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A head of Domino's Pizza Group who proposed the UK might have reached peak pizza while diversifying the franchise into fried chicken has been removed after tensions with its governing body.

Leadership Change

The former CEO is departing after just two years in leadership, and will be replaced on an interim basis by the company's operations head, Frampton, while the pizza giant looks for a long-term chief.

Rennie, who was with Domino's for more than two decades, had attempted to redirect the UK's biggest pizza takeaway chain towards poultry-based products, remarking earlier this month there was not “massive growth” left in the British pizza industry. He noted poultry was the fastest-growing food category in the world.

Board Friction

It is understood that there was friction between Rennie and the governance team over his strategy and direction, although the company's official statement said he was stepping down “by mutual agreement”.

New Brand Launch

In September, Domino's unveiled its poultry brand – which the former chief described as a “bold new chapter” for the group – and is trialling it in over 200 locations in the north-west of England and the province.

While the firm is still intending to launch it across its nearly 1,400 branches in 2026 as planned, it considers fried chicken as complementary to its core pizza business.

Leadership Comment

Ian Bull, the company chairman, said: “The board believes that there are a series of prospects to enhance value and performance improvement in our primary operations. We are prioritizing selecting the right chief executive to oversee the systematic rollout of that expansion plan.”

Market Challenges

Earlier this month, Domino's, which has 13 million customers in the British Isles, said sales declined by one and a half percent in the latest quarter. In August, it alerted that the food delivery sector had “become tougher” as it attributed weaker consumer confidence in the lead-up to the budget and higher payroll outlays for weaker-than-expected sales and a 15 percent decline in six-month income.

Other pizza operators are also facing challenges. Another major chain announced the closure of dozens of outlets a last month, after the firm behind its British operations faced financial collapse.

Health Efforts

Adapting to consumer trends towards better nutrition, Domino's has introduced light items, such as its thin-crust line of bakes below 400 kcals as well as meat-free and wheat-free pizzas. A large pepperoni pizza has 2,311 kcals. A big margherita has over 2,100, while a individual has 909 calories.

Acting Management

Frampton has been with the company since 2021, and previously worked for the betting firm William Hill. It is understood that she is not seeking to take on the top job on a full-time basis.

Frampton stated: “Our team has a several active expansion and efficiency programs that we will be focused on executing at speed.”

She said these comprised further work on the company's procurement system and menu innovation, and its customer retention initiative.

Domino's is also lacking a full-time chief financial officer until 16 March, when Andy Andrea comes aboard from the beverage producer C&C Group. Until then, Snow acts as acting financial officer.