Domino's Pizza Malaysia plans to open 30 new outlets next year at a cost of RM15 million as part of the company's expansion programme, says Domino's Pizza Malaysia and Singapore Operations Senior General Manager Shamsul Amree.

The company opened 27 outlets in Malaysia and four in Singapore this year.

"Currently, we have 210 stores within Malaysia and we will be venturing into Sabah and Sarawak next year, particularly Kota Kinabalu and Kuching," he told reporters at the launch of Domino's latest product, the 'Cheese Tarik Crust' on Friday, 10 November.

The opening of Domino's Pizza will hopefully boost the State's economy as the franchise is not only popular amongst the locals but to tourists alike. With the influx of tourist coming into Sabah, this - and other store openings - will greatly boost Sabah's economic growth.

Shamsul said the company's expansion plan for 2018 focused on smaller towns in Malaysia while simultaneously growing its existing online business.

He said half of the sales were conducted at its outlets and the rest via its online platform.

Malaysia was the number one market for Domino's Pizza in Southeast Asia, with the highest number of store openings in the region.

Globally, the country ranked 14th in terms of store count and was in the top ten in terms of store growth.

Meanwhile, the new "Cheese Tarik Crust' and its box of sides, 'Cheesy Four', would be available at all Domino's Pizza outlets and online starting Nov 13.

As part of its promotional efforts, Domino's has kicked-off the 'Cheese Tarik Challenge' contest, a social media challenge for Malaysians to demonstrate just how long they can creatively 'tarik' (stretch) the new Domino's cheese crust.

The contest would begin on Nov 27 and end on Dec 24, 2017.

Weekly winners would walk away with a one-year supply of pizza and with every successful challenge, Domino's pledged to contribute towards a community initiative.

Customers can upgrade their pizza to the 'Cheese Tarik Crust' with a surcharge of between RM5 and RM7.