Item 1. Business.

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Overview

Domino’s is the largest pizza company in the world based on global retail sales, with more than 17,000 locations in over 90 markets around the world as of December 29, 2019. Founded in 1960, our roots are in convenient pizza delivery, while a significant amount of our sales also come from carryout customers. Although we are a highly-recognized global brand, we focus on serving neighborhoods locally through our large global network of franchise owners and U.S. Company-owned stores. The Company is primarily a franchisor, with approximately 98% of Domino’s stores currently owned and operated by independent franchisees. Franchising enables an individual to be his or her own employer and maintain control over all employment-related matters and pricing decisions, while also benefiting from the strength of the Domino’s global brand, operating system and financial resources.

The Domino’s business model is straightforward: Domino’s stores handcraft and serve quality food at a competitive price, with easy ordering access and efficient service, enhanced by our technological innovations. Our hand-tossed dough is made fresh and distributed to stores around the world by us and our franchisees.

Domino’s generates revenues and earnings by charging royalties and fees to our franchisees. Royalties are ongoing

percent-of-sales

fees for use of the Domino’s

®

brand marks. The Company also generates revenues and earnings by selling food, equipment and supplies to franchisees through our supply chain operations, primarily in the U.S. and Canada, and by operating a number of our own stores. Franchisees profit by selling pizza and other complementary items to their local customers. In our international markets, we generally grant geographical rights to the Domino’s Pizza

®

brand to master franchisees. These master franchisees are charged with developing their geographical area, and they may profit by

sub-franchising

and selling food and equipment to those

sub-franchisees,

as well as by running pizza stores. We believe that everyone in the system can benefit, including the end consumer, who can purchase Domino’s menu items for themselves and their family conveniently and economically.

The Domino’s business model can yield strong returns for our franchise owners and Company-owned stores. It can also yield significant cash flows to us, through a consistent franchise royalty payment and supply chain revenue stream, with moderate capital expenditures. We have historically returned cash to shareholders through dividend payments and share repurchases.

Our History

We pioneered the pizza delivery business and built Domino’s into one of the most widely-recognized consumer brands in the world. We have been delivering quality, affordable food to our customers since 1960, when brothers Thomas and James Monaghan borrowed $900 to purchase a small pizza store in Ypsilanti, Michigan. Thomas purchased his brother’s share of the business shortly thereafter. Concentrating first on building stores near college campuses and military bases in the 1960s and 1970s, the brand grew quickly in the 1980s in urban markets and near residential communities. We became “Domino’s Pizza” in 1965 and opened our first franchised store in 1967. The first international stores opened in 1983, in Canada and Australia. Monaghan sold 93% of his economic stake in the Company in 1998 to Bain Capital, LLC, and then later sold and transferred his remaining stake in the Company in 2004, when we completed our initial public offering.

Since 1998, the Company has been structured with a leveraged balance sheet and has completed a number of recapitalization transactions. The Company’s most recent recapitalization transaction in 2019 (the “2019 Recapitalization”) primarily consisted of the issuance of $675.0 million of fixed rate notes. As of December 29, 2019, the Company had $4.11 billion in total debt, which included debt from its 2019 Recapitalization and its previous recapitalization transactions in 2018, 2017 and 2015 (the “2018 Recapitalization,” “2017 Recapitalization” and the “2015 Recapitalization,” respectively, and together with the 2019 Recapitalization, the “2019, 2018, 2017 and 2015 Recapitalizations”). Excess proceeds from our 2019, 2018, 2017 and 2015 Recapitalizations were used primarily to repurchase shares of our common stock.

We

re-launched

our brand in the U.S. in late 2009 by introducing a new recipe for our core pizza product. Since 2008, the majority of our menu has changed, either through the improvement of existing products or the introduction of new products, such as our Handmade Pan Pizza and Specialty Chicken. During this timeframe, we also began expanding our focus on technology through our development of innovative ordering platforms, including those developed for Google Home, Facebook Messenger, Apple Watch, Amazon Echo and Twitter, as well as other technological advancements, such as the launch of our Piece of the Pie Rewards

®

loyalty program in 2015 and the launch of Domino’s Delivery HotSpots

®

in 2018. Globally, we opened our 10,000

th

store in 2012 and our 17,000

th

store in 2019. In 2012, we announced a plan requiring all stores to adopt our new

carry-out

friendly “Pizza Theater” store design, which is more inviting to customers and allows them to see their orders being made fresh in front of them. The majority of our U.S. and international stores have completed these remodels as of the end of 2019.

