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The head of Domino's Pizza Group who suggested the United Kingdom might have hit maximum pizza demand while expanding the franchise into fried chicken has been removed after tensions with its governing body.

Leadership Shake-Up

Rennie is exiting after a brief tenure in leadership, and will be succeeded on an temporary basis by the company's operations head, Frampton, while Domino's searches for a long-term chief.

Rennie, who served at Domino's for a substantial period, had aimed to shift Britain's leading pizza delivery company towards chicken offerings, remarking in a recent interview there was not “significant expansion” left in the UK's pizza market. He noted poultry was the quickest rising protein in the world.

Governance Tensions

It is understood that there was friction between Rennie and the governance team over his focus and business vision, although the company's announcement said he was stepping down “through mutual consent”.

New Brand Introduction

In the autumn, the chain launched its Chick 'N' Dip offering – which Rennie referred to as a “significant new phase” for the group – and is piloting it in over 200 locations in the North West region and the province.

While the firm is still going to roll it out across its nearly 1,400 branches in 2026 as intended, it views chicken products as an addition to its primary pizza operations.

Leadership Statement

Ian Bull, the Domino's chair, stated: “We are confident that there are a number of opportunities to enhance value and profitability in the main pizza segment. We are prioritizing identifying the ideal CEO to lead the careful implementation of that growth strategy.”

Market Challenges

Earlier this month, the pizza delivery giant, which has millions of users in the British Isles, said orders declined by one and a half percent in the Q3. In August, it warned that the food delivery sector had “grown more challenging” as it blamed economic uncertainty in the lead-up to the budget and higher payroll outlays for below-target performance and a significant fall in six-month income.

Other pizza operators are also struggling. Pizza Hut disclosed the shutting of dozens of outlets a recently, after the business behind its outlets fell into administration.

Wellness Efforts

Adapting to consumer trends towards better nutrition, the company has rolled out reduced-calorie products, such as its thin-crust line of pizzas below 400 kcals as well as vegan and wheat-free pizzas. A big pepperoni bake has over 2,300 kcal. A big margherita has 2,171, while a individual has 909 calories.

Interim Management

Frampton has been with the company since 2021, and was formerly with the gaming group William Hill. It is thought that she prefers not to take on the CEO position long-term.

She said: “Our team has a number of ongoing development and operational projects that we will be focused on carrying out at pace.”

She said these involved ongoing development on the company's procurement system and menu innovation, and its loyalty scheme.

The pizza chain is also lacking a long-term CFO until the spring, when Andy Andrea joins from the beverage producer C&C Group. For now, Richard Snow serves as acting financial officer.