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The boss of the UK's Domino's Pizza chain who suggested the United Kingdom might have reached peak pizza while broadening the company into poultry items has been ousted after disagreements with its board.

Executive Change

Andrew Rennie is leaving after just two years in charge, and will be replaced on an acting basis by the company's chief operating officer, Frampton, while the pizza giant looks for a long-term chief.

The outgoing executive, who served at the company for over 20 years, had attempted to shift Britain's biggest pizza delivery company towards poultry-based products, commenting recently there was not “significant expansion” left in the UK's pizza market. He said poultry was the quickest rising protein in the international market.

Governance Tensions

It is understood that there was friction between Rennie and the governance team over his focus and business vision, although Domino's official statement said he was stepping down “as a joint decision”.

Recent Brand Launch

In September, Domino's launched its chicken-focused brand – which Rennie described as a “significant new phase” for the organization – and is testing it in select stores in the north-west of England and Northern Ireland.

While the firm is still intending to launch it across its extensive network next year as planned, it views fried chicken as complementary to its core pizza business.

Leadership Statement

Bull, the company chairman, stated: “Directors think that there are a series of prospects to drive further growth and value creation in Domino's core business. We are focused on identifying the suitable leader to oversee the careful implementation of that growth strategy.”

Market Challenges

In the latest update, the pizza delivery giant, which has 13 million customers in the British Isles, said transactions declined by 1.5 percent in the Q3. In the summer, it alerted that the food delivery sector had “grown more challenging” as it attributed reduced spending in the run-up to the budget and rising wage costs for below-target performance and a significant fall in interim earnings.

Other pizza operators are also experiencing difficulties. Pizza Hut announced the closure of 68 restaurants a last month, after the company behind its British operations fell into administration.

Health Initiatives

Trying to keep up with consumer trends towards healthier eating, the company has launched light products, such as its Thin & Crispy range of pizzas below 400 kcal as well as plant-based and gluten-free pizzas. A large pepperoni pizza has 2,311 kcals. A family cheese pizza has 2,171 kcal, while a small has under 1,000 calories.

Acting Leadership

The interim chief has been with the company since 2021, and was formerly with the betting firm William Hill. It is believed that she does not want 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 a rapid rate.”

She said these comprised further work on the company's procurement system and product development, and its rewards program.

The pizza chain is also in need of a long-term CFO until the spring, when Andy Andrea comes aboard from the drinks company C&C Group. Until then, Snow is temporary CFO.