🔗 Share this article

The head of Domino's Pizza Group who proposed the United Kingdom might have reached pizza saturation while expanding the chain into fried chicken has been ousted after conflicts with its board.

Leadership Transition

The former CEO is exiting after a brief tenure 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 was with Domino's for over 20 years, had attempted to redirect the UK's biggest pizza takeaway chain towards poultry-based products, commenting recently there was not “massive growth” left in the British pizza industry. He observed poultry was the quickest rising menu item in the international market.

Board Friction

Reports indicate that there was tension between Rennie and the directors over his approach and management style, although the company's official statement said he was stepping down “through mutual consent”.

New Brand Introduction

In the autumn, Domino's unveiled its chicken-focused offering – which Rennie described as a “bold new chapter” for the group – and is trialling it in 210 outlets in the North West region and Northern Ireland.

While the firm is still intending to launch it across its nearly 1,400 branches in 2026 as planned, it considers fried chicken as a supplement for its main pizza offerings.

Leadership Comment

The Domino's chair, the company chairman, said: “Directors think that there are a series of prospects to boost expansion and value creation in the main pizza segment. We are concentrating on selecting the ideal CEO to direct the disciplined execution of that expansion plan.”

Market Difficulties

Earlier this month, Domino's, which has millions of users in the UK and Ireland, said orders declined by 1.5 percent in the latest quarter. In the summer, it warned that the takeaway market had “become tougher” as it blamed economic uncertainty in the run-up to the budget and increasing labor expenses for weaker-than-expected sales and a 15 percent decline in six-month income.

Other pizza operators are also experiencing difficulties. Pizza Hut revealed the shutting of dozens of outlets a recently, after the company behind its UK venues faced financial collapse.

Health Efforts

Responding to consumer trends towards balanced diets, Domino's has launched lower-calorie options, such as its light base range of pizzas below 400 kcals as well as meat-free and gluten-free options. A big pepperoni bake has 2,311 kcals. A family cheese pizza has over 2,100, while a individual has under 1,000 calories.

Interim Leadership

Nicola Frampton has been with Domino's since the recent past, and was formerly with the betting firm William Hill. It is believed that she does not want to take on the CEO position long-term.

She commented: “We have a multiple active expansion and operational projects that we will be dedicated to implementing at a rapid rate.”

She added these involved further work on the company's procurement system and new item creation, and its rewards program.

The pizza chain is also lacking a full-time finance director until March 16, when Andy Andrea comes aboard from the drinks company a well-known firm. In the meantime, Richard Snow serves as temporary CFO.