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The boss of Domino's Pizza Group who indicated the United Kingdom might have reached maximum pizza demand while broadening the company into fried chicken has been replaced after disagreements with its governing body.

Executive Shake-Up

Andrew Rennie is departing after a brief tenure in leadership, and will be replaced on an acting basis by the organization's operations head, Frampton, while Domino's looks for a permanent CEO.

Rennie, who was with the company for a substantial period, had sought to pivot the UK's leading pizza food delivery firm towards fried chicken, remarking earlier this month there was not “significant expansion” left in the British pizza industry. He observed poultry was the most rapidly expanding protein in the world.

Governance Friction

Reports indicate that there was tension between the CEO and the board over his approach and direction, although the company's release said he was departing “through mutual consent”.

New Brand Introduction

In September, Domino's unveiled its Chick 'N' Dip product line – which the former chief described as a “bold new chapter” for the group – and is trialling it in 210 outlets in the North West region and the province.

While the company is still intending to launch it across its extensive network in 2026 as intended, it considers fried chicken as a supplement for its core pizza business.

Board Comment

Bull, the company chairman, commented: “We are confident that there are a series of prospects to drive further growth and profitability in our primary operations. We are focused on finding the suitable leader to lead the systematic rollout of that growth strategy.”

Market Challenges

In the latest update, Domino's, which has a substantial customer base in the British Isles, said sales fell by 1.5% in the Q3. In the summer, it warned that the quick-service industry had “grown more challenging” as it attributed reduced spending in the period before the budget and higher payroll outlays for weaker-than-expected sales and a 15% drop in half-year profits.

Competitors are also experiencing difficulties. Pizza Hut announced the closing of multiple locations a last month, after the business behind its outlets entered insolvency.

Health Initiatives

Adapting to customer preferences towards balanced diets, Domino's has rolled out reduced-calorie items, such as its light base selection of pizzas below 400 kcal as well as meat-free and gluten-free options. A family-sized pepperoni has over 2,300 kcal. A family cheese pizza has over 2,100, while a small has 909 calories.

Acting Leadership

The interim chief has been with the company since the recent past, and previously worked for the gambling company a well-known operator. It is understood that she prefers not to occupy the chief executive role permanently.

She said: “Our team has a number of ongoing development and performance initiatives that we will be dedicated to carrying out at a rapid rate.”

She said these involved further work on the company's procurement system and product development, and its loyalty scheme.

The pizza chain is also lacking a full-time chief financial officer until March 16, when Andy Andrea comes aboard from the Irish cider and beer maker a well-known firm. In the meantime, Richard Snow is temporary CFO.