Our Industry

The U.S. QSR pizza category is large and fragmented. From 2014 through 2019, the U.S. QSR pizza category has grown from $34.8 billion to $37.8 billion. It is the second-largest category within the $279 billion U.S. QSR sector. The U.S. QSR pizza category is primarily comprised of delivery,

dine-in

and carryout, with carryout and delivery comprising the two largest segments.

In the U.S., we compete primarily in the delivery and carryout segments of the pizza industry, and we are the dollar market share leader for delivery and second-largest dollar market share leader for carryout. Delivery segment dollars of $11.0 billion in 2019 (up from $10.2 billion in 2014) account for approximately 29% of total U.S. QSR pizza. The four industry leaders, including Domino’s, account for over 61% of U.S. pizza delivery, based on reported consumer spending, with the remaining dollars going to regional chains and independent establishments. From 2014 to 2019, the carryout segment grew from $16.9 billion to $18.8 billion. The four industry leaders, including Domino’s, account for approximately 51% of the carryout segment. (Source: The NPD Group/CREST

®

, year ending November 2019).

In contrast to the U.S., international pizza delivery is relatively underdeveloped, with only Domino’s and two other competitors having a significant global presence. We believe that demand for pizza and pizza delivery is large and growing throughout the world, driven by international consumers’ increasing emphasis on convenience, and our proven success of more than 35 years of conducting business abroad.

Our Competition

The global pizza delivery and carryout segments, as well as the broader QSR sector, are highly competitive. In the U.S., we compete against regional and local companies as well as national chains Pizza Hut

®

, Papa John’s

®

and Little Caesars Pizza

®

. Internationally, we compete primarily with Pizza Hut

®

, Papa John’s

®

and country-specific national and local pizzerias. We generally compete on the basis of product quality, location, image, service, technology, convenience and price. Our business and those of our competitors can be affected by changes in consumer tastes, economic conditions, demographic trends and consumers’ disposable income. We also compete with other food, food delivery and order and delivery aggregation companies. We compete not only for customers, but also for employees, drivers, suitable real estate sites and qualified franchisees.

Our Customers

The Company’s business is not dependent upon a single retail customer or small group of customers, including franchisees. No customer accounted for more than 10% of total consolidated revenues in 2019, 2018 or 2017. As of December 29, 2019, our largest franchisee based on store count, Domino’s Pizza Enterprises (DMP: ASX), operates 2,604 stores in nine international markets, and accounts for 15% of our total store count. Revenues from this master franchisee accounted for 1.4% of our consolidated revenues in 2019. Our international business unit only requires a modest amount of general and administrative expenses to support its markets and does not have a cost of sales component. Therefore, the vast majority of these royalty revenues result in profits to us.

Our Menu

We offer a menu designed to present an attractive, quality offering to customers, while keeping it simple enough to minimize order errors and expedite order-taking and food preparation. Our basic menu features pizza products with varying sizes and crust types. Our typical store also offers oven-baked sandwiches, pasta, boneless chicken and chicken wings, bread side items, desserts and soft drink products. International markets vary toppings by country and culture, such as a squid topping in Japan or spicy cheese in India, and often feature regional specialty items, such as a banana and cinnamon dessert pizza in Brazil.

Store Image and Operations

We have been focused primarily on pizza delivery for nearly 60 years, and we also place focus on carryout as a significant component of our business. In 2012, we introduced our carryout-friendly Pizza Theater store design; the majority of our U.S. and international stores have converted to this design as of the end of 2019. Many stores offer casual seating and enable customers to watch the preparation of their orders, but do not offer a full-service

dine-in

experience. As a result, our stores generally do not require expensive restaurant facilities and staffing.

