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The head of Domino's Pizza Group who indicated the UK might have reached maximum pizza demand while broadening the company into chicken products has been removed after conflicts with its directors.

Leadership Change

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

Rennie, who was with Domino's for over 20 years, had sought to pivot the UK's largest pizza food delivery firm towards poultry-based products, remarking earlier this month there was not “huge potential” left in the British pizza industry. He said chicken was the quickest rising food category in the globe.

Governance Disagreements

Sources suggest that there was friction between the CEO and the governance team over his focus and business vision, although the company's official statement said he was stepping down “through mutual consent”.

New Product Introduction

In September, Domino's introduced its poultry offering – which the former chief referred to as a “significant new phase” for the company – and is trialling it in 210 outlets in the north-west of England and Northern Ireland.

While the firm is still planning to expand it across its almost 1,400 stores in 2026 as intended, it views chicken products as a supplement for its main pizza offerings.

Leadership Statement

The Domino's chair, the company chair, said: “Directors think that there are a number of opportunities to boost expansion and value creation in Domino's core business. We are concentrating on identifying the right chief executive to oversee the careful implementation of that development approach.”

Market Challenges

In the latest update, the pizza delivery giant, which has 13 million customers in the British Isles, said orders declined by 1.5% in the third quarter. In August, it cautioned that the food delivery sector had “grown more challenging” as it attributed weaker consumer confidence in the period before the budget and higher payroll outlays for weaker-than-expected sales and a significant fall in interim earnings.

Competitors are also facing challenges. Another major chain revealed the closure of multiple locations a last month, after the firm behind its UK venues faced financial collapse.

Wellness Initiatives

Adapting to market shifts towards healthier eating, Domino's has launched reduced-calorie items, such as its light base range of pizzas below 400 kcals as well as meat-free and allergy-friendly options. A family-sized pepperoni has 2,311 calories. A large cheese and tomato pizza has over 2,100, while a small has under 1,000 calories.

Acting Leadership

The interim chief has been with the company since 2021, and had a background at the betting firm William Hill. It is believed that she is not seeking to take on the chief executive role long-term.

She commented: “The company has a number of current development and operational projects that we will be focused on carrying out at speed.”

She said these involved further work on the organization's logistics network and product development, and its loyalty scheme.

Domino's is also without a permanent finance director until 16 March, when Andrea starts from the Irish cider and beer maker C&C Group. In the meantime, Richard Snow serves as interim finance chief.