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The chief executive of Domino's Pizza Group who proposed the United Kingdom might have hit peak pizza while expanding the company into fried chicken has been removed after conflicts with its directors.

Executive Change

Andrew Rennie is leaving after only 24 months in leadership, and will be replaced on an temporary basis by the company's operations head, Nicola Frampton, while Domino's seeks a new leader.

The outgoing executive, who worked for Domino's for over 20 years, had aimed to pivot Britain's largest pizza delivery company towards fried chicken, commenting recently there was not “significant expansion” left in the UK's pizza market. He said chicken was the fastest-growing menu item in the world.

Board Friction

Sources suggest that there was disagreement between the CEO and the governance team over his approach and business vision, although the company's official statement said he was stepping down “as a joint decision”.

Recent Product Launch

In September, Domino's unveiled its Chick 'N' Dip brand – which Rennie referred to as a “bold new chapter” for the organization – and is piloting it in 210 outlets in the North West region and Northern Ireland.

While the firm is still going to roll it out across its nearly 1,400 branches in the coming year as intended, it considers fried chicken as complementary to its primary pizza operations.

Leadership Statement

The Domino's chair, the Domino's chairman, stated: “Directors think that there are a range of possibilities to enhance value and value creation in Domino's core business. We are prioritizing selecting the right chief executive to oversee the disciplined execution of that expansion plan.”

Industry Difficulties

Earlier this month, the pizza delivery giant, which has 13 million customers in the British Isles, said sales fell by 1.5 percent in the third quarter. In the summer, it warned that the takeaway market had “grown more challenging” as it blamed reduced spending in the period before the budget and higher payroll outlays for disappointing revenue and a 15 percent decline in interim earnings.

Other pizza operators are also struggling. Pizza Hut disclosed the closing of 68 restaurants a last month, after the company behind its British operations faced financial collapse.

Health Efforts

Trying to keep up with customer preferences towards healthier eating, Domino's has introduced light products, such as its light base range of pizzas below 400 calories as well as meat-free and wheat-free pizzas. A big pepperoni bake has over 2,300 kcal. A big margherita has over 2,100, while a personal has 909 kcal.

Acting Management

Nicola Frampton has been with Domino's since 2021, and was formerly with the betting firm a well-known operator. It is believed that she prefers not to take on the top job permanently.

She commented: “Our team has a multiple active development and performance initiatives that we will be dedicated to carrying out at speed.”

She added these comprised ongoing development on the company's procurement system and product development, and its customer retention initiative.

Domino's is also lacking a permanent CFO until 16 March, when a new appointee starts from the drinks company C&C Group. In the meantime, Richard Snow is temporary CFO.