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A head of the UK's Domino's Pizza chain who suggested the United Kingdom might have reached pizza saturation while broadening the franchise into poultry items has been replaced after tensions with its governing body.

Leadership Shake-Up

Rennie is departing after a brief tenure in the top role, and will be succeeded on an acting basis by the company's chief operating officer, Nicola Frampton, while Domino's seeks a new leader.

Rennie, who served at Domino's for a substantial period, had sought to shift Britain's largest pizza food delivery firm towards chicken offerings, remarking in a recent interview there was not “significant expansion” left in the UK's pizza market. He said chicken was the most rapidly expanding protein in the world.

Board Tensions

Sources suggest that there was disagreement between Rennie and the board over his focus and management style, although the company's announcement said he was leaving “by mutual agreement”.

New Product Introduction

In September, Domino's unveiled its Chick 'N' Dip product line – which Rennie called a “major strategic shift” for the company – and is trialling it in 210 outlets in the north-west of England and the province.

While the firm is still intending to launch it across its extensive network in 2026 as planned, it views fried chicken as an addition to its main pizza offerings.

Board Statement

Ian Bull, the company chair, said: “Directors think that there are a range of possibilities to enhance value and performance improvement in Domino's core business. We are concentrating on identifying the ideal CEO to lead the systematic rollout of that expansion plan.”

Industry Difficulties

In the latest update, the pizza delivery giant, which has millions of users in the UK and Ireland, said orders fell by 1.5 percent in the latest quarter. In August, it warned that the quick-service industry had “become tougher” as it blamed weaker consumer confidence in the lead-up to the government announcement and increasing labor expenses for below-target performance and a 15% drop in half-year profits.

Competitors are also experiencing difficulties. Another major chain disclosed the closure of dozens of outlets a recently, after the firm behind its outlets entered insolvency.

Wellness Efforts

Trying to keep up with customer preferences towards balanced diets, the company has launched reduced-calorie products, such as its light base selection of pizzas below 400 kcals as well as meat-free and wheat-free options. A large pepperoni pizza has 2,311 calories. A big margherita has 2,171, while a individual has under 1,000 calories.

Acting Management

The interim chief has been with the company since 2021, and was formerly with the gaming group William Hill. It is understood that she prefers not to assume the CEO position long-term.

Frampton stated: “Our team has a multiple ongoing expansion and performance initiatives that we will be concentrating on executing at speed.”

She said these comprised ongoing development on the company's supply chain and menu innovation, and its loyalty scheme.

The pizza chain is also lacking a permanent chief financial officer until the spring, when Andy Andrea comes aboard from the drinks company C&C Group. In the meantime, Snow is interim finance chief.