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The boss of Domino's Pizza Group who indicated the UK might have hit maximum pizza demand while expanding the chain into chicken products has been replaced after tensions with its directors.

Leadership Transition

Rennie is leaving after a brief tenure in the top role, and will be replaced on an interim basis by the company's operations head, Frampton, while the pizza giant looks for a permanent CEO.

Rennie, who served at Domino's for over 20 years, had aimed to shift Britain's largest pizza food delivery firm towards fried chicken, commenting in a recent interview there was not “huge potential” left in the UK's pizza market. He said poultry was the quickest rising protein in the world.

Governance Tensions

It is understood that there was friction between Rennie and the board over his approach and management style, although the company's announcement said he was departing “through mutual consent”.

New Brand Introduction

In the autumn, Domino's unveiled its chicken-focused brand – which Rennie called a “major strategic shift” for the company – and is testing it in select stores in the North West region and Northern Ireland.

While the company is still going to roll it out across its extensive network in 2026 as scheduled, it views chicken products as an addition to its primary pizza operations.

Board Comment

The Domino's chair, the company chair, commented: “We are confident that there are a number of opportunities to enhance value and performance improvement in Domino's core business. We are prioritizing finding the ideal CEO to direct the careful implementation of that growth strategy.”

Market Challenges

Earlier this month, Domino's, which has 13 million customers in the UK and Ireland, said sales dipped by 1.5% in the third quarter. In August, it alerted that the food delivery sector had “become tougher” as it blamed economic uncertainty in the lead-up to the budget and increasing labor expenses for below-target performance and a significant fall in interim earnings.

Rival chains are also experiencing difficulties. Another major chain announced the shutting of dozens of outlets a month ago, after the firm behind its British operations fell into administration.

Wellness Initiatives

Trying to keep up with market shifts towards balanced diets, Domino's has introduced reduced-calorie items, such as its Thin & Crispy selection of pizzas below 400 calories as well as meat-free and wheat-free options. A large pepperoni pizza has over 2,300 kcal. A family cheese pizza has 2,171 kcal, while a personal has 909 kcal.

Acting Leadership

The interim chief has been with Domino's since the recent past, and had a background at the gambling company a well-known operator. It is thought that she prefers not to take on the CEO position on a full-time basis.

Frampton stated: “We have a number of active expansion and efficiency programs that we will be focused on carrying out at pace.”

Frampton noted these involved further work on the company's supply chain and new item creation, and its customer retention initiative.

The pizza chain is also lacking a long-term chief financial officer until 16 March, when Andy Andrea starts from the drinks company a well-known firm. In the meantime, Richard Snow serves as temporary CFO.