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A head of the UK's Domino's Pizza chain who suggested the UK might have reached peak pizza while diversifying the chain into fried chicken has been removed after disagreements with its directors.

Executive Transition

Rennie is exiting after a brief tenure in the top role, and will be succeeded on an acting basis by the company's chief operating officer, Frampton, while the pizza giant searches for a new leader.

The outgoing executive, who worked for Domino's for over 20 years, had attempted to pivot the UK's largest pizza delivery company towards poultry-based products, commenting recently there was not “significant expansion” left in the pizza sector in the UK. He said chicken was the quickest rising protein in the globe.

Governance Disagreements

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

Recent Product Launch

In the autumn, the chain launched its chicken-focused offering – which the former chief referred to as a “bold new chapter” for the group – and is trialling it in select stores in the North West region and the province.

While the business is still planning to expand it across its almost 1,400 stores in 2026 as intended, it views fried chicken as complementary to its main pizza offerings.

Board Statement

The Domino's chair, the Domino's chairman, said: “The board believes that there are a series of prospects to enhance value and performance improvement in our primary operations. We are focused on finding the ideal CEO to oversee the systematic rollout of that growth strategy.”

Industry Difficulties

Recently, the pizza delivery giant, which has 13 million customers in the UK and Ireland, said sales fell by one and a half percent in the third quarter. In August, it alerted that the quick-service industry had “become tougher” as it blamed reduced spending in the lead-up to the budget and rising wage costs for weaker-than-expected sales and a 15% drop in half-year profits.

Other pizza operators are also struggling. Another major chain announced the closure of 68 restaurants a month ago, after the company behind its outlets faced financial collapse.

Wellness Efforts

Adapting to customer preferences towards better nutrition, the company has rolled out lower-calorie products, such as its light base selection of bakes below 400 calories as well as vegan and gluten-free options. A large pepperoni pizza has over 2,300 kcal. A big margherita has 2,171 kcal, while a individual has under 1,000 calories.

Acting Leadership

Frampton has been with Domino's since 2021, and previously worked for the gambling company a well-known operator. It is understood that she prefers not to assume the CEO position permanently.

She said: “We have a several active expansion and efficiency programs that we will be focused on implementing at speed.”

She said these involved additional efforts on the company's procurement system and new item creation, and its customer retention initiative.

Domino's is also lacking a long-term chief financial officer until the spring, when a new appointee comes aboard from the drinks company a well-known firm. Until then, Richard Snow is interim finance chief.