Our Business Segments

We operate, and report, three business segments: U.S. stores, international franchise and supply chain.

U.S. Stores

Our U.S. stores segment consists primarily of our franchise operations, which consist of 5,784 franchised stores located in the United States. We also operate a network of 342 U.S. Company-owned stores.

During 2019, our U.S. stores segment accounted for $1.27 billion, or 35% of our consolidated revenues. Directly operating Domino’s stores contributes significantly to our ability to act as a credible franchisor. We also use our Company-owned stores as test sites for technological innovation and promotions as well as operational improvements. We also use them for training new store managers and operations team members, as well as developing prospective franchisees. While we are primarily a franchised business, we continuously evaluate our mix of U.S. Company-owned and franchise stores. As of December 29, 2019, franchised stores represented 94% of our total store count within our U.S. stores segment.

U.S. Franchise Profile

As of December 29, 2019, our network of 5,784 U.S. franchise stores was owned and operated by 777 independent U.S. franchisees. Our franchise formula enables franchisees to benefit from our brand recognition with a relatively low initial capital investment. As of December 29, 2019, the average U.S. franchisee owned and operated approximately seven stores and had been in our franchise system for over 18 years. Additionally, 20 of our U.S. franchisees operated more than 50 stores (including our largest U.S. franchisee who operated 176 stores) and 240 of our U.S. franchisees each operated one store.

We apply rigorous standards to prospective U.S. franchisees. We generally require them to manage a store for at least one year and graduate from our franchise management school program before being granted a franchise. This enables us to observe the operational and financial performance of a potential franchisee prior to entering into a long-term agreement. Substantially all of our 777 independent U.S. franchise owners started their careers with us as delivery drivers or in other

in-store

positions, which we believe offers advantages in terms of familiarity with our business and store operations. In addition, we generally restrict the ability of U.S. franchisees to be involved in other businesses, which we believe helps focus our franchisees’ attention on operating their stores. We believe these characteristics and standards are largely unique within the franchise industry and have resulted in qualified and focused franchisees operating Domino’s stores. We maintain a productive relationship with our independent franchise owners through regional franchise teams, distributing materials that help franchise stores comply with our standards and using franchise advisory groups that facilitate communications between us and our franchisees. We consider our relationship with our U.S. franchisees to be good.

U.S. Franchise Agreements

We enter into franchise agreements with U.S. franchisees under which the franchisee is generally granted the right to operate a store in a particular location for a term of ten years, with an ability to renew for an additional term of ten years. We have a franchise agreement renewal rate of approximately 99%. Under the current standard franchise agreement, we assign an exclusive area of primary responsibility to each franchised store. Each franchisee is generally required to pay a 5.5% royalty fee on sales as well as certain technology fees. In certain instances, we will collect lower rates based on certain incentives.

Our stores in the contiguous United States currently contribute 6% of their sales to fund national marketing and advertising campaigns (subject, in certain instances, to lower rates based on certain incentives and waivers). These funds are administered by Domino’s National Advertising Fund Inc. (“DNAF”), our consolidated

not-for-profit

advertising subsidiary. The funds are primarily used to purchase media for advertising, and also to support market research, field communications, public relations, commercial production, talent payments and other activities to promote the Domino’s brand. In addition to the national and market-level advertising contributions, U.S. stores generally spend additional funds on local store marketing activities.

We have the contractual right, subject to state law, to terminate a franchise agreement for a variety of reasons, including, but not limited to, a franchisee’s failure to adhere to the Company’s franchise agreement, failure to make required payments, or failure to adhere to specified Company policies and standards.

International Franchise

Our international franchise segment is comprised of a network of franchised stores in more than 90 international markets. At December 29, 2019, we had 10,894 international franchise stores. During 2019, this segment accounted for $241.0 million, or 7% of our consolidated revenues. The principal sources of revenues from those operations are royalty payments generated by retail sales from franchised stores.

Our international franchisees employ our basic standard operating model and adapt it to satisfy the local eating habits and consumer preferences of various regions outside the U.S. Currently, the vast majority of our international stores operate under master franchise agreements.

