Peak Pizza? Domino's Chief Executive Steps Down Following Shift Into Chicken.

A head of Domino's Pizza Group who indicated the United Kingdom might have reached pizza saturation while broadening the franchise into fried chicken has been ousted after conflicts with its governing body.

Executive Shake-Up

Andrew Rennie is departing after only 24 months in the top role, and will be succeeded on an acting basis by the company's chief operating officer, Frampton, while Domino's searches for a permanent CEO.

The outgoing executive, who worked for the company for more than two decades, had attempted to shift Britain's biggest pizza takeaway chain towards fried chicken, stating recently there was not “huge potential” left in the British pizza industry. He noted poultry was the fastest-growing menu item in the world.

Governance Disagreements

It is understood that there was tension between Rennie and the governance team over his focus and direction, although the company's announcement said he was stepping down “through mutual consent”.

Recent Product Introduction

In September, the chain introduced its poultry offering – which the former chief described as a “significant new phase” for the group – and is testing it in over 200 locations in the north-west of England and Northern Ireland.

While the business is still intending to launch it across its almost 1,400 stores in the coming year as scheduled, it regards fried chicken as complementary to its primary pizza operations.

Board Statement

The Domino's chair, the company chairman, commented: “We are confident that there are a number of opportunities to boost expansion and performance improvement in Domino's core business. We are focused on identifying the ideal CEO to lead the systematic rollout of that development approach.”

Market Difficulties

Earlier this month, the pizza delivery giant, which has 13 million customers in the UK and Ireland, said sales dipped by one and a half percent in the latest quarter. In August, it alerted that the takeaway market had “become tougher” as it blamed economic uncertainty in the run-up to the government announcement and higher payroll outlays for weaker-than-expected sales and a 15 percent decline in interim earnings.

Rival chains are also experiencing difficulties. Pizza Hut disclosed the closure of 68 restaurants a recently, after the company behind its British operations fell into administration.

Health Efforts

Adapting to customer preferences towards balanced diets, the company has introduced lower-calorie products, such as its Thin & Crispy line of pizzas below 400 kcal as well as plant-based and wheat-free options. A family-sized pepperoni has 2,311 kcals. A large cheese and tomato pizza has 2,171, while a personal has under 1,000 calories.

Acting Leadership

Frampton has been with Domino's since 2021, and was formerly with the betting firm William Hill. It is understood that she prefers not to occupy the CEO position long-term.

She commented: “Our team has a multiple active development and efficiency programs that we will be dedicated to implementing at speed.”

Frampton noted these comprised ongoing development on the organization's logistics network and menu innovation, and its loyalty scheme.

Domino's is also without a full-time chief financial officer until March 16, when Andrea comes aboard from the drinks company C&C Group. For now, Snow acts as temporary CFO.