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A chief executive of the UK's Domino's Pizza chain who indicated the UK might have hit maximum pizza demand while broadening the chain into fried chicken has been ousted after disagreements with its board.

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 operations head, Nicola Frampton, while the pizza giant searches for a permanent CEO.

Rennie, who was with Domino's for over 20 years, had sought to redirect the UK's biggest pizza food delivery firm towards fried chicken, 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 world.

Governance Disagreements

Sources suggest that there was friction between the CEO and the directors over his approach and direction, although the company's announcement said he was stepping down “by mutual agreement”.

Recent Product Launch

In the autumn, the chain introduced its Chick 'N' Dip product line – which Rennie described as a “bold new chapter” for the company – and is piloting it in select stores in the North West region and Northern Ireland.

While the business is still going to roll it out across its nearly 1,400 branches in 2026 as intended, it regards chicken products as an addition to its main pizza offerings.

Leadership Comment

The Domino's chair, the company chairman, commented: “The board believes that there are a number of opportunities to enhance value and value creation in our primary operations. We are focused on identifying the suitable leader to direct the systematic rollout of that growth strategy.”

Industry Difficulties

In the latest update, Domino's, which has 13 million customers in the UK and Ireland, said transactions dipped by 1.5 percent in the Q3. In August, it alerted that the quick-service industry had “grown more challenging” as it blamed reduced spending in the period before the government announcement and rising wage costs for disappointing revenue and a significant fall in interim earnings.

Rival chains are also facing challenges. Pizza Hut disclosed the closing of 68 restaurants a last month, after the company behind its outlets fell into administration.

Health Initiatives

Adapting to consumer trends towards better nutrition, the company has rolled out lower-calorie options, such as its light base selection of bakes below 400 kcals as well as vegan and allergy-friendly options. A family-sized pepperoni has over 2,300 kcal. A family cheese pizza has 2,171, while a individual has under 1,000 calories.

Acting Management

Nicola Frampton has been with Domino's since the recent past, and had a background at the betting firm a well-known operator. It is understood that she is not seeking to take on the top job on a full-time basis.

Frampton stated: “Our team has a multiple active growth and performance initiatives that we will be focused on carrying out at pace.”

She said these included further work on the company's procurement system and new item creation, and its loyalty scheme.

The pizza chain is also without a permanent chief financial officer until 16 March, when a new appointee starts from the Irish cider and beer maker a well-known firm. Until then, Snow acts as interim finance chief.