We believe Domino’s appeals to potential international franchisees because of our recognized brand name and technological leadership, the moderate capital expenditures required to open and operate our stores and our system’s desirable store profitability. Stores in eight of our top ten international markets in terms of store count are operated by master franchise companies that are publicly traded on stock exchanges as noted in the below table. The following table shows our store count as of December 29, 2019 in our top ten international markets, which accounted for approximately 63% of our international stores as of that date.

Market		Number of stores
India (JUBLFOOD: NS)			1,312
United Kingdom (DOM: L)			1,126
Mexico (ALSEA: MX)			801
Australia (DMP: ASX)			698
Japan (DMP: ASX)			642
Turkey (DPEU: L)			550
Canada			520
South Korea			462
France (DMP: ASX)			404
Germany (DMP: ASX)			325

International Franchisee Profile

The vast majority of our markets outside of the U.S. are operated by master franchisees with franchise and distribution rights for entire regions or countries. In a few select markets, we franchise directly to individual store operators. Prospective master franchisees are required to possess local market knowledge to establish and develop Domino’s stores, with the ability to identify and access targeted real estate sites, as well as expertise in local laws, customs, culture and consumer behavior. We also seek candidates that have access to sufficient capital to meet growth and development plans. We consider our relationship with our international franchisees to be good.

Master Franchise Agreements

Our master franchise agreements generally grant the franchisee exclusive rights to develop and

sub-franchise

stores and the right to operate supply chain centers in particular geographic areas. Agreements are generally for a term of ten years, with options to renew for additional terms. The agreements typically contain growth clauses requiring franchisees to open a minimum number of stores within a specified period. The master franchisee is generally required to pay an initial,

one-time

franchise fee as well as an additional franchise fee upon the opening of each new store. The master franchisee is also required to pay a continuing royalty fee as a percentage of sales, which varies among international markets, and averaged approximately 3.0% in 2019.

Supply Chain

Our supply chain segment operates 19 regional dough manufacturing and food supply chain centers in the U.S., one thin crust manufacturing center, one vegetable processing center and one center providing equipment and supplies to our U.S. and certain international stores. We plan to continue investing in additional supply chain centers and capacity initiatives in the future, including two additional regional dough manufacturing and food supply chain centers that are expected to open in fiscal 2020. We also operate five dough manufacturing and food supply chain centers in Canada. Our supply chain segment leases a fleet of more than 800 tractors and trailers. During 2019, our supply chain segment accounted for $2.10 billion, or 58% of our consolidated revenues.

Our centers produce fresh dough and purchase, receive, store and deliver quality food and other complementary items to substantially all of our U.S. stores and most of our Canadian franchised stores. We regularly supply over 6,600 stores with various food and supplies.

We believe our franchisees voluntarily choose to obtain food, supplies and equipment from us because we offer the most efficient, convenient and cost-effective alternative, while also offering both quality and consistency. Our supply chain segment offers profit-sharing arrangements to franchisees who purchase all of their food for their stores from our centers. These profit-sharing arrangements generally offer participating franchisees and Company-owned stores with 50% (or a higher percentage in the case of Company-owned stores and certain franchisees who operate a larger number of stores) of their regional supply chain center’s

pre-tax

profits. We believe these arrangements strengthen our ties to and provide aligned benefits with franchisees.

Third-Party Suppliers

Over half of our annual food spend is with suppliers with whom we maintain long-standing partnerships. Our supply partners are required to meet strict quality standards to ensure food safety. We review and evaluate these partners’ quality assurance programs through (among other actions)

on-site

visits, third-party audits and product evaluations designed to ensure compliance with our standards. We believe the length and quality of our relationships with third-party suppliers provides us with priority service and quality products at competitive prices.

