🔗 Share this article

The head of the UK's Domino's Pizza chain who proposed the UK might have reached pizza saturation while expanding the franchise into chicken products has been replaced after conflicts with its governing body.

Executive Shake-Up

Rennie is leaving after a brief tenure in leadership, and will be replaced on an temporary basis by the organization's chief operating officer, Nicola Frampton, while Domino's seeks a permanent CEO.

Rennie, who served at Domino's for a substantial period, had attempted to shift Britain's leading pizza food delivery firm towards fried chicken, commenting recently there was not “significant expansion” left in the pizza sector in the UK. He observed chicken was the most rapidly expanding food category in the international market.

Governance Disagreements

Sources suggest that there was tension between Rennie and the board over his focus and business vision, although the company's announcement said he was departing “by mutual agreement”.

Recent Brand Launch

In the autumn, the chain launched its poultry brand – which the former chief described as a “bold new chapter” for the company – and is testing it in over 200 locations in the North West region and Northern Ireland.

While the company is still going to roll it out across its almost 1,400 stores in 2026 as intended, it considers fried chicken as complementary to its main pizza offerings.

Board Statement

Ian Bull, the company chairman, said: “Directors think that there are a range of possibilities to boost expansion and value creation in our primary operations. We are prioritizing identifying the suitable leader to direct the systematic rollout of that expansion plan.”

Market Challenges

Earlier this month, the pizza delivery giant, which has a substantial customer base in the UK and Ireland, said sales dipped by 1.5 percent in the latest quarter. In August, it alerted that the food delivery sector had “intensified” as it blamed weaker consumer confidence in the period before the budget and rising wage costs for below-target performance and a 15% drop in six-month income.

Other pizza operators are also experiencing difficulties. Another major chain disclosed the closure of dozens of outlets a month ago, after the company behind its British operations faced financial collapse.

Health Efforts

Trying to keep up with consumer trends towards better nutrition, Domino's has rolled out light options, such as its light base selection of bakes below 400 kcal as well as plant-based and wheat-free options. A family-sized pepperoni has over 2,300 kcal. A family cheese pizza has over 2,100, while a personal has 909 calories.

Acting Leadership

Frampton has been with Domino's since the recent past, and previously worked for the gaming group a well-known operator. It is understood that she does not want to take on the top job on a full-time basis.

Frampton stated: “Our team has a multiple ongoing expansion and performance initiatives that we will be dedicated to executing at speed.”

She said these involved further work on the organization's supply chain and new item creation, and its loyalty scheme.

Domino's is also without a permanent CFO until March 16, when Andy Andrea starts from the beverage producer a well-known firm. Until then, Snow serves as temporary CFO.