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A boss of Domino's Pizza Group who suggested the United Kingdom might have reached pizza saturation while diversifying the company into chicken products has been ousted after tensions with its directors.

Leadership Shake-Up

The former CEO is leaving after just two years in the top role, and will be succeeded on an interim basis by the company's operations head, Frampton, while Domino's looks for a permanent CEO.

Rennie, who served at the company for over 20 years, had sought to shift the UK's leading pizza takeaway chain towards poultry-based products, stating earlier this month there was not “massive growth” left in the UK's pizza market. He noted poultry was the fastest-growing menu item in the international market.

Board Tensions

Sources suggest that there was disagreement between the CEO and the directors over his strategy and direction, although the company's release said he was stepping down “through mutual consent”.

New Product Introduction

In the autumn, Domino's launched its poultry product line – which Rennie described as a “bold new chapter” for the group – and is trialling it in over 200 locations in the north-west of England and the province.

While the firm is still planning to expand it across its nearly 1,400 branches in 2026 as scheduled, it considers chicken products as an addition to its core pizza business.

Leadership Statement

Bull, the company chairman, stated: “Directors think that there are a range of possibilities to drive further growth and performance improvement in the main pizza segment. We are concentrating on selecting the right chief executive to direct the careful implementation of that development approach.”

Market Challenges

Recently, the pizza delivery giant, which has millions of users in the British Isles, said transactions fell by 1.5% in the third quarter. In August, it alerted that the food delivery sector had “intensified” as it blamed reduced spending in the lead-up to the government announcement and higher payroll outlays for below-target performance and a 15% drop in six-month income.

Competitors are also facing challenges. Pizza Hut revealed the shutting of 68 restaurants a last month, after the business behind its outlets faced financial collapse.

Health Efforts

Adapting to market shifts towards healthier eating, the company has introduced light items, such as its light base range of pizzas below 400 kcal as well as vegan and wheat-free options. A large pepperoni pizza has over 2,300 kcal. A family cheese pizza has over 2,100, while a personal has under 1,000 calories.

Acting Management

The interim chief has been with the company since the recent past, and previously worked for the betting firm William Hill. It is thought that she is not seeking to occupy the chief executive role permanently.

She commented: “We have a multiple current expansion and efficiency programs that we will be focused on carrying out at speed.”

She added these involved ongoing development on the organization's procurement system and product development, and its loyalty scheme.

The pizza chain is also without a full-time finance director until 16 March, when a new appointee starts from the beverage producer C&C Group. For now, Richard Snow serves as acting financial officer.