Cheese is our largest food cost. The price we charge to our U.S. franchisees for cheese is formula-based, with the Chicago Mercantile Exchange cheddar block price as the primary component, plus a supply chain markup. As cheese prices fluctuate, our revenues and margin percentages in our supply chain segment also fluctuate; however, actual supply chain dollar margins remain unchanged. We currently purchase our U.S. pizza cheese from a single supplier. Under our September 2017 agreement, our U.S. supplier agreed to provide an uninterrupted supply of cheese and the Company agreed to a seven-year pricing schedule to purchase all of its U.S. pizza cheese from this supplier. While we expect to meet the terms of this agreement, if we do not, we will be required to repay the certain negotiated cost savings as provided in the agreement. The majority of our meat toppings in the U.S. come from a single supplier under a contract that expires in June 2022. We have the right to terminate these arrangements for quality failures and for certain uncured breaches.

We have entered into a multi-year agreement with Coca-Cola

®

for the U.S. This contract, renegotiated in June 2019, provides for Coca-Cola to continue to be our exclusive beverage supplier and expires on December 31, 2023 or at such time as a minimum number of cases of Coca-Cola products are purchased by Domino’s, whichever occurs later.

We believe alternative third-party suppliers are available for all of these referenced products. While we may incur additional costs if we are required to replace any of our supply partners, we do not believe such additional costs would have a material adverse effect on our business. We continually evaluate each supply category to determine the optimal sourcing strategy.

We have not experienced any significant shortages of supplies or delays in receiving our inventories or products. Prices charged to us by our supply partners are subject to fluctuation, and we have historically been able to pass increased costs and savings on to stores. We periodically enter into supplier contracts to manage the risk from changes in commodity prices. We do not engage in speculative transactions, nor do we hold or issue financial instruments for trading purposes.

Our Strengths

Strong Brand Equity

We are the largest pizza company in the world based on global retail sales. We believe our Domino’s brand is one of the most widely-recognized consumer brands in the world. We are the recognized world leader in pizza delivery and have a significant business in carryout. We believe consumers associate our brand with the timely delivery of quality, affordable food and technological innovation.

Over the past five years, our U.S. franchise and Company-owned stores have invested an estimated $2.1 billion in national,

co-operative

and local advertising. Our international franchisees also invest significant amounts in advertising efforts in their markets. We continue to reinforce our brand with extensive advertising through various media channels. We have also enhanced the strength of our brand through marketing affiliations with brands such as Coca-Cola.

We are the number one pizza delivery company in the U.S. with a 35% share of pizza delivery based on consumer spending data for the year ending November 2019. For the same period, we are also the number two pizza carryout company in the U.S. with a 16% share of carryout pizza (Source: The NPD Group/CREST

®

, year ending November 2019). With 6,126 stores located in the U.S., our store delivery areas cover a majority of U.S. households. Our share position and scale allow us to leverage our purchasing power, supply chain strength and marketing investments. We believe our scale and market coverage allow us to effectively serve our customers’ demands for convenience and timely delivery. Outside the U.S., we have significant market share positions in many of the markets in which we compete.

Strong and Proven Business Model

Our business model generates U.S. and international franchise royalties and fees, supply chain revenue and retail sales at Company-owned stores. We have developed this model over our many years of operation, and it is anchored by strong store-level economics, which provide an entrepreneurial incentive for our franchisees and historically has generated demand for new stores. Over the past ten years, average U.S. store profitability in the Domino’s system has increased meaningfully, resulting in higher profitability for our franchise owners. Our franchise system, in turn, has produced strong and consistent earnings for us through royalty payments and through supply chain revenues.

We developed a cost-efficient store model, characterized by a delivery- and carryout-oriented store design, with moderate capital requirements and a menu of quality, affordable items. At the store level, we believe the simplicity and efficiency of our operations give us significant advantages over our competitors, who, in many cases, also focus on

dine-in

or have broader menu offerings. At the supply chain level, we believe we provide quality, good value and consistency for our franchise customers while also driving profits for us, which we share with our franchisees under the profit-sharing arrangements described above.

Our menu simplifies and streamlines production and delivery processes and maximizes economies of scale on purchases of our principal food items. In addition, our stores are generally smaller and less expensive to build, furnish and maintain as compared to many other restaurant concepts. New stores built in our Pizza Theater design are often slightly larger than stores we have built in the past to create a better experience for our carryout customers; however, they are still generally smaller and less expensive to build, furnish and maintain than many other restaurant concepts. The combination of this efficient store model and strong sales volume has resulted in strong store-level economics and, we believe, makes Domino’s an attractive business opportunity for existing and prospective franchisees around the world. We and our franchisees are continuing to focus on growing our global store count. In recent years, we have focused specifically on increasing our presence in our existing markets to provide better service to our customers, including shrinking our delivery areas to provide better delivery service and adding locations that are closer to our carryout customers. We call this approach our fortressing strategy.

