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A chief executive of the UK's Domino's Pizza chain who proposed the UK might have hit peak pizza while broadening the company into chicken products has been removed after disagreements with its board.

Leadership Shake-Up

Rennie is leaving after only 24 months in leadership, and will be replaced on an interim basis by the organization's chief operating officer, Nicola Frampton, while Domino's looks for a permanent CEO.

Rennie, who served at the company for over 20 years, had attempted to pivot Britain's leading pizza delivery company towards fried chicken, remarking earlier this month there was not “massive growth” left in the UK's pizza market. He observed poultry was the most rapidly expanding food category in the world.

Governance Friction

Reports indicate that there was disagreement between Rennie and the directors over his approach and direction, although Domino's official statement said he was stepping down “by mutual agreement”.

Recent Brand Introduction

In September, Domino's introduced its poultry brand – which the former chief referred to as a “bold new chapter” for the organization – and is trialling it in select stores in the North West region and Northern Ireland.

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

Leadership Comment

The Domino's chair, the company chair, commented: “We are confident that there are a range of possibilities to enhance value and value creation in Domino's core business. We are concentrating on finding the suitable leader to oversee the disciplined execution of that development approach.”

Industry Challenges

Recently, the pizza delivery giant, which has millions of users in the British Isles, said orders dipped by one and a half percent in the third quarter. In the summer, it cautioned that the quick-service industry had “grown more challenging” as it blamed economic uncertainty in the lead-up to the budget and higher payroll outlays for disappointing revenue and a 15% drop in half-year profits.

Rival chains are also experiencing difficulties. Pizza Hut revealed the closure of multiple locations a recently, after the business behind its British operations faced financial collapse.

Wellness Initiatives

Adapting to consumer trends towards healthier eating, Domino's has introduced light options, such as its thin-crust range of bakes below 400 kcals as well as meat-free and gluten-free pizzas. A family-sized pepperoni has over 2,300 kcal. A family cheese pizza has 2,171, while a individual has under 1,000 calories.

Interim Leadership

The interim chief has been with Domino's since the recent past, and was formerly with the betting firm William Hill. It is thought that she is not seeking to assume the CEO position on a full-time basis.

Frampton stated: “We have a several active expansion and performance initiatives that we will be dedicated to implementing at pace.”

She said these comprised ongoing development on the company's procurement system and menu innovation, and its customer retention initiative.

Domino's is also without a full-time finance director until the spring, when Andrea joins from the drinks company C&C Group. For now, Richard Snow serves as temporary CFO.