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A head of the UK's Domino's Pizza chain who proposed the UK might have hit pizza saturation while broadening the company into fried chicken has been removed after tensions with its board.

Leadership Shake-Up

Rennie is departing after only 24 months in leadership, and will be succeeded on an temporary basis by the organization's operations head, Frampton, while the pizza giant looks for a long-term chief.

Rennie, who served at the company for more than two decades, had sought to redirect Britain's leading pizza delivery company towards poultry-based products, stating in a recent interview there was not “massive growth” left in the pizza sector in the UK. He observed poultry was the fastest-growing food category in the international market.

Governance Friction

It is understood that there was disagreement between Rennie and the governance team over his strategy and business vision, although the company's announcement said he was departing “by mutual agreement”.

New Product Introduction

In September, Domino's unveiled its Chick 'N' Dip brand – which the former chief referred to as a “significant new phase” for the company – and is trialling it in 210 outlets in the North West region and Northern Ireland.

While the company is still going to roll it out across its almost 1,400 stores in 2026 as scheduled, it considers chicken products as complementary to its main pizza offerings.

Leadership Comment

Bull, the company chair, commented: “Directors think that there are a range of possibilities to enhance value and performance improvement in the main pizza segment. We are prioritizing selecting the right chief executive to direct the careful implementation of that expansion plan.”

Industry Difficulties

Recently, Domino's, which has 13 million customers in the British Isles, said sales dipped by 1.5 percent in the third quarter. In August, it cautioned that the takeaway market had “become tougher” as it blamed reduced spending in the lead-up to the budget and higher payroll outlays for below-target performance and a significant fall in six-month income.

Competitors are also facing challenges. Pizza Hut announced the closure of 68 restaurants a month ago, after the business behind its UK venues fell into administration.

Wellness Initiatives

Responding to customer preferences towards balanced diets, the company has rolled out light products, such as its thin-crust range of bakes below 400 kcals as well as vegan and allergy-friendly options. A big pepperoni bake has 2,311 calories. A big margherita has 2,171, while a personal has under 1,000 calories.

Interim Management

Frampton has been with the company since the recent past, and had a background at the gaming group William Hill. It is understood that she is not seeking to occupy the top job long-term.

She said: “We have a number of ongoing development and performance initiatives that we will be dedicated to implementing at pace.”

Frampton noted these comprised additional efforts on the organization's supply chain and new item creation, and its rewards program.

The pizza chain is also without a permanent CFO until March 16, when a new appointee joins from the drinks company C&C Group. Until then, Snow is acting financial officer.