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The chief executive of Domino's Pizza Group who suggested the UK might have hit peak pizza while broadening the chain into poultry items has been removed after tensions with its governing body.

Leadership Shake-Up

Rennie is departing after just two years in leadership, and will be replaced on an temporary basis by the company's chief operating officer, Nicola Frampton, while the pizza giant searches for a new leader.

The outgoing executive, who served at Domino's for a substantial period, had attempted to redirect the UK's leading pizza delivery company towards fried chicken, stating recently there was not “massive growth” left in the British pizza industry. He noted chicken was the most rapidly expanding protein in the international market.

Governance Tensions

Sources suggest that there was disagreement between Rennie and the governance team over his strategy and business vision, although Domino's announcement said he was stepping down “by mutual agreement”.

Recent Product Launch

In the autumn, the chain unveiled its Chick 'N' Dip offering – which Rennie referred to as a “bold new chapter” for the company – and is trialling it in 210 outlets in the North West region and the province.

While the firm is still intending to launch it across its nearly 1,400 branches in 2026 as planned, it views fried chicken as an addition to its primary pizza operations.

Leadership Comment

Bull, the company chairman, commented: “We are confident that there are a range of possibilities to boost expansion and performance improvement in our primary operations. We are concentrating on selecting the right chief executive to direct the systematic rollout of that growth strategy.”

Market Challenges

Recently, Domino's, which has 13 million customers in the British Isles, said orders declined by 1.5 percent in the Q3. In the summer, it cautioned that the quick-service industry had “intensified” as it blamed reduced spending in the lead-up to the government announcement and rising wage costs for weaker-than-expected sales and a 15 percent decline in half-year profits.

Competitors are also experiencing difficulties. Pizza Hut announced the closure of multiple locations a last month, after the company behind its British operations fell into administration.

Health Efforts

Responding to consumer trends towards healthier eating, the company has introduced light options, such as its thin-crust range of bakes below 400 calories as well as plant-based and gluten-free pizzas. A family-sized pepperoni has 2,311 kcals. A large cheese and tomato pizza has 2,171, while a individual has 909 calories.

Acting Leadership

Nicola Frampton has been with the company since 2021, and was formerly with the betting firm William Hill. It is thought that she prefers not to assume the top job permanently.

Frampton stated: “Our team has a several active expansion and performance initiatives that we will be concentrating on carrying out at pace.”

Frampton noted these comprised ongoing development on the organization's logistics network and new item creation, and its customer retention initiative.

The pizza chain is also lacking a permanent finance director until 16 March, when Andy Andrea starts from the beverage producer a well-known firm. For now, Richard Snow is temporary CFO.