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The chief executive of the UK's Domino's Pizza chain who suggested the United Kingdom might have hit maximum pizza demand while expanding the franchise into fried chicken has been removed after conflicts with its directors.

Leadership Change

Andrew Rennie is leaving after just two years in the top role, and will be succeeded on an interim basis by the company's chief operating officer, Frampton, while Domino's looks for a long-term chief.

Rennie, who served at the company for more than two decades, had aimed to redirect Britain's leading pizza delivery company towards chicken offerings, commenting recently there was not “significant expansion” left in the UK's pizza market. He said poultry was the most rapidly expanding menu item in the globe.

Board Friction

Sources suggest that there was friction between the CEO and the governance team over his approach and direction, although the company's release said he was departing “as a joint decision”.

Recent Brand Launch

In the autumn, the chain introduced its chicken-focused brand – which the former chief described as a “major strategic shift” for the organization – and is trialling it in over 200 locations in the North West region and Northern Ireland.

While the company is still intending to launch it across its extensive network in 2026 as intended, it regards fried chicken as a supplement for its main pizza offerings.

Leadership Statement

The Domino's chair, the Domino's chair, stated: “The board believes that there are a number of opportunities to boost expansion and value creation in the main pizza segment. We are concentrating on selecting the suitable leader to lead the disciplined execution of that growth strategy.”

Market Challenges

In the latest update, Domino's, which has millions of users in the UK and Ireland, said sales fell by one and a half percent in the Q3. In August, it warned that the food delivery sector had “intensified” as it blamed weaker consumer confidence in the run-up to the budget and rising wage costs for weaker-than-expected sales and a 15% drop in half-year profits.

Rival chains are also facing challenges. Another major chain announced the closure of dozens of outlets a last month, after the company behind its outlets entered insolvency.

Health Efforts

Adapting to consumer trends towards better nutrition, Domino's has rolled out reduced-calorie products, such as its thin-crust line of bakes below 400 kcal as well as plant-based and gluten-free options. A large pepperoni pizza has 2,311 calories. A big margherita has over 2,100, while a personal has under 1,000 calories.

Interim Management

Frampton has been with the company since 2021, and had a background at the betting firm William Hill. It is thought that she prefers not to take on the top job long-term.

She said: “The company has a multiple ongoing expansion and operational projects that we will be concentrating on carrying out at pace.”

She said these comprised ongoing development on the organization's supply chain and menu innovation, and its customer retention initiative.

Domino's is also lacking a permanent CFO until the spring, when Andy Andrea comes aboard from the drinks company C&C Group. Until then, Snow is interim finance chief.