities now place the local operation directly under the group’s senior leader.

“My focus will be to work directly with the leadership team and our franchisees to increase the pace of execution, build on that foundation and deliver sustainable profitability,” Gregory said.

For the Australian franchise community, the announcement is significant because the company has explicitly tied the leadership change to the performance of franchise partners, rather than presenting it solely as a management reshuffle.

A reset built around costs and franchise returns

Chairman and major shareholder Jack Cowin said the previous financial year had established a foundation for a business reset. That work included reducing costs, paying down debt, strengthening cash flow and improving franchise partner returns.

“The reset has established a stronger foundation for the business and remains on track,” Cowin said.

He described Australia and New Zealand as critical to the group’s success, saying the board supported Gregory taking direct responsibility to accelerate execution while maintaining a focus on sustainable, profitable growth for franchise partners.

The financial backdrop remains challenging. Domino’s Pizza Enterprises reported a loss of $134 million for the year to 28 June, while revenue fell 11.2 per cent to $2.05 billion.

The business has also been changing its approach to pricing. Since November 2025, Domino’s has been moving away from heavy discounting towards an everyday value proposition. That shift forms part of the context for the latest emphasis on order volumes and profitability.

US brand owner increases pressure

The local leadership change comes as the US-based Domino’s business has again highlighted pressure at Domino’s Pizza Enterprises, its largest franchisee. The Australian-listed group operates 3,500 stores across Australia, New Zealand, Japan and parts of Europe.

In its latest earnings update, the US company reported international same-store sales growth of 0.2 per cent, compared with 1.7 per cent a year earlier. US same-store sales growth was 0.3 per cent, down from 5.2 per cent.

Chief financial officer Sandeep Reddy said international comparable sales continued to be affected by Domino’s Pizza Enterprises. He told investors the US company now expected international same-store sales growth to be approximately flat for the year, citing continuing pressures at the Australian-listed group that were not expected to improve meaningfully until 2027.

US chief executive Joe Jordan said he remained confident that every market operated by Domino’s Pizza Enterprises could succeed. However, he also signalled that some markets could move to other operators if the group could not deliver the required results. His comments outlined a possibility, rather than an announced transfer of markets.

Order volumes remain central to the turnaround

Jordan said he and Reddy had recently met Gregory in France. Discussing the group’s trading approach, he said efforts to pull back promotions over the past couple of years had significantly affected order counts.

He described the renewed focus as driving profitability through higher volumes. That leaves the turnaround centred on both customer demand and franchise partner returns, alongside the cost and debt measures already outlined by the board.

Practical takeaway: Franchisees and prospective buyers should distinguish the group’s turnaround ambitions from demonstrated results. As Gregory assumes direct regional oversight, the key points to follow are progress on franchise profitability, the appointment of a new regional leader and any confirmed changes to the group’s overseas market responsibilities.