Domino’s experienced a significant surge in demand during one of England’s late-stage World Cup matches, delivering an additional 45,000 orders.

The pizza chain also saw a boost in sales during recent heatwaves, as consumers opted for takeaways over barbecues.

The substantial increase in pizza orders was recorded on July 1, coinciding with an England match against DR Congo, and was measured against the same day in the previous year.

Nicola Frampton, Domino’s chief executive, highlighted the day as one of the company’s busiest, confirming they had "staffed up" in anticipation of the heightened demand.

Speaking to the Press Association, Ms Frampton said: "We are principally a group occasion-type food."

She added, "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 per cent 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 added

“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.