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A boss of Domino's Pizza Group who suggested the United Kingdom might have hit pizza saturation while broadening the chain into poultry items has been ousted after tensions with its directors.

Leadership Transition

Rennie is leaving after only 24 months in the top role, and will be succeeded on an acting basis by the company's operations head, Frampton, while the pizza giant looks for a new leader.

Rennie, who was with the company for over 20 years, had sought to pivot the UK's leading pizza takeaway chain towards chicken offerings, commenting earlier this month there was not “significant expansion” left in the pizza sector in the UK. He said chicken was the most rapidly expanding food category in the world.

Board Friction

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

Recent Brand Launch

In September, the chain introduced its poultry offering – which Rennie referred to as a “significant new phase” for the company – and is piloting it in over 200 locations in the North West region and Northern Ireland.

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

Board Statement

Ian Bull, the Domino's chair, said: “The board believes that there are a range of possibilities to drive further growth and value creation in Domino's core business. We are focused on identifying the ideal CEO to direct the careful implementation of that expansion plan.”

Industry Difficulties

In the latest update, the pizza delivery giant, which has 13 million customers in the British Isles, said orders dipped by 1.5 percent in the third quarter. In August, it cautioned that the food delivery sector had “become tougher” as it attributed weaker consumer confidence in the lead-up to the budget and increasing labor expenses for below-target performance and a 15% drop in interim earnings.

Other pizza operators are also struggling. Pizza Hut disclosed the closure of 68 restaurants a recently, after the business behind its outlets fell into administration.

Health Efforts

Adapting to customer preferences towards healthier eating, Domino's has introduced lower-calorie options, such as its thin-crust selection of pizzas below 400 kcals as well as vegan and wheat-free options. A big pepperoni bake has 2,311 calories. A large cheese and tomato pizza has over 2,100, while a individual has 909 kcal.

Acting Management

The interim chief has been with the company since 2021, and was formerly with the betting firm a well-known operator. It is thought that she is not seeking to occupy the top job long-term.

She said: “We have a number of active growth and performance initiatives that we will be concentrating on carrying out at a rapid rate.”

She said these involved ongoing development on the company's supply chain and product development, and its rewards program.

Domino's is also in need of a full-time CFO until 16 March, when a new appointee joins from the drinks company C&C Group. Until then, Snow serves as acting financial officer.