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A boss of the UK's Domino's Pizza chain who indicated the UK might have reached peak pizza while diversifying the chain into chicken products has been ousted after conflicts with its board.

Executive Transition

Andrew Rennie is departing after a brief tenure in the top role, and will be succeeded on an temporary basis by the organization's chief operating officer, Frampton, while Domino's seeks a permanent CEO.

Rennie, who was with Domino's for more than two decades, had sought to redirect the UK's biggest pizza delivery company towards chicken offerings, commenting earlier this month there was not “significant expansion” left in the British pizza industry. He said chicken was the fastest-growing menu item in the globe.

Board Friction

Sources suggest that there was friction between Rennie and the board over his approach and management style, although the company's release said he was stepping down “through mutual consent”.

New Product Introduction

In the autumn, the chain unveiled its poultry offering – which the former chief referred to as a “bold new chapter” for the company – and is testing it in over 200 locations in the north-west of England and Northern Ireland.

While the company is still intending to launch it across its almost 1,400 stores in 2026 as scheduled, it considers fried chicken as an addition to its main pizza offerings.

Board Statement

Bull, the company chair, stated: “We are confident that there are a series of prospects to enhance value and performance improvement in our primary operations. We are concentrating on finding the right chief executive to direct the systematic rollout of that development approach.”

Industry Difficulties

Recently, the pizza delivery giant, which has a substantial customer base in the British Isles, said transactions dipped by 1.5% in the third quarter. In the summer, it alerted that the takeaway market had “intensified” as it attributed weaker consumer confidence in the lead-up to the government announcement and increasing labor expenses for below-target performance and a 15% drop in interim earnings.

Competitors are also struggling. Another major chain disclosed the closure of dozens of outlets a last month, after the company behind its UK venues entered insolvency.

Wellness Initiatives

Adapting to market shifts towards better nutrition, the company has rolled out reduced-calorie products, such as its thin-crust selection of bakes below 400 kcals as well as plant-based and wheat-free pizzas. A family-sized pepperoni has 2,311 calories. A large cheese and tomato pizza has 2,171, while a individual has under 1,000 calories.

Acting Management

The interim chief has been with Domino's since 2021, and had a background at the betting firm William Hill. It is believed that she does not want to take on the top job on a full-time basis.

She said: “Our team has a multiple current growth and operational projects that we will be concentrating on carrying out at a rapid rate.”

Frampton noted these comprised additional efforts on the organization's supply chain and new item creation, and its customer retention initiative.

The pizza chain is also in need of a full-time CFO until 16 March, when Andy Andrea comes aboard from the drinks company C&C Group. For now, Snow serves as acting financial officer.