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The head of Domino's Pizza Group who proposed the United Kingdom might have hit maximum pizza demand while broadening the chain into poultry items has been ousted after conflicts with its directors.

Leadership Shake-Up

Rennie is departing after only 24 months in charge, and will be replaced on an temporary basis by the organization's chief operating officer, Frampton, while Domino's looks for a new leader.

The outgoing executive, who was with the company for more than two decades, had attempted to redirect the UK's leading pizza takeaway chain towards chicken offerings, stating in a recent interview there was not “significant expansion” left in the British pizza industry. He noted poultry was the quickest rising protein in the world.

Governance Tensions

Sources suggest that there was disagreement between Rennie and the directors over his focus and direction, although the company's official statement said he was departing “by mutual agreement”.

Recent Product Introduction

In the autumn, the chain launched its poultry offering – which the former chief called a “bold new chapter” for the company – and is piloting it in over 200 locations in the North West region and Northern Ireland.

While the business is still planning to expand it across its almost 1,400 stores in 2026 as intended, it views chicken products as complementary to its main pizza offerings.

Leadership Comment

Bull, the Domino's chairman, commented: “Directors think that there are a range of possibilities to drive further growth and value creation in the main pizza segment. We are focused on finding the right chief executive to lead the careful implementation of that development approach.”

Market Difficulties

In the latest update, Domino's, which has millions of users in the British Isles, said transactions fell by 1.5% in the latest quarter. In August, it cautioned 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% drop in half-year profits.

Rival chains are also facing challenges. Another major chain disclosed the closure of 68 restaurants a month ago, after the company behind its outlets fell into administration.

Health Efforts

Trying to keep up with customer preferences towards balanced diets, Domino's has launched light products, such as its Thin & Crispy range of bakes below 400 kcal as well as vegan and allergy-friendly options. A big pepperoni bake has over 2,300 kcal. A family cheese pizza has 2,171, while a small has 909 kcal.

Acting Management

Frampton has been with the company since the recent past, and was formerly with the gaming group William Hill. It is believed that she does not want to assume the chief executive role permanently.

Frampton stated: “Our team has a several active growth and performance initiatives that we will be focused on executing at speed.”

Frampton noted these involved additional efforts on the company's logistics network and menu innovation, and its customer retention initiative.

Domino's is also lacking a full-time chief financial officer until 16 March, when Andrea comes aboard from the beverage producer C&C Group. In the meantime, Richard Snow is acting financial officer.