We believe our store financial returns have led to a strong, well-diversified franchise system. This established franchise system has produced strong cash flows and earnings for us, enabling us to invest in the Domino’s brand, stores, technology and supply chain centers, pay dividends, repurchase and retire shares of our common stock and service our debt obligations.

Technological Innovation

Technological innovation is vital to our brand and our long-term success. Digital ordering is critical to competing in the global pizza industry. In 2019, more than half of all global retail sales were derived from digital channels, primarily through our online ordering website and mobile applications. We believe we are among the largest

e-commerce

retailers in terms of annual transactions. After launching digital ordering and the Domino’s Tracker

®

in the U.S. in 2008, we made the strategic decision in 2010 to develop our own online ordering platform and to manage this important and growing area of our business internally. Over the next five years, we launched mobile applications that cover the majority of the smartphones and tablets on the U.S. market. In 2013, we launched an enhanced online ordering profiles platform, allowing customers the ability to reorder their favorite order in as few as five clicks, or 30 seconds. In 2014, we introduced “Dom,” a voice ordering application, which we believe was the first in the restaurant industry, and we also made the Domino’s Tracker available on our ordering platforms. In 2015, we introduced several innovative ordering platforms including Samsung Smart TV

®

, Twitter, and text message using a pizza emoji. We continued this trend of innovation in 2016 with the introduction of

zero-click

ordering as well as adding Google Home, Facebook Messenger, Apple Watch, and Amazon Echo to our ordering platforms. In April 2018, we launched Domino’s Delivery HotSpots, featuring over 200,000

non-traditional

delivery locations including parks, beaches, local landmarks and other unique gathering spots. In late 2017, we began an industry-first test of self-driving vehicle delivery, and in June 2019, we announced a partnership with Nuro, furthering our exploration and testing of autonomous pizza delivery. In 2019, we also opened our innovation garage, which is a 33,000 square-foot building on the campus of our corporate headquarters that includes collaboration workspaces and a fully functioning pizza theater to develop and test new technology in a store setting. We also launched our GPS delivery tracking technology in 2019, which allows customers to track the progress of their pizza delivery through Domino’s ordering platforms.

The Company’s Piece of the Pie Rewards loyalty program, launched in 2015, is meant to reward customers with a program that is simple to understand and easy to use. Upon signing up for the program, customers become rewards members and can earn points for online orders. When rewards members reach a certain amount of points, they can redeem their points for free pizza. Rewards members may also receive exclusive members-only discounts and bonus offers. We may also occasionally provide additional opportunities for participating customers to benefit under the Piece of the Pie Rewards program.

All of this improved functionality has been developed to work seamlessly with our Domino’s PULSE

™

point-of-sale

system. Our Domino’s PULSE system is designed to drive operating efficiencies for our franchisees and our corporate management and assist franchisees in independently managing their business. As of December 29, 2019, Domino’s PULSE is being used in every Company-owned store in the U.S., in more than 99% of our U.S. franchised stores and in approximately 76% of our international stores.

We believe utilizing Domino’s PULSE with our integrated technology solutions throughout our system provides us with competitive advantages over other concepts.

We intend to continue to enhance and grow our online ordering, digital marketing and technological capabilities.

Product Innovation

In late 2009, we reintroduced our core hand-tossed pizza in the U.S. with a new recipe, which we believe has contributed to long-term growth in customer reorder rates, consumer traffic and increased sales. This recipe is now in use in other markets around the world. Our nearly 60 years of innovation have resulted in numerous new product developments, including our more recent innovations of Handmade Pan Pizza, Specialty Chicken, Parmesan Bread Bites, Stuffed Cheesy Bread, Marbled Cookie Brownie and Bread Twists, among others. Product innovation is also present in our global markets, where our master franchisees have the ability to recommend products to suit their local market tastes. Products include the Mayo Jaga in Japan (bacon, potatoes and sweet mayonnaise) and the Saumoneta in France (light cream, potatoes, onions, smoked salmon and dill).

