🔗 Share this article

A boss of the UK's Domino's Pizza chain who suggested the United Kingdom might have reached peak pizza while broadening the chain into fried chicken has been removed after disagreements with its board.

Leadership Change

Rennie is leaving after just two years in leadership, and will be succeeded on an temporary basis by the organization's operations head, Frampton, while the pizza giant searches for a long-term chief.

Rennie, who worked for the company for more than two decades, had sought to shift Britain's largest pizza delivery company towards fried chicken, remarking in a recent interview there was not “huge potential” left in the pizza sector in the UK. He said poultry was the most rapidly expanding food category in the world.

Board Tensions

It is understood that there was disagreement between Rennie and the board over his focus and direction, although the company's official statement said he was leaving “by mutual agreement”.

Recent Product Introduction

In the autumn, the chain introduced its poultry brand – which the former chief described as a “significant new phase” for the company – and is piloting it in 210 outlets in the North West region and Northern Ireland.

While the firm is still intending to launch it across its almost 1,400 stores in the coming year as planned, it considers fried chicken as complementary to its core pizza business.

Board Statement

Ian Bull, the company chairman, commented: “The board believes that there are a number of opportunities to boost expansion and value creation in our primary operations. We are prioritizing finding the suitable leader to lead the disciplined execution of that growth strategy.”

Industry Challenges

Earlier this month, Domino's, which has millions of users in the UK and Ireland, said sales dipped by 1.5 percent in the third quarter. In the summer, it warned that the food delivery sector had “intensified” as it blamed reduced spending in the period before the budget and rising wage costs for disappointing revenue and a 15 percent decline in interim earnings.

Rival chains are also struggling. Pizza Hut disclosed the closure of 68 restaurants a last month, after the firm behind its British operations entered insolvency.

Wellness Efforts

Trying to keep up with market shifts towards healthier eating, Domino's has introduced lower-calorie options, such as its Thin & Crispy selection of bakes below 400 kcal as well as meat-free and wheat-free pizzas. A big pepperoni bake has 2,311 calories. A big margherita has 2,171, while a personal has 909 calories.

Interim Leadership

Frampton has been with the company since 2021, and previously worked for the gambling company a well-known operator. It is understood that she is not seeking to take on the CEO position on a full-time basis.

She commented: “Our team has a number of current expansion and operational projects that we will be concentrating on carrying out at a rapid rate.”

She said these comprised ongoing development on the organization's logistics network and product development, and its rewards program.

The pizza chain is also without a permanent CFO until the spring, when Andy Andrea comes aboard from the Irish cider and beer maker C&C Group. For now, Snow acts as interim finance chief.