🔗 Share this article

A boss of the UK's Domino's Pizza chain who suggested the UK might have hit maximum pizza demand while expanding the company into poultry items has been replaced after tensions with its directors.

Executive Change

Andrew Rennie is exiting after a brief tenure in leadership, and will be succeeded on an temporary basis by the company's chief operating officer, Frampton, while Domino's looks for a new leader.

The outgoing executive, who served at Domino's for more than two decades, had sought to shift Britain's leading pizza delivery company towards chicken offerings, remarking in a recent interview there was not “huge potential” left in the pizza sector in the UK. He noted poultry was the most rapidly expanding protein in the globe.

Governance Disagreements

Reports indicate that there was disagreement between Rennie and the board over his focus and business vision, although Domino's announcement said he was leaving “through mutual consent”.

Recent Brand Introduction

In the autumn, the chain launched its poultry brand – which the former chief described as a “bold new chapter” for the organization – and is piloting it in select stores in the north-west of England and the province.

While the firm is still going to roll it out across its nearly 1,400 branches in the coming year as intended, it views chicken products as complementary to its core pizza business.

Leadership Comment

The Domino's chair, the Domino's chairman, stated: “The board believes that there are a range of possibilities to drive further growth and profitability in Domino's core business. We are focused on selecting the suitable leader to direct the disciplined execution of that development approach.”

Industry Difficulties

Earlier this month, the pizza delivery giant, which has 13 million customers in the UK and Ireland, said transactions declined by 1.5% in the third quarter. In the summer, it alerted that the quick-service industry had “become tougher” as it attributed weaker consumer confidence in the run-up to the budget and increasing labor expenses for disappointing revenue and a 15 percent decline in interim earnings.

Rival chains are also facing challenges. Another major chain disclosed the closure of 68 restaurants a month ago, after the business behind its British operations entered insolvency.

Wellness Initiatives

Adapting to customer preferences towards balanced diets, the company has introduced light items, such as its thin-crust selection of bakes below 400 kcal as well as meat-free and wheat-free options. A family-sized pepperoni has 2,311 kcals. A big margherita has 2,171 kcal, while a small has 909 calories.

Acting Management

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

She commented: “Our team has a multiple active expansion and efficiency programs that we will be concentrating on carrying out at speed.”

Frampton noted these comprised ongoing development on the organization's supply chain and new item creation, and its rewards program.

Domino's is also without a permanent CFO until March 16, when Andrea starts from the beverage producer C&C Group. Until then, Snow is temporary CFO.