Domino’s Pizza is one of the success stories of the e-commerce era, with recent sales figures published by the fast food franchise showing that 82 per cent of the deliveries it makes are the result of orders placed online.

Unfortunately, it may be a victim of its own success, as its plans to expand across the UK and open outlets in more and more towns and cities are being curtailed because there are simply not enough people available to hire as delivery drivers.

Internet Retailing reports that labour shortages are being flagged as problematic across the board as Domino's is discovering as it works to add more franchisees to its books.

Having people on hand to deliver the pizzas that are prepared to order in-store is something that Domino’s relies upon to turn a profit, yet in many regions, it is struggling to find drivers which is hampering the opening of new outlets.

In the past few years, the number of commercial vehicles on the roads in the UK has spiked as a result of the rapid rise in safe shopping online. Couriers and delivery firms of all shapes and sizes, including large organisations and independent operators, are increasingly common, especially during peak periods of the year when there is more demand for deliveries.

Domino’s model is rather different from goods-based retailers in the context of peaks and troughs of demand and it has a more consistent need for delivery drivers throughout the year. This means that it needs to hire people who are committed to staying in this role for the longer term, rather than treating it as a temporary position for a few weeks or months.

At the moment, the firm is investing significantly in looking for new channels through which to connect with customers, which may include changing the way in which deliveries are handled.