🔗 Share this article

The head of the UK's Domino's Pizza chain who suggested the United Kingdom might have reached pizza saturation while broadening the chain into fried chicken has been replaced after tensions with its governing body.

Leadership Change

Rennie is departing after a brief tenure in charge, and will be succeeded on an temporary basis by the company's operations head, Nicola Frampton, while Domino's searches for a long-term chief.

Rennie, who served at the company for more than two decades, had attempted to redirect Britain's biggest pizza food delivery firm towards chicken offerings, remarking recently there was not “huge potential” left in the UK's pizza market. He said chicken was the most rapidly expanding protein in the globe.

Board Tensions

Reports indicate that there was tension between the CEO and the board over his approach and direction, although Domino's official statement said he was stepping down “as a joint decision”.

Recent Brand Introduction

In the autumn, the chain introduced its chicken-focused offering – which Rennie described as a “significant new phase” for the company – and is trialling it in select stores in the North West region and Northern Ireland.

While the company is still intending to launch it across its extensive network in 2026 as intended, it considers chicken products as an addition to its main pizza offerings.

Leadership Statement

Ian Bull, the Domino's chair, commented: “The board believes that there are a range of possibilities to boost expansion and value creation in Domino's core business. We are prioritizing selecting the ideal CEO to oversee the careful implementation of that growth strategy.”

Industry Challenges

In the latest update, Domino's, which has a substantial customer base in the UK and Ireland, said sales declined by 1.5 percent in the third quarter. In August, it alerted that the takeaway market had “grown more challenging” as it attributed reduced spending in the period before the government announcement and higher payroll outlays for below-target performance and a 15 percent decline in interim earnings.

Competitors are also experiencing difficulties. Another major chain announced the closing of multiple locations a last month, after the firm behind its UK venues fell into administration.

Wellness Initiatives

Adapting to consumer trends towards better nutrition, the company has launched light products, such as its thin-crust line of bakes below 400 kcals as well as vegan and allergy-friendly pizzas. A big pepperoni bake has 2,311 kcals. A family cheese pizza has 2,171 kcal, while a individual has 909 kcal.

Interim Leadership

Nicola Frampton has been with Domino's since 2021, and had a background at the gambling company William Hill. It is understood that she does not want to assume the top job on a full-time basis.

Frampton stated: “Our team has a multiple ongoing growth and performance initiatives that we will be concentrating on executing at a rapid rate.”

She added these comprised further work on the organization's procurement system and product development, and its loyalty scheme.

The pizza chain is also in need of a long-term chief financial officer until March 16, when a new appointee comes aboard from the beverage producer C&C Group. In the meantime, Richard Snow is interim finance chief.