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A head of the UK's Domino's Pizza chain who suggested the United Kingdom might have hit peak pizza while broadening the franchise into fried chicken has been ousted after tensions with its board.

Leadership Shake-Up

Rennie is departing after only 24 months in charge, and will be succeeded on an interim basis by the organization's chief operating officer, Nicola Frampton, while the pizza giant searches for a permanent CEO.

Rennie, who served at Domino's for a substantial period, had aimed to shift Britain's biggest pizza food delivery firm towards fried chicken, remarking in a recent interview there was not “massive growth” left in the British pizza industry. He noted poultry was the quickest rising menu item in the world.

Governance Tensions

Reports indicate that there was tension between the CEO and the directors over his strategy and business vision, although Domino's release said he was leaving “by mutual agreement”.

New Brand Introduction

In September, the chain launched its chicken-focused product line – 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 going to roll it out across its nearly 1,400 branches in 2026 as planned, it considers fried chicken as a supplement for its main pizza offerings.

Leadership Statement

Bull, the Domino's chair, commented: “Directors think that there are a range of possibilities to boost expansion and performance improvement in the main pizza segment. We are concentrating on selecting the suitable leader to direct the disciplined execution of that development approach.”

Market Challenges

In the latest update, Domino's, which has a substantial customer base in the British Isles, said transactions declined by 1.5% in the latest quarter. In the summer, it cautioned that the quick-service industry had “intensified” as it blamed economic uncertainty in the lead-up to the budget and higher payroll outlays for below-target performance and a significant fall in interim earnings.

Competitors are also experiencing difficulties. Pizza Hut announced the shutting of multiple locations a recently, after the firm behind its British operations entered insolvency.

Health Efforts

Trying to keep up with customer preferences towards healthier eating, the company has introduced reduced-calorie items, such as its thin-crust range of bakes below 400 kcal as well as plant-based and wheat-free pizzas. A large pepperoni pizza has over 2,300 kcal. A large cheese and tomato pizza has over 2,100, while a small has 909 kcal.

Interim Management

The interim chief has been with Domino's since the recent past, and previously worked for the gambling company William Hill. It is understood that she prefers not to assume the top job permanently.

She said: “We have a multiple ongoing development and operational projects that we will be dedicated to implementing at a rapid rate.”

She said these involved additional efforts on the company's logistics network and product development, and its loyalty scheme.

Domino's is also lacking a full-time finance director until the spring, when Andy Andrea starts from the Irish cider and beer maker a well-known firm. For now, Snow is interim finance chief.