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A chief executive of the UK's Domino's Pizza chain who indicated the United Kingdom might have hit peak pizza while broadening the chain into poultry items has been ousted after tensions with its directors.

Leadership Change

Andrew Rennie is departing after only 24 months in leadership, and will be replaced on an interim basis by the organization's chief operating officer, Nicola Frampton, while Domino's seeks a new leader.

The outgoing executive, who was with the company for a substantial period, had aimed to shift the UK's largest pizza delivery company towards poultry-based products, remarking in a recent interview there was not “significant expansion” left in the UK's pizza market. He said poultry was the quickest rising food category in the globe.

Board Disagreements

It is understood that there was friction between the CEO and the directors over his approach and business vision, although Domino's release said he was stepping down “by mutual agreement”.

New Product Introduction

In September, the chain unveiled its Chick 'N' Dip offering – which the former chief described as a “major strategic shift” for the group – and is testing it in 210 outlets in the north-west of England and Northern Ireland.

While the firm is still going to roll it out across its nearly 1,400 branches in 2026 as scheduled, it considers chicken products as complementary to its core pizza business.

Leadership Comment

Ian Bull, the Domino's chairman, stated: “The board believes that there are a number of opportunities to enhance value and profitability in the main pizza segment. We are prioritizing identifying the suitable leader to lead the systematic rollout of that growth strategy.”

Market Challenges

Earlier this month, Domino's, which has a substantial customer base in the UK and Ireland, said transactions dipped by 1.5% in the third quarter. In the summer, it warned that the food delivery sector had “become tougher” as it blamed economic uncertainty in the lead-up to the government announcement and rising wage costs for below-target performance and a significant fall in interim earnings.

Rival chains are also facing challenges. Another major chain revealed the closing of multiple locations a last month, after the business behind its UK venues fell into administration.

Health Efforts

Adapting to market shifts towards healthier eating, Domino's has introduced light options, such as its thin-crust range of bakes below 400 calories as well as vegan and wheat-free pizzas. A large pepperoni pizza has over 2,300 kcal. A family cheese pizza has over 2,100, while a personal has 909 calories.

Interim Management

Nicola Frampton has been with Domino's since 2021, and previously worked for the gambling company a well-known operator. It is thought that she does not want to assume the CEO position long-term.

She commented: “Our team has a number of active growth and efficiency programs that we will be focused on executing at a rapid rate.”

Frampton noted these included further work on the company's supply chain and product development, and its loyalty scheme.

The pizza chain is also in need of a full-time chief financial officer until March 16, when Andrea starts from the Irish cider and beer maker C&C Group. For now, Snow is acting financial officer.