(Sharecast News) - Domino's Pizza posted a jump in third-quarter orders on Wednesday, underpinned by delivery orders.

Third-quarter total orders rose 3.5% to 17.4m. Domino's pointed to "significant" strengthening in delivery orders, which grew 6.6%, "driven by continued service improvements and providing even better value for customers".

Collection orders fell 1.5% but remained 14% ahead of 2019 levels.

Total system sales were up 3%, which it said was "a significant step" up from the first half increase of just 0.2%.

Domino's said positive trading momentum has continued into the fourth quarter, with total orders up 5.8% in the first five weeks.

Chief executive Andrew Rennie said: "We've got great momentum in the business which reflects the intense focus from all of us at Domino's and our brilliant franchise partners on driving growth in delivery orders, our biggest sales channel.

"Our franchise partners are giving outstanding customer service with average delivery times at just 24 minutes, a whole minute quicker than a year ago. We're also relentlessly focused on the best possible value, with offers like our Weeknight Steal and £4 lunch really resonating with customers.

"We're focused on growing our like-for-like sales in a sustainable way, primarily driven by order growth and not pricing, meaning lower ticket prices for customers and sustainable like-for-like sales growth driven by volume."