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A head of Domino's Pizza Group who proposed the UK might have hit maximum pizza demand while expanding the company into fried chicken has been replaced after conflicts with its governing body.

Executive Shake-Up

Rennie is departing after only 24 months in leadership, and will be replaced on an temporary basis by the company's chief operating officer, Nicola Frampton, while Domino's searches for a permanent CEO.

Rennie, who served at the company for a substantial period, had sought to pivot Britain's leading pizza takeaway chain towards poultry-based products, stating in a recent interview there was not “significant expansion” left in the pizza sector in the UK. He noted poultry was the fastest-growing menu item in the international market.

Governance Disagreements

It is understood that there was disagreement between Rennie and the governance team over his strategy and business vision, although the company's announcement said he was stepping down “through mutual consent”.

New Product Launch

In the autumn, the chain introduced its Chick 'N' Dip offering – which the former chief described as a “bold new chapter” for the organization – and is testing it in over 200 locations in the North West region and the province.

While the company is still going to roll it out across its almost 1,400 stores in 2026 as intended, it regards chicken products as a supplement for its main pizza offerings.

Leadership Comment

Ian Bull, the company chairman, said: “The board believes that there are a series of prospects to enhance value and profitability in the main pizza segment. We are focused on selecting the suitable leader to oversee the systematic rollout of that expansion plan.”

Market Difficulties

In the latest update, Domino's, which has millions of users in the UK and Ireland, said sales dipped by 1.5 percent in the latest quarter. In the summer, it alerted that the quick-service industry had “grown more challenging” as it attributed economic uncertainty in the period before the government announcement and higher payroll outlays for disappointing revenue and a significant fall in interim earnings.

Competitors are also struggling. Pizza Hut announced the closing of dozens of outlets a recently, after the company behind its British operations entered insolvency.

Wellness Initiatives

Adapting to customer preferences towards better nutrition, Domino's has rolled out lower-calorie items, such as its light base range of bakes below 400 kcals as well as vegan and gluten-free pizzas. A big pepperoni bake has 2,311 kcals. A family cheese pizza has 2,171, while a personal has 909 calories.

Interim Leadership

Nicola Frampton has been with the company since 2021, and previously worked for the betting firm William Hill. It is thought that she does not want to assume the CEO position on a full-time basis.

Frampton stated: “We have a multiple active expansion and performance initiatives that we will be dedicated to implementing at speed.”

She added these involved ongoing development on the company's procurement system and new item creation, and its customer retention initiative.

Domino's is also without a permanent finance director until the spring, when a new appointee joins from the Irish cider and beer maker C&C Group. For now, Snow is temporary CFO.