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A head of Domino's Pizza Group who suggested the UK might have hit pizza saturation while expanding the company into poultry items has been ousted after disagreements with its board.

Executive Shake-Up

Andrew Rennie is leaving after a brief tenure in the top role, and will be replaced on an interim basis by the organization's chief operating officer, Nicola Frampton, while Domino's seeks a permanent CEO.

Rennie, who served at the company for over 20 years, had sought to pivot Britain's largest pizza delivery company towards chicken offerings, stating in a recent interview there was not “huge potential” left in the British pizza industry. He said poultry was the fastest-growing food category in the globe.

Board Friction

Sources suggest that there was tension between Rennie and the directors over his focus and management style, although the company's announcement said he was departing “as a joint decision”.

Recent Product Launch

In the autumn, Domino's launched its poultry product line – which the former chief described as a “significant new phase” for the group – and is trialling it in select stores in the north-west of England and the province.

While the business is still intending to launch it across its nearly 1,400 branches in 2026 as intended, it regards fried chicken as a supplement for its main pizza offerings.

Board Comment

Bull, the company chairman, commented: “The board believes that there are a number of opportunities to boost expansion and performance improvement in the main pizza segment. We are concentrating on identifying the suitable leader to oversee the careful implementation of that development approach.”

Industry Challenges

Recently, the pizza delivery giant, which has a substantial customer base in the UK and Ireland, said sales dipped by 1.5 percent in the Q3. In the summer, it alerted that the takeaway market had “grown more challenging” as it attributed reduced spending in the run-up to the government announcement and increasing labor expenses for disappointing revenue and a 15 percent decline in interim earnings.

Other pizza operators are also struggling. Pizza Hut announced the closing of 68 restaurants a month ago, after the firm behind its outlets faced financial collapse.

Wellness Efforts

Responding to market shifts towards healthier eating, Domino's has launched reduced-calorie options, such as its thin-crust line of bakes below 400 calories as well as meat-free and gluten-free options. A large pepperoni pizza has over 2,300 kcal. A big margherita has over 2,100, while a small has 909 calories.

Interim Leadership

The interim chief has been with Domino's since 2021, and had a background at the gambling company William Hill. It is believed that she does not want to occupy the CEO position long-term.

Frampton stated: “The company has a multiple ongoing growth and operational projects that we will be concentrating on carrying out at pace.”

Frampton noted these involved further work on the company's procurement system and product development, and its rewards program.

Domino's is also lacking a long-term CFO until 16 March, when Andrea starts from the drinks company C&C Group. Until then, Snow is interim finance chief.