🔗 Share this article

The boss of Domino's Pizza Group who indicated the UK might have reached peak pizza while diversifying the franchise into poultry items has been replaced after conflicts with its board.

Leadership Change

The former CEO is departing after a brief tenure in charge, and will be succeeded on an temporary basis by the organization's operations head, Nicola Frampton, while the pizza giant seeks a long-term chief.

Rennie, who worked for Domino's for over 20 years, had sought to pivot Britain's largest pizza takeaway chain towards poultry-based products, remarking recently there was not “significant expansion” left in the British pizza industry. He said poultry was the fastest-growing protein in the world.

Governance Disagreements

It is understood that there was disagreement between Rennie and the board over his strategy and management style, although Domino's announcement said he was leaving “as a joint decision”.

New Brand Launch

In September, Domino's launched its Chick 'N' Dip product line – which the former chief described as a “significant new phase” for the organization – and is testing it in over 200 locations in the North West region and the province.

While the company is still intending to launch it across its nearly 1,400 branches in the coming year as intended, it considers fried chicken as a supplement for its core pizza business.

Leadership Statement

Bull, the Domino's chair, said: “The board believes that there are a number of opportunities to drive further growth and performance improvement in the main pizza segment. We are prioritizing finding the suitable leader to lead the careful implementation of that expansion plan.”

Industry Difficulties

Recently, the pizza delivery giant, which has 13 million customers in the British Isles, said orders declined by 1.5% in the Q3. In the summer, it alerted that the food delivery sector had “intensified” as it blamed economic uncertainty in the period before the budget and increasing labor expenses for weaker-than-expected sales and a 15% drop in half-year profits.

Competitors are also experiencing difficulties. Pizza Hut disclosed the shutting of multiple locations a month ago, after the company behind its British operations faced financial collapse.

Wellness Efforts

Adapting to consumer trends towards balanced diets, Domino's has launched reduced-calorie products, such as its Thin & Crispy range of pizzas below 400 calories as well as plant-based and wheat-free options. A big pepperoni bake has 2,311 kcals. A large cheese and tomato pizza has 2,171, while a small has 909 kcal.

Acting Management

Frampton has been with the company since 2021, and had a background at the betting firm a well-known operator. It is understood that she does not want to take on the CEO position permanently.

She commented: “Our team has a number of current expansion and efficiency programs that we will be dedicated to executing at speed.”

She said these involved ongoing development on the company's procurement system and new item creation, and its loyalty scheme.

The pizza chain is also lacking a long-term CFO until 16 March, when Andrea starts from the drinks company a well-known firm. For now, Richard Snow is temporary CFO.