PIZZA delivery chain Domino's served up record profits yesterday, but said a shortage of new franchisees had prevented it hitting its annual store opening target.

The group, which runs 357 stores in the UK and Ireland on a franchise basis, said pre-tax profits leapt by more than a third to £8.8m in the 53 weeks to January 2. It said its strategy of opening more stores to boost turnover was paying off, with total sales last year rising by £32m to £174.3m after it launched 40 extra outlets.

However, Domino's said it had failed to hit its target of matching the 50 stores opened in 2003 due to planning problems and a lack of suitable franchisees.

Chief executive Stephen Hemsley said the company had since managed to find the right people to open most of the extra ten sites. He said trading in the first six weeks of the current year had been good, with like-for-like sales up 6.6 per cent.

''We have made a promising start to 2005 and therefore look forward to the year with confidence,'' he said.

Domino's, founded in the US in 1960, claims to be the world leader in pizza delivery, with more than 7,000 stores in more than 50 countries. Its first UK franchise store opened in 1985.