🔗 Share this article

A chief executive of the UK's Domino's Pizza chain who suggested the United Kingdom might have hit maximum pizza demand while expanding the franchise into chicken products has been ousted after tensions with its governing body.

Leadership Shake-Up

Rennie is departing after a brief tenure in charge, and will be succeeded on an temporary basis by the company's operations head, Nicola Frampton, while the pizza giant seeks a new leader.

The outgoing executive, who was with Domino's for over 20 years, had attempted to shift Britain's largest pizza delivery company towards poultry-based products, commenting recently there was not “massive growth” left in the pizza sector in the UK. He said chicken was the fastest-growing protein in the international market.

Board Disagreements

Reports indicate that there was disagreement between Rennie and the governance team over his focus and direction, although the company's release said he was departing “as a joint decision”.

New Brand Launch

In September, Domino's launched its chicken-focused offering – which the former chief described as a “major strategic shift” for the organization – and is testing it in select stores in the north-west of England and the province.

While the business is still going to roll it out across its nearly 1,400 branches in 2026 as scheduled, it regards fried chicken as complementary to its primary pizza operations.

Leadership Comment

Bull, the Domino's chair, stated: “The board believes that there are a series of prospects to drive further growth and value creation in the main pizza segment. We are prioritizing finding the suitable leader to lead the disciplined execution of that growth strategy.”

Market Difficulties

Earlier this month, the pizza delivery giant, which has 13 million customers in the UK and Ireland, said sales dipped by 1.5% in the latest quarter. In the summer, it alerted that the takeaway market had “become tougher” as it blamed reduced spending in the lead-up to the budget and increasing labor expenses for disappointing revenue and a 15% drop in six-month income.

Other pizza operators are also struggling. Another major chain disclosed the closure of 68 restaurants a month ago, after the business behind its outlets faced financial collapse.

Wellness Initiatives

Trying to keep up with consumer trends towards better nutrition, Domino's has introduced lower-calorie options, such as its thin-crust line of pizzas below 400 kcal as well as vegan and wheat-free pizzas. A family-sized pepperoni has 2,311 calories. A family cheese pizza has 2,171 kcal, while a personal has under 1,000 calories.

Interim Leadership

The interim chief has been with Domino's since the recent past, and had a background at the betting firm William Hill. It is thought that she does not want to occupy the top job permanently.

She said: “The company has a multiple ongoing development and efficiency programs that we will be focused on implementing at pace.”

Frampton noted these included further work on the organization's procurement system and menu innovation, and its loyalty scheme.

Domino's is also lacking a full-time finance director until March 16, when Andrea starts from the beverage producer a well-known firm. Until then, Richard Snow is temporary CFO.