Internal Dough Manufacturing and Supply Chain System

In addition to generating significant revenues and earnings in the U.S. and Canada, we believe our vertically integrated dough manufacturing and supply chain system enhances the quality and consistency of our products, enhances our relationships with franchisees and leverages economies of scale to offer lower costs to our stores. It also allows store managers to better focus on store operations and customer service by relieving them of the responsibility of mixing dough in the stores and sourcing other ingredients. Many of our international master franchisees also profit from running supply chain businesses in their respective markets.

Our Ideals

We believe in: opportunity, hard work, inspired solutions, winning together, embracing community and uncommon honesty.

Opportunity abounds at Domino’s. You can start in an entry-level position and become a store owner – in fact, substantially all of our independent U.S. franchise owners started their careers with us as delivery drivers or in other

in-store

positions. Thousands of other team members – supervisors, trainers, quality auditors, international business consultants, marketers and executives – also began their careers in the stores. Internal growth and providing opportunities for anyone willing to work hard are the foundation of our core beliefs.

The ideals of inspired solutions, uncommon honesty and winning together were driving forces behind the relaunch of our brand. We were inspired by our harshest critics when it came to the perceived taste of our pizza. Our solution was not simply more advertising; the solution was to create a new recipe and a broader menu of great-tasting products. Our marketing campaign was shockingly honest in its approach: telling consumers (and showing them via television ads) that we heard their negative feedback and were listening. And, without the

buy-in

from our franchise owners, we couldn’t have done it. We believe that we can’t focus solely on the Company’s success; we must focus on making our stores and our franchisees successful. That’s winning together.

Environmental Responsibility

We believe in launching initiatives to reduce our impact on the environment, including the impact of energy, waste water, land use and reducing waste, both in packaging and food. Since 2015, we have sourced 100% sustainable mass balance palm oil, which is used in some of our products. We have also recently increased the recycled content of our pizza boxes and launched the use of eBikes for delivery in certain markets around the world, helping us to reduce our carbon footprint. Domino’s is also a member of the Dairy Sustainability Alliance and the Recycling Partnership.

Community Involvement

We believe in supporting the communities we serve through donating our time, money and pizza. You can find more information about our community giving at

biz.dominos.com

. Our national philanthropic partner is St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital

®

. St. Jude is internationally-recognized for its pioneering work in finding cures and saving children with cancer and other catastrophic diseases. Through a variety of internal and consumer-based activities, including a national fundraising campaign called

St. Jude Thanks and Giving

®

, the Domino’s system has contributed $68.7 million to St. Jude since our partnership began in 2004, including raising $10.6 million in 2019. In addition to raising funds, we have supported St. Jude through

in-kind

donations, including hosting hospital-wide pizza parties for patients and their families. Our system also helps St. Jude build awareness through the inclusion of the St. Jude logo on millions of our pizza boxes and through a link on our consumer website, as well as a St. Jude-themed Pizza Tracker during

Thanks and Giving

®

.

We also support the Domino’s Pizza Partners Foundation (the “Partners Foundation”). Founded in 1986, the mission of the Partners Foundation is “Team Members Helping Team Members.” Primarily funded by team member and franchise contributions, the Partners Foundation is a separate,

not-for-profit

organization that has disbursed $7.5 million over the past five years. The Partners Foundation is committed to meeting the needs of Domino’s team members facing crisis situations, such as fire, illness, natural disasters or other personal tragedies.

Additional Disclosures

Employees

As of December 29, 2019, we had approximately 13,100 employees in our Company-owned stores, supply chain centers, World Resource Center and regional offices. None of our employees are covered by a collective bargaining agreement. We consider our relationship with our employees to be good.

Working Capital

Information about the Company’s working capital is included in Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations in Part II, Item 7., pages 35 through 38.

