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A boss of the UK's Domino's Pizza chain who indicated the UK might have reached maximum pizza demand while broadening the franchise into poultry items has been removed after tensions with its governing body.

Leadership Shake-Up

Rennie is leaving after a brief tenure in charge, and will be succeeded on an acting basis by the company's chief operating officer, Frampton, while Domino's seeks a long-term chief.

The outgoing executive, who worked for the company for a substantial period, had sought to redirect the UK's leading pizza takeaway chain towards poultry-based products, stating in a recent interview there was not “huge potential” left in the British pizza industry. He observed poultry was the fastest-growing protein in the international market.

Governance Disagreements

Sources suggest that there was disagreement between the CEO and the governance team over his approach and direction, although Domino's release said he was departing “through mutual consent”.

New Brand Launch

In the autumn, Domino's launched its Chick 'N' Dip product line – which the former chief called a “major strategic shift” for the company – and is testing it in select stores in the North West region and Northern Ireland.

While the business is still intending to launch it across its almost 1,400 stores in 2026 as scheduled, it considers fried chicken as complementary to its main pizza offerings.

Board Statement

Ian Bull, the Domino's chairman, commented: “We are confident that there are a series of prospects to boost expansion and profitability in the main pizza segment. We are focused on identifying the ideal CEO to oversee the systematic rollout of that growth strategy.”

Market Difficulties

Earlier this month, the pizza delivery giant, which has a substantial customer base in the UK and Ireland, said transactions declined by 1.5% in the latest quarter. In August, it warned that the takeaway market had “become tougher” as it attributed economic uncertainty in the lead-up to the government announcement and increasing labor expenses for disappointing revenue and a significant fall in six-month income.

Rival chains are also experiencing difficulties. Pizza Hut revealed the closing of dozens of outlets a month ago, after the firm behind its outlets fell into administration.

Health Efforts

Trying to keep up with market shifts towards balanced diets, Domino's has introduced light options, such as its light base line of pizzas below 400 kcals as well as plant-based and wheat-free options. A large pepperoni pizza has 2,311 calories. A family cheese pizza has over 2,100, while a individual has under 1,000 calories.

Acting Management

Nicola Frampton has been with the company since the recent past, and had a background at the betting firm William Hill. It is understood that she does not want to occupy the CEO position on a full-time basis.

Frampton stated: “We have a multiple active expansion and efficiency programs that we will be dedicated to executing at a rapid rate.”

She said these comprised additional efforts on the organization's procurement system and new item creation, and its customer retention initiative.

Domino's is also without a permanent CFO until 16 March, when a new appointee joins from the Irish cider and beer maker a well-known firm. For now, Richard Snow is acting financial officer.