🔗 Share this article

A head of Domino's Pizza Group who indicated the UK might have hit pizza saturation while broadening the company into fried chicken has been replaced after conflicts with its directors.

Executive Transition

Andrew Rennie is departing after a brief tenure in leadership, and will be replaced on an temporary basis by the organization's chief operating officer, Nicola Frampton, while the pizza giant seeks a long-term chief.

Rennie, who was with the company for more than two decades, had sought to redirect Britain's leading pizza takeaway chain towards fried chicken, stating recently there was not “huge potential” left in the British pizza industry. He noted chicken was the fastest-growing food category in the world.

Board Friction

It is understood that there was friction between Rennie and the board over his strategy and management style, although the company's official statement said he was leaving “through mutual consent”.

New Brand Launch

In the autumn, Domino's introduced its chicken-focused brand – which Rennie referred to as a “significant new phase” for the group – and is testing it in 210 outlets in the north-west of England and the province.

While the business is still intending to launch it across its nearly 1,400 branches in 2026 as scheduled, it considers chicken products as an addition to its primary pizza operations.

Board Comment

Ian Bull, the company chairman, stated: “The board believes that there are a range of possibilities to boost expansion and performance improvement in our primary operations. We are prioritizing finding the right chief executive to oversee the disciplined execution of that expansion plan.”

Industry Challenges

Earlier this month, the pizza delivery giant, which has millions of users in the British Isles, 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 reduced spending in the run-up to the government announcement and higher payroll outlays for below-target performance and a 15 percent decline in half-year profits.

Other pizza operators are also struggling. Pizza Hut disclosed the closure of dozens of outlets a last month, after the business behind its UK venues fell into administration.

Wellness Initiatives

Adapting to customer preferences towards better nutrition, Domino's has introduced lower-calorie options, such as its Thin & Crispy range of bakes below 400 kcal as well as vegan and allergy-friendly pizzas. A family-sized pepperoni has 2,311 kcals. A family cheese pizza has 2,171, while a individual has under 1,000 calories.

Interim Management

The interim chief has been with Domino's 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 CEO position permanently.

She said: “We have a number of ongoing expansion and efficiency programs that we will be focused on implementing at a rapid rate.”

Frampton noted these included additional efforts on the organization's procurement system and product development, and its customer retention initiative.

Domino's is also without a long-term CFO until 16 March, when Andrea starts from the beverage producer a well-known firm. For now, Snow is interim finance chief.