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A chief executive of Domino's Pizza Group who indicated the United Kingdom might have hit pizza saturation while broadening the chain into fried chicken has been removed after conflicts with its governing body.

Executive Shake-Up

Andrew Rennie is exiting after only 24 months in leadership, and will be succeeded on an temporary basis by the company's chief operating officer, Nicola Frampton, while Domino's seeks a long-term chief.

The outgoing executive, who worked for Domino's for more than two decades, had aimed to redirect the UK's largest pizza takeaway chain towards poultry-based products, commenting earlier this month there was not “huge potential” left in the UK's pizza market. He said poultry was the quickest rising protein in the globe.

Governance Friction

Sources suggest that there was friction between Rennie and the board over his approach and business vision, although Domino's announcement said he was departing “through mutual consent”.

New Brand Introduction

In the autumn, the chain introduced its chicken-focused brand – which Rennie referred to as a “bold new chapter” for the organization – and is testing it in 210 outlets in the north-west of England and Northern Ireland.

While the business is still going to roll it out across its nearly 1,400 branches in 2026 as planned, it considers chicken products as an addition to its main pizza offerings.

Board Statement

Ian Bull, the company chairman, commented: “We are confident that there are a range of possibilities to drive further growth and value creation in the main pizza segment. We are concentrating on identifying the suitable leader to direct the careful implementation of that development approach.”

Industry Difficulties

In the latest update, Domino's, which has 13 million customers in the British Isles, said orders declined by 1.5% in the third quarter. In August, it cautioned that the food delivery sector had “intensified” as it blamed reduced spending in the run-up to the budget and increasing labor expenses for below-target performance and a significant fall in interim earnings.

Competitors are also facing challenges. Pizza Hut disclosed the closure of multiple locations a last month, after the company behind its outlets entered insolvency.

Health Efforts

Adapting to market shifts towards healthier eating, the company has introduced lower-calorie products, such as its Thin & Crispy line of bakes below 400 kcal as well as plant-based and allergy-friendly options. A big pepperoni bake has over 2,300 kcal. A big margherita has 2,171 kcal, while a small has 909 calories.

Interim Management

The interim chief has been with Domino's since 2021, and was formerly with the gaming group William Hill. It is thought that she prefers not to take on the chief executive role on a full-time basis.

Frampton stated: “Our team has a multiple ongoing growth and performance initiatives that we will be dedicated to implementing at speed.”

She said these involved further work on the organization's logistics network and new item creation, and its loyalty scheme.

The pizza chain is also without a permanent CFO until 16 March, when Andrea joins from the drinks company a well-known firm. Until then, Richard Snow acts as interim finance chief.