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The boss of Domino's Pizza Group who suggested the UK might have reached pizza saturation while expanding the company into chicken products has been ousted after disagreements with its governing body.

Executive Shake-Up

Andrew Rennie is departing after a brief tenure in leadership, and will be replaced on an interim basis by the organization's operations head, Nicola Frampton, while the pizza giant looks for a new leader.

The outgoing executive, who worked for Domino's for over 20 years, had aimed to shift Britain's biggest pizza food delivery firm towards fried chicken, stating earlier this month there was not “significant expansion” left in the pizza sector in the UK. He observed poultry was the fastest-growing protein in the international market.

Governance Tensions

Sources suggest that there was disagreement between Rennie and the directors over his approach and business vision, although the company's release said he was leaving “as a joint decision”.

New Product Introduction

In September, Domino's introduced its chicken-focused product line – which Rennie called a “significant new phase” for the organization – and is trialling it in 210 outlets in the North West region and Northern Ireland.

While the firm is still planning to expand it across its extensive network next year as planned, it regards chicken products as a supplement for its main pizza offerings.

Board Statement

Ian Bull, the company chairman, commented: “Directors think that there are a number of opportunities to drive further growth and performance improvement in Domino's core business. We are concentrating on selecting the ideal CEO to oversee the disciplined execution of that growth strategy.”

Market Challenges

Earlier this month, the pizza delivery giant, which has millions of users in the UK and Ireland, said sales dipped by one and a half percent in the third quarter. In the summer, it cautioned that the food delivery sector had “grown more challenging” as it blamed reduced spending in the period before the budget and rising wage costs for weaker-than-expected sales and a 15 percent decline in interim earnings.

Rival chains are also struggling. Pizza Hut disclosed the closure of dozens of outlets a month ago, after the business behind its outlets entered insolvency.

Wellness Initiatives

Responding to market shifts towards better nutrition, the company has launched reduced-calorie items, such as its thin-crust selection of bakes below 400 kcals as well as meat-free and allergy-friendly pizzas. A family-sized pepperoni has over 2,300 kcal. A large cheese and tomato pizza has 2,171, while a individual has 909 kcal.

Acting Leadership

Frampton has been with the company since 2021, and had a background at the betting firm a well-known operator. It is believed that she does not want to assume the chief executive role long-term.

She commented: “We have a several active development and efficiency programs that we will be dedicated to implementing at speed.”

Frampton noted these involved ongoing development on the company's procurement system and new item creation, and its loyalty scheme.

The pizza chain is also in need of a long-term CFO until March 16, when a new appointee starts from the Irish cider and beer maker a well-known firm. Until then, Snow acts as temporary CFO.