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The boss of Domino's Pizza Group who indicated the United Kingdom might have hit peak pizza while broadening the chain into chicken products has been removed after tensions with its governing body.

Executive Change

Andrew Rennie is departing after a brief tenure in the top role, and will be succeeded on an acting basis by the company's chief operating officer, Nicola Frampton, while Domino's seeks a new leader.

Rennie, who served at Domino's for over 20 years, had sought to shift Britain's leading pizza food delivery firm towards fried chicken, commenting recently there was not “massive growth” left in the UK's pizza market. He noted chicken was the fastest-growing food category in the world.

Board Friction

It is understood that there was disagreement between Rennie and the board over his approach and business vision, although Domino's release said he was leaving “by mutual agreement”.

New Product Introduction

In the autumn, Domino's introduced its Chick 'N' Dip offering – which Rennie referred to as a “major strategic shift” for the company – and is trialling it in select stores in the North West region and Northern Ireland.

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

Board Statement

Ian Bull, the Domino's chairman, stated: “We are confident that there are a range of possibilities to boost expansion and value creation in Domino's core business. We are prioritizing finding the ideal CEO to lead the systematic rollout of that expansion plan.”

Market Difficulties

In the latest update, the pizza delivery giant, which has a substantial customer base in the British Isles, said orders declined by one and a half percent in the latest quarter. In August, it cautioned that the takeaway market had “become tougher” as it blamed economic uncertainty in the period before the budget and increasing labor expenses for weaker-than-expected sales and a 15% drop in half-year profits.

Other pizza operators are also experiencing difficulties. Pizza Hut announced the closure of multiple locations a recently, after the business behind its outlets entered insolvency.

Wellness Efforts

Adapting to market shifts towards healthier eating, the company has introduced lower-calorie items, such as its light base selection of pizzas below 400 kcal as well as plant-based and allergy-friendly pizzas. A family-sized pepperoni has 2,311 kcals. A large cheese and tomato pizza has over 2,100, while a personal has under 1,000 calories.

Acting Management

Frampton has been with Domino's since the recent past, and had a background at the betting firm a well-known operator. It is thought that she is not seeking to occupy the top job long-term.

Frampton stated: “We have a several ongoing expansion and operational projects that we will be focused on implementing at a rapid rate.”

She said these comprised additional efforts on the organization's procurement system and product development, and its loyalty scheme.

The pizza chain is also lacking a full-time CFO until 16 March, when Andrea comes aboard from the Irish cider and beer maker C&C Group. In the meantime, Richard Snow is temporary CFO.