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A boss of the UK's Domino's Pizza chain who indicated the United Kingdom might have hit pizza saturation while expanding the company into poultry items has been ousted after disagreements with its directors.

Leadership Transition

The former CEO is exiting after just two years in leadership, and will be succeeded on an interim basis by the organization's operations head, Frampton, while Domino's looks for a permanent CEO.

The outgoing executive, who worked for the company for more than two decades, had aimed to redirect Britain's biggest pizza takeaway chain towards poultry-based products, commenting in a recent interview there was not “huge potential” left in the pizza sector in the UK. He said chicken was the fastest-growing protein in the globe.

Board Tensions

It is understood that there was tension between Rennie and the board over his focus and direction, although the company's announcement said he was leaving “as a joint decision”.

Recent Brand Introduction

In September, the chain unveiled its Chick 'N' Dip offering – which Rennie called a “bold new chapter” for the group – and is testing it in 210 outlets in the north-west of England and the province.

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

Leadership Statement

Ian Bull, the company chair, said: “Directors think that there are a range of possibilities to boost expansion and performance improvement in the main pizza segment. We are prioritizing finding the ideal CEO to lead the disciplined execution of that expansion plan.”

Industry Challenges

In the latest update, the pizza delivery giant, which has millions of users in the UK and Ireland, said transactions dipped by 1.5 percent in the third quarter. In August, it cautioned that the takeaway market had “grown more challenging” as it blamed weaker consumer confidence in the run-up to the budget and higher payroll outlays for disappointing revenue and a 15 percent decline in six-month income.

Rival chains are also experiencing difficulties. Another major chain disclosed the closing of 68 restaurants a month ago, after the firm behind its British operations entered insolvency.

Health Initiatives

Responding to market shifts towards healthier eating, Domino's has launched reduced-calorie items, such as its thin-crust line of bakes below 400 kcal as well as plant-based and gluten-free pizzas. A big pepperoni bake has 2,311 kcals. A big margherita has over 2,100, while a small has under 1,000 calories.

Acting Management

The interim chief has been with the company since 2021, and was formerly with the gaming group a well-known operator. It is understood that she is not seeking to take on the top job long-term.

She said: “We have a several active expansion and efficiency programs that we will be dedicated to carrying out at pace.”

She said these included further work on the company's logistics network and menu innovation, and its customer retention initiative.

The pizza chain is also without a permanent finance director until 16 March, when Andy Andrea joins from the Irish cider and beer maker C&C Group. Until then, Snow is acting financial officer.