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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 diversifying the franchise into chicken products has been ousted after conflicts with its board.

Leadership Shake-Up

Andrew Rennie is leaving after a brief tenure in the top role, and will be succeeded on an interim basis by the organization's chief operating officer, Nicola Frampton, while the pizza giant seeks a new leader.

The outgoing executive, who was with the company for over 20 years, had attempted to shift Britain's biggest pizza delivery company towards fried chicken, commenting recently there was not “huge potential” left in the pizza sector in the UK. He noted poultry was the fastest-growing food category in the international market.

Board Disagreements

Sources suggest that there was friction between the CEO and the board over his focus and business vision, although Domino's announcement said he was stepping down “by mutual agreement”.

New Product Introduction

In September, Domino's unveiled its poultry product line – which the former chief described as a “significant new phase” for the organization – and is trialling it in select stores in the north-west of England and the province.

While the firm is still intending to launch it across its extensive network next year as planned, it considers fried chicken as a supplement for its main pizza offerings.

Leadership Comment

The Domino's chair, the Domino's chair, stated: “The board believes that there are a number of opportunities to drive further growth and value creation in Domino's core business. We are prioritizing identifying the ideal CEO to lead the systematic rollout of that growth strategy.”

Industry Difficulties

In the latest update, the pizza delivery giant, which has a substantial customer base in the British Isles, said orders declined by 1.5% in the latest quarter. In the summer, it cautioned that the takeaway market had “intensified” as it blamed reduced spending in the period before the budget and higher payroll outlays for below-target performance and a significant fall in interim earnings.

Rival chains are also facing challenges. Another major chain announced the closing of multiple locations a month ago, after the company behind its UK venues entered insolvency.

Wellness Initiatives

Adapting to consumer trends towards healthier eating, Domino's has rolled out reduced-calorie items, such as its Thin & Crispy line of pizzas below 400 calories as well as meat-free and gluten-free options. A big pepperoni bake has over 2,300 kcal. A big margherita has 2,171, while a individual has 909 kcal.

Interim Management

Frampton has been with Domino's since 2021, and had a background at the gambling company William Hill. It is believed that she prefers not to occupy the chief executive role on a full-time basis.

Frampton stated: “Our team has a multiple ongoing growth and performance initiatives that we will be concentrating on carrying out at pace.”

She said these included additional efforts on the company's logistics network and new item creation, and its customer retention initiative.

Domino's is also in need of a permanent chief financial officer until March 16, when Andrea joins from the beverage producer a well-known firm. Until then, Richard Snow acts as temporary CFO.