🔗 Share this article

The head of Domino's Pizza Group who proposed the United Kingdom might have reached peak pizza while broadening the company into chicken products has been ousted after disagreements with its governing body.

Leadership Transition

Rennie is exiting after only 24 months in leadership, and will be succeeded on an interim basis by the organization's operations head, Nicola Frampton, while the pizza giant searches for a new leader.

The outgoing executive, who worked for the company for over 20 years, had attempted to pivot the UK's biggest pizza delivery company towards fried chicken, stating recently there was not “massive growth” left in the pizza sector in the UK. He observed chicken was the fastest-growing protein in the world.

Governance Disagreements

Reports indicate that there was tension between Rennie and the governance team over his approach and management style, although Domino's official statement said he was stepping down “by mutual agreement”.

Recent Product Introduction

In September, Domino's launched its Chick 'N' Dip brand – which Rennie called 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 company is still planning to expand it across its nearly 1,400 branches in the coming year as intended, it regards fried chicken as a supplement for its core pizza business.

Leadership Comment

The Domino's chair, the Domino's chairman, said: “We are confident that there are a series of prospects to boost expansion and performance improvement in our primary operations. We are prioritizing identifying the right chief executive to lead the disciplined execution of that development approach.”

Industry Difficulties

Earlier this month, Domino's, which has 13 million customers in the British Isles, said orders dipped by one and a half percent in the latest quarter. In the summer, it cautioned that the food delivery sector had “become tougher” as it blamed reduced spending in the run-up to the budget and higher payroll outlays for weaker-than-expected sales and a significant fall in interim earnings.

Other pizza operators are also struggling. Pizza Hut announced the closure of 68 restaurants a month ago, after the business behind its British operations entered insolvency.

Wellness Efforts

Responding to market shifts towards better nutrition, the company has launched light options, such as its thin-crust line of bakes below 400 kcals as well as meat-free and wheat-free options. A large pepperoni pizza has over 2,300 kcal. A large cheese and tomato pizza has over 2,100, while a personal has under 1,000 calories.

Acting Management

Frampton has been with Domino's since 2021, and had a background at the gaming group William Hill. It is believed that she prefers not to take on the chief executive role on a full-time basis.

She commented: “The company has a several active development and performance initiatives that we will be dedicated to implementing at pace.”

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

The pizza chain is also in need of a full-time chief financial officer until the spring, when a new appointee starts from the Irish cider and beer maker a well-known firm. For now, Snow is acting financial officer.