Henry Dawes is the man behind Domino’s pizza outlets in Dundee and Angus who is going places – very fast.
The 44-year-old recently secured permission for a new shop on Castle Street in the centre of Forfar.
And the Grove Academy-educated businessman plans to have it up and running before the end of the year.
It will join City Quay, Panmurefield, Douglas Road, Angus Court and Arbroath in a portfolio with a £7.5 million annual turnover.
Henry employs 200 staff across the business – serving up around 600,000 Domino’s pizzas a year.
It’s a fast-paced business – which he carries over into a passion for motorsport by racing a 180mph Domino’s-liveried Porsche 911 GT3 in Britain’s fastest one-make series.
Tayside roots
With a family connection to one of the world’s biggest tyre manufacturers, it’s perhaps no surprise Henry developed a passion for motor racing.
“My father worked for Michelin so we lived everywhere they had a plant, from Stoke-on-Trent to Belfast and Clermont-Ferrand in France,” he said.
“The last move we had was to Dundee where he became the factory manager.
“I came up here when I was 12, went to Grove Academy and went to uni here as well.
“I moved to Glasgow because I wanted to open an organic sandwich shop and eventually did that in the Southside and took on a café there as well.
“I had them for a few years and sold both as a going concern.
“It was then time to move on and I got into Domino’s and eventually did a deal on buying the City Quay store in 2007.
“I think there were about 25 Domino’s in Scotland at that point, there’s now 100.”
Business ethos
Henry adds: “Over the following years we just tried to do everything right and just got busier and busier.
“The big point is that Domino’s is a big global company, but that’s Domino’s America.
“The master franchise for the UK is another company and the sub-franchise for me is me.
“My sites in Dundee and here in Arbroath and Forfar are controlled by me.
“It’s not up to anyone else how we look after out staff and customers, that’s down to me to make sure we get things right.
“The majority of the staff are new jobs we have created, we try and look after everyone.
“Business isn’t complicated, you just try to do the right thing.
“We actually moved City Quay to the unit next door and created the first ‘pizza theatre’ so people could see actually see their pizza being made.
“That was quite fun and I built it with Kenny Watson, who was a friend from school and has Roan Joinery in Monifieth.
“He’s great, he’s done all of my work and is going to do this new one in Forfar.”
Henry is also the Pret A Manger franchisee for the east of Scotland and looking to open at least five units next year.
“I’ve been working on this for some time.
“They are a fantastic company, I’ve looked at other franchises and Pret stood out.
“The brand is fantastic and the product is fantastic.
“It’s kind of what I tried to open in 2002 with my first sandwich shop so for me it’s a nice full circle.”
Driven to succeed
Henry’s entrepreneurial drive has allowed him to fuel his passion for motorsport.
He’s raced at legendary F1 circuits including Silverstone, Brands Hatch and Spa-Francorchamps in Belgium.
And this year he is on the grid of the ultra-competitive Porsche Carrera Cup.
It is part of the support package for the British Touring Car Championship, so Henry was on home turf earlier this month for the series’ visit to Knockhill.
In tricky conditions he delivered a season best result on the rollercoaster Fife circuit.
His racing is self-funded but the 510 horsepower machine is instantly recognisable on the grid with it’s blue and red Domino’s logo – minus the illuminated roof sign.
“It’s nice to promote the brand, the car looks good and we like to try and bring people along to races,” Henry says.
“We’re also planning to do some stuff with Teenage Cancer Trust who are a charity with Domino’s.
“In the next few weeks there will be a raffle going out where you can win a ticket for a VIP experience at one of the rounds and I’ll be able to take the winners out for a passenger ride.”
“I’ve been racing since 2011 but it’s been a big step up to the Carrera Cup.
“It’s the fastest one-make series in the UK and I would argue it’s the most competitive.
“The top ten or so guys are super quick and it’s all they do.
“But that’s why I like doing it, you know where you are and if you get within half a second of one of the guys at the front you’ve done a really good job.
“I like being able to measure myself against the best.
“It’s the same attitude as in business – you’re there to do the best job you can, but not to the detriment of anyone else.”
Forfar plan
Henry is hopeful Forfar customers will see their first orders coming out of the Castle Street oven before the end of the year.
It’s a £350k investment in the empty former town centre Blockbuster video store and should create 30 new jobs.
“The building warrant is in and as soon as we get that back we’ll get started on it,” he adds.
“I’m really trying to get this open before November if we can.
“It’s exciting, we’ve worked hard to open in Forfar and I’m looking forward to it happening.”
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