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A boss of the UK's Domino's Pizza chain who suggested the United Kingdom might have hit peak pizza while expanding the chain into chicken products has been removed after conflicts with its governing body.

Leadership Transition

The former CEO is exiting after just two years in charge, and will be succeeded on an temporary basis by the company's chief operating officer, Frampton, while Domino's searches for a long-term chief.

The outgoing executive, who served at the company for more than two decades, had sought to pivot Britain's biggest pizza food delivery firm towards fried chicken, stating earlier this month there was not “huge potential” left in the British pizza industry. He observed poultry was the quickest rising menu item in the international market.

Board Tensions

Sources suggest that there was tension between Rennie and the governance team over his strategy and business vision, although the company's announcement said he was stepping down “as a joint decision”.

New Product Introduction

In the autumn, Domino's unveiled its poultry brand – which the former chief called a “bold new chapter” for the group – and is trialling it in over 200 locations in the North West region and the province.

While the company is still going to roll it out across its nearly 1,400 branches in 2026 as planned, it regards fried chicken as an addition to its primary pizza operations.

Leadership Comment

The Domino's chair, the Domino's chairman, stated: “We are confident that there are a number of opportunities to enhance value and profitability in Domino's core business. We are concentrating on selecting the ideal CEO to direct the disciplined execution of that growth strategy.”

Market Challenges

In the latest update, Domino's, which has 13 million customers in the UK and Ireland, said orders declined by 1.5% in the latest quarter. In the summer, it cautioned that the quick-service industry had “grown more challenging” as it attributed economic uncertainty in the lead-up to the government announcement and increasing labor expenses for weaker-than-expected sales and a significant fall in six-month income.

Rival chains are also experiencing difficulties. Another major chain revealed the closure of multiple locations a last month, after the firm behind its UK venues entered insolvency.

Health Efforts

Adapting to customer preferences towards healthier eating, the company has launched light items, such as its light base range of pizzas below 400 kcal as well as plant-based and wheat-free pizzas. A family-sized pepperoni has 2,311 calories. A family cheese pizza has 2,171 kcal, while a small has under 1,000 calories.

Interim Leadership

Frampton has been with the company since the recent past, and previously worked for the gambling company a well-known operator. It is understood that she prefers not to take on the CEO position permanently.

Frampton stated: “The company has a multiple current growth and operational projects that we will be focused on carrying out at pace.”

She added these comprised additional efforts on the organization's procurement system and product development, and its rewards program.

The pizza chain is also without a long-term finance director until 16 March, when a new appointee starts from the Irish cider and beer maker C&C Group. In the meantime, Snow serves as interim finance chief.