Domino’s has revealed it delivered 45,000 extra orders during one of England’s late-stage World Cup matches, while it also beat the heatwaves as people turned to takeaways over barbecues.

The additional pizza orders on the England vs DR Congo matchday on July 1 were compared with the same day last year.

Domino’s chief executive Nicola Frampton said it was one of the biggest sales days for the business which chose to “staff up” in anticipation of a surge of orders.

“We are principally a group occasion-type food,” she told the Press Association.

“Our consumers typically buy from us 4.5 times a year, so we’re not part of the weekly diet.

“I think people are still willing to spend on treats, and that really is what Domino’s is, it’s a treat.”

She suggested this trend means the business may be more cushioned from the impact of consumers spending more cautiously or tightening budgets against rising living costs.

This was reflected in Domino’s latest financial results with sales totalling £825 million for the first half of the year, up 6.1% compared like-for-like with the same period last year.

The number of orders across the 1,400-strong chain of shops increased by 1.6% year-on-year.

Ms Frampton said sales growth was driven by its core pizza offering, including the recent launch of its new Italiano’s range of thinner-crust bases and more premium toppings.

She said its chicken sub-brand Chick ‘N’ Dip, launched in February, was helping attract new customers and increasing the size and price of people’s orders.

“It’s not cannibalising our pizza sales, if anything it’s actually complementary,” she told PA.

“So we’re seeing a higher percentage of those orders have a pizza or two attached to them – so chicken is the first purchase but customers are adding a pizza to it.”

Ms Frampton said the heatwaves in June and July meant more people were likely to avoid cooking and even abandon barbecues during sweltering temperatures.

This led to increased demand for takeaways, suggesting there was a “benefit rather than pressure from the heatwaves” for the chain.

Domino’s said a strategic priority for the businesses was to focus on “more customers, more orders, and more efficiency”.

Its pre-tax profit was relatively flat at £40.6 million for the first half.