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If Domino’s earnings on Monday prove anything, it’s that people are still eating pizzaeven if fast food sales, in general, are slumping. “There seems to be a narrative out there that pizza is a challenged and declining category,” Domino’s CEO Russell Weiner said in an earnings call on Monday. “That is just not true, looking back to 2019, you’ll find a category that has generally grown approximately 1-2% each year, including last year 2025.” Weiner did, however, acknowledge the market was “mature.” The pizza giant reported strong fourth-quarter earnings results, with revenue coming in at 1.54 billion, beating estimates of $1.52 billion. It also reported a 15% quarterly dividend hike, but missed earnings estimates, posting adjusted earnings per share (EPS) of $5.35 for the fourth quarter, compared to estimates of $5.39. The Ann-Arbor based company also said its New York Style Pizza and Parmesan Stuffed Crust were massive hits in 2025. Shares of the Domino’s Pizza Inc. (DPZ) rose 6.4% in morning trading on the news, and were up 2.2% by early midday trading at the time of this writing. “In 2025 we demonstrated that when we execute our Hungry for MORE strategy it delivers MORE sales, MORE stores, and MORE profits,” Weiner also said in an earnings release. Domino’s same-store sales in the U.S. grew 3.7% for the fourth quartera 3% growth for fiscal 2025. In the earnings call, Domino’s chief financial officer Sandeep Reddy also mentioned how the company plans to capitalize on its competitor’s recent store closings. “We opened 25 [stores] with a massive gap against all of our competitors including the bigger national competitors,” Reddy said. “Guess what’s happened since that time? One of our national competitors has announced that they’ve had a negative same store sales in the mid single digits. And they also talked about closing a number of stores up to 250 stores in the first half of the year.” (As Fast Company previously reported, Pizza Hut has said it is closing 250 restaurants this year.) “All this plays into our strategy to continue to gain market share because we will go into that one to 2% growth in the industry with less doors outside, which we can actually take share from effectively and grab those sales,” Reddy added. Meanwhile, good news for fast food lovers: Domino’s is also expanding quite a bit. The chain reported it opened over 700 stores globally and in the U.S. last year. Founded in 1960, Dominos Pizza is the largest pizza company in the world, with more than 22,100 stores in over 90 markets across the globe. It posted global retail sales of over $20.1 billion in 2025. The company had a market capitalization of $13.36 billion at the time of this writing.
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E-Commerce
The Supreme Court said Monday that it will hear from oil and gas companies trying to block lawsuits seeking to hold the industry liable for billions of dollars in damage linked to climate change. The conservative-majority court agreed to take up a case from Boulder, Colorado, one of multiple lawsuits alleging the companies deceived the public about how fossil fuels contribute to climate change. Governments around the country have sought damages totaling billions of dollars, arguing it’s necessary to help pay for rebuilding after wildfires, rising sea levels and severe storms worsened by climate change. The lawsuits come amid a wave of legal actions in states including California, Hawaii and New Jersey and worldwide seeking to leverage action through the courts. The case out of Boulder County will likely have implications for those other lawsuits. Suncor Energy and ExxonMobil appealed to the Supreme Court after Colorados highest court let the Boulder case proceed. The companies argue emissions are a national issue that should be heard in federal court, where similar suits have been tossed out. The use of state law to address global climate change represents a serious threat to one of our Nations most critical sectors, attorneys wrote. President Donald Trump‘s administration weighed in to support the companies and urge the justices to reverse the Colorado Supreme Court decision, saying it would mean every locality in the country could sue essentially anyone in the world for contributing to global climate change. Trump, a Republican, criticized the lawsuits in an executive order, and the Justice Department has sought to head some off in court. Attorneys for Boulder had agued that the litigation is still in early stages and should stay in state court. There is no constitutional bar to states addressing in-state harms caused by out-of-state conduct, be it the negligent design of an automobile or sale of asbestos, they wrote. City officials said the case was about dealing with problems people are facing in Colorado. Our case is, fundamentally, about fairness. Boulder is already experiencing the effects of a rapidly warming climate, and the financial burden of adaptation should not fall solely on local taxpayers,” said Jonathan Koehn, its climate initiatives director. The Supreme Court also asked the two sides to present arguments on whether the case is truly ready to be heard by the justices. Arguments are expected in the fall. Lindsay Whitehurst, Associated Press
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E-Commerce
Author and alternative medicine guru Deepak Chopra is the latest celebrity to come under scrutiny after the Department of Justice (DOJ) released more than three million pages of files on the investigation into Jeffrey Epstein. A slew of famous names pop up in the DOJ’s files, released on January 30, including business leaders like Casey Wasserman and powerful politicians like former prince Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor. Chopra was among them, and a new investigation from CNN reveals the extent of his ties with Epstein. On February 4, Chopra posted on X defending his appearance in the files and distancing himself from Epsteins crimes, which include operating a sex-trafficking ring and sexually abusing underage girls. I want to be clear: I was never involved in, nor did I participate in, any criminal or exploitative conduct. Any contact I had was limited and unrelated to abusive activity, he wrote. Some past email exchanges have surfaced that reflect poor judgment in tone. I regret that and understand how they read today, given what was publicly known at the time. Fast Company has reached out to Deepak Chopra for further comment. I am deeply saddened by the suffering of the victims in this case, and I unequivocally condemn abuse and exploitation in all forms.I want to be clear: I was never involved in, nor did I participate in, any criminal or exploitative conduct. Any contact I had was limited and— Deepak Chopra (@DeepakChopra) February 4, 2026 Now, those email exchanges are under scrutiny, particularly Chopras frequent references to Epsteins girls. Chopra and Epstein maintained frequent contact over text and email from 2016 to 2019, the year that Epstein was arrested. Their messages, which number in the hundreds, according to reports, also indicate several in-person meetings at Epsteins properties in New York City, Paris, and South Florida. In at least two exchanges, Chopra encouraged Epstein to bring his girls on trips. In 2017, he wrote, If you want use a fake name. Bring your girls, while inviting Epstein to Israel, later adding, Your girls would love it as would you. Later that year, Chopra invited Epstein to Switzerland, again inviting him to come with your girls. It is unconfirmed if Epstein accepted these invitations, nor is it clear the age of the girls Chopra referenced. Girls frequently came up in Epstein and Chopras conversations. In 2017, while discussing philosophy, Chopra wrote to Epstein, God is a construct Cute girls are real. In 2016, after sending Epstein a video of himself with actress Kat Foster, Chopra described her as innocent and smart at the same time, to which Epstein replied, secondary to cute. Over text, the two once discussed Chopras apparent seduction of a woman whose name was redacted. Epstein wrote, I liked watching you zero in on your prey. Made me smile. Chopra responded: I not a predator Just a lover. Chopra also expressed support for Epstein in early 2019 ahead of his arrest in July. In a text exchange, Chopra said he was sending love to Epstein from India. Epstein replied, Can you send it in female form. In a later exchange, Epstein complained about another round of very bad press. Chopak advised him to Stay silent and Meditate. When Epstein reached out again noting the toxicity of my press, Chopak replied, I am not concerned about that. Being named in the Epstein files is not necessarily indicative of wrongdoing. Chopra maintains his innocence: A recent video circulating on X shows Chopra being approached at an airport and asked about his appearance in the Epstein files. Chopra replied: No misconduct. Zero.
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E-Commerce
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