The head of Domino's Pizza Group who suggested the United Kingdom might have hit peak pizza while expanding the franchise into chicken products has been removed after disagreements with its board.
Rennie is departing after only 24 months in leadership, and will be succeeded on an acting basis by the company's operations head, Nicola Frampton, while Domino's seeks a long-term chief.
Rennie, who was with the company for more than two decades, had sought to redirect the UK's leading pizza takeaway chain towards poultry-based products, stating earlier this month there was not “significant expansion” left in the British pizza industry. He said chicken was the quickest rising menu item in the globe.
Reports indicate that there was disagreement between Rennie and the directors over his focus and management style, although the company's release said he was leaving “as a joint decision”.
In September, Domino's unveiled its chicken-focused brand – which the former chief referred to as a “major strategic shift” for the group – and is testing it in over 200 locations in the North West region and the province.
While the business is still intending to launch it across its almost 1,400 stores in 2026 as intended, it considers chicken products as a supplement for its core pizza business.
Ian Bull, the Domino's chair, said: “The board believes that there are a range of possibilities to boost expansion and profitability in Domino's core business. We are prioritizing selecting the ideal CEO to direct the disciplined execution of that expansion plan.”
In the latest update, Domino's, which has 13 million customers in the British Isles, said sales dipped by one and a half percent in the latest quarter. In the summer, it cautioned that the quick-service industry had “become tougher” as it attributed reduced spending in the lead-up to the budget and higher payroll outlays for below-target performance and a significant fall in interim earnings.
Other pizza operators are also struggling. Pizza Hut announced the closure of multiple locations a month ago, after the firm behind its outlets fell into administration.
Trying to keep up with customer preferences towards better nutrition, Domino's has introduced lower-calorie items, such as its light base range of bakes below 400 kcal as well as plant-based and gluten-free options. A big pepperoni bake has over 2,300 kcal. A family cheese pizza has 2,171 kcal, while a small has 909 kcal.
Frampton has been with the company since the recent past, and previously worked for the gaming group William Hill. It is understood that she is not seeking to take on the top job permanently.
Frampton stated: “Our team has a several ongoing growth and performance initiatives that we will be dedicated to implementing at pace.”
She said these included further work on the organization's supply chain and menu innovation, and its customer retention initiative.
The pizza chain is also lacking a full-time CFO until March 16, when Andy Andrea comes aboard from the drinks company C&C Group. Until then, Snow acts as interim finance chief.
