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The chief executive of the UK's Domino's Pizza chain who suggested the United Kingdom might have hit peak pizza while diversifying the franchise into fried chicken has been ousted after conflicts with its board.

Executive Transition

The former CEO is leaving after only 24 months in the top role, and will be replaced on an interim basis by the organization's operations head, Frampton, while Domino's searches for a permanent CEO.

Rennie, who worked for the company for over 20 years, had sought to shift Britain's biggest pizza food delivery firm towards fried chicken, remarking recently there was not “massive growth” left in the pizza sector in the UK. He said poultry was the fastest-growing food category in the international market.

Governance Friction

Reports indicate that there was friction between Rennie and the directors over his focus and business vision, although the company's announcement said he was leaving “through mutual consent”.

New Product Introduction

In the autumn, Domino's unveiled its chicken-focused brand – which Rennie described as a “major strategic shift” for the group – and is piloting it in select stores in the north-west of England and Northern Ireland.

While the company is still intending to launch it across its almost 1,400 stores in 2026 as scheduled, it views fried chicken as a supplement for its core pizza business.

Leadership Comment

The Domino's chair, the Domino's chairman, commented: “The board believes that there are a number of opportunities to boost expansion and value creation in Domino's core business. We are focused on identifying the right chief executive to oversee the systematic rollout of that growth strategy.”

Market Challenges

Earlier this month, Domino's, which has 13 million customers in the British Isles, said transactions dipped by 1.5% in the third quarter. In the summer, it warned that the quick-service industry had “intensified” as it attributed economic uncertainty in the lead-up to the government announcement and higher payroll outlays for disappointing revenue and a 15% drop in interim earnings.

Other pizza operators are also struggling. Another major chain revealed the closing of multiple locations a month ago, after the firm behind its outlets faced financial collapse.

Wellness Initiatives

Responding to customer preferences towards balanced diets, the company has introduced reduced-calorie options, such as its light base line of pizzas below 400 calories as well as vegan and allergy-friendly pizzas. A big pepperoni bake has 2,311 kcals. A large cheese and tomato pizza has 2,171 kcal, while a small has 909 kcal.

Interim Management

Frampton has been with Domino's since the recent past, and previously worked for the gambling company a well-known operator. It is understood that she is not seeking to occupy the chief executive role long-term.

She commented: “Our team has a several current growth and operational projects that we will be concentrating on carrying out at speed.”

She added these comprised further work on the organization's procurement system and new item creation, and its customer retention initiative.

Domino's is also without a full-time CFO until March 16, when a new appointee joins from the beverage producer C&C Group. For now, Snow acts as temporary CFO.