Government Regulation

We, along with our franchisees, are subject to various federal, state and local laws affecting the operation of our business. Each store is subject to licensing and regulation by a number of governmental authorities, which include zoning, health, safety, sanitation, building and fire agencies in the jurisdiction in which the store is located. In connection with maintaining our stores, we may be required to expend funds to meet certain federal, state and local regulations, including regulations requiring that remodeled or altered stores be accessible to persons with disabilities. Difficulties in obtaining, or the failure to obtain, required licenses or approvals could delay or prevent the opening of a new store in a particular area or cause an existing store to cease operations. Our supply chain facilities are also licensed and subject to similar regulations by federal, state and local health and fire codes.

We are also subject to the Fair Labor Standards Act and various other federal and state laws governing such matters as minimum wage requirements, overtime and other working conditions and citizenship requirements. A significant number of both our and our franchisees’ food service personnel are paid at rates related to the applicable minimum wage, and past increases in the minimum wage have increased labor costs, as would future increases.

We are subject to the rules and regulations of the Federal Trade Commission (“FTC”) and various state laws regulating the offer and sale of franchises. The FTC and various state laws require that we furnish a franchise disclosure document containing certain information to prospective franchisees, and a number of states require registration of the franchise disclosure document with state authorities. We are operating under exemptions from registration in several states based on the net worth of our subsidiary, Domino’s Pizza Franchising LLC, and experience. We believe our franchise disclosure document, together with any applicable state versions or supplements, and franchising procedures comply in all material respects with both the FTC guidelines and all applicable state laws regulating franchising in those states in which we have offered franchises.

Internationally, our franchise stores are subject to national and local laws and regulations that are often similar to those affecting our U.S. stores, including laws and regulations concerning franchises, labor, health, sanitation and safety. Our international stores are also often subject to tariffs and regulations on imported commodities and equipment, and laws regulating foreign investment. We believe our international disclosure statements, franchise offering documents and franchising procedures comply in all material respects with the laws of the foreign countries in which we have offered franchises.

Privacy and Data Protection

We are subject to a number of privacy and data protection laws and regulations both in the U.S. and globally. The legislative and regulatory landscape for privacy and data protection continues to evolve, and there has been an increase in attention given to privacy and data protection issues with the potential to directly affect our business. This includes recently-enacted laws and regulations in the U.S. and internationally requiring notification to individuals and government authorities of security breaches involving certain categories of personal information. We have a privacy policy posted on our website at

www.dominos.com

. The security of our financial data, customer information and other personal information is a priority for us.

Trademarks

We have many registered trademarks and believe that the Domino’s mark and Domino’s Pizza names and logos, in particular, have significant value and are important to our business. Our policy is to pursue registration of our trademarks and to vigorously oppose the infringement of any of our trademarks. We license the use of our registered marks to franchisees through franchise agreements.

Environmental Matters

We are not aware of any federal, state or local environmental laws or regulations that we would expect to materially affect our earnings or competitive position or result in material capital expenditures. However, we cannot predict the effect of possible future environmental legislation or regulations. During 2019, there were no material environmental compliance-related capital expenditures, and no such material expenditures are anticipated in 2020.

Seasonal Operations

The Company’s business is not typically seasonal.

Backlog Orders

The Company has no backlog orders as of December 29, 2019.

Government Contracts

No material portion of the Company’s business is subject to renegotiation of profits or termination of contracts or subcontracts at the election of the U.S. government.

Available Information

The Company makes available, free of charge, through its internet website

biz.dominos.com

, its Annual Report on Form

10-K,

Quarterly Reports on Form

10-Q,

Current Reports on Form

8-K,

proxy statements and amendments to those reports filed or furnished pursuant to Section 13(a), 15(d), or 16 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, as soon as reasonably practicable after electronically filing such material with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Materials filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission are available at

www.sec.gov

. Retail orders from Domino’s stores can be made through its internet website

www.dominos.com

. The reference to these website addresses anywhere in this Annual Report on Form

10-K

(the “Form

10-K”)

does not constitute incorporation by reference of the information contained on the websites and information appearing on those websites, including

biz.dominos.com

and

www.dominos.com

, should not be considered a part of this document.