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A chief executive of Domino's Pizza Group who indicated the United Kingdom might have hit pizza saturation while expanding the franchise into poultry items has been removed after disagreements with its directors.

Leadership Transition

Andrew Rennie is exiting after just two years in charge, and will be replaced on an temporary basis by the organization's operations head, Nicola Frampton, while Domino's looks for a permanent CEO.

Rennie, who was with the company for more than two decades, had aimed to shift the UK's leading pizza takeaway chain towards poultry-based products, remarking earlier this month there was not “massive growth” left in the pizza sector in the UK. He observed poultry was the quickest rising food category in the world.

Board Disagreements

Reports indicate that there was disagreement between Rennie and the governance team over his strategy and management style, although Domino's release said he was leaving “as a joint decision”.

New Product Introduction

In the autumn, the chain launched its poultry offering – which the former chief called a “significant new phase” for the group – and is piloting it in select stores in the North West region and Northern Ireland.

While the firm is still planning to expand it across its extensive network in the coming year as scheduled, it considers chicken products as an addition to its main pizza offerings.

Leadership Comment

The Domino's chair, the Domino's chairman, commented: “We are confident that there are a series of prospects to enhance value and value creation in Domino's core business. We are focused on selecting the right chief executive to oversee the careful implementation of that development approach.”

Market Challenges

Earlier this month, Domino's, which has 13 million customers in the UK and Ireland, said transactions dipped by 1.5 percent in the Q3. In the summer, it alerted that the takeaway market had “become tougher” as it attributed economic uncertainty in the period before the budget and higher payroll outlays for below-target performance and a significant fall in half-year profits.

Competitors are also facing challenges. Another major chain disclosed the closure of dozens of outlets a month ago, after the firm behind its UK venues fell into administration.

Health Initiatives

Trying to keep up with consumer trends towards balanced diets, the company has rolled out reduced-calorie options, such as its light base selection of bakes below 400 calories as well as meat-free and allergy-friendly pizzas. A big pepperoni bake has 2,311 kcals. A big margherita has 2,171, while a small has 909 kcal.

Interim Management

Frampton has been with the company since 2021, and previously worked for the gaming group a well-known operator. It is thought that she does not want to take on the chief executive role on a full-time basis.

She commented: “Our team has a number of current development and efficiency programs that we will be concentrating on implementing at speed.”

She said these involved ongoing development on the organization's supply chain and new item creation, and its loyalty scheme.

Domino's is also in need of a long-term finance director until March 16, when Andrea comes aboard from the Irish cider and beer maker a well-known firm. In the meantime, Snow serves as temporary CFO.