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The head of the UK's Domino's Pizza chain who suggested the United Kingdom might have hit pizza saturation while diversifying the chain into poultry items has been removed after tensions with its board.

Leadership Shake-Up

Andrew Rennie is departing after a brief tenure in leadership, and will be replaced on an acting basis by the company's chief operating officer, Frampton, while the pizza giant seeks a new leader.

The outgoing executive, who was with the company for a substantial period, had sought to pivot Britain's leading pizza food delivery firm towards fried chicken, remarking earlier this month there was not “massive growth” left in the UK's pizza market. He observed poultry was the fastest-growing protein in the globe.

Board Tensions

Sources suggest that there was disagreement between Rennie and the governance team over his focus and management style, although Domino's release said he was departing “as a joint decision”.

New Brand Launch

In the autumn, the chain launched its Chick 'N' Dip brand – which Rennie called a “major strategic shift” for the company – and is trialling it in select stores in the North West region and Northern Ireland.

While the business is still intending to launch it across its almost 1,400 stores in 2026 as scheduled, it regards chicken products as an addition to its main pizza offerings.

Leadership Statement

The Domino's chair, the company chairman, said: “The board believes that there are a range of possibilities to drive further growth and profitability in our primary operations. We are focused on finding the suitable leader to oversee the careful implementation of that growth strategy.”

Market Difficulties

Recently, the pizza delivery giant, which has millions of users in the UK and Ireland, said sales declined by one and a half percent in the Q3. In August, it warned that the takeaway market had “grown more challenging” as it attributed reduced spending in the run-up to the budget and increasing labor expenses for disappointing revenue and a significant fall in half-year profits.

Competitors are also facing challenges. Another major chain disclosed the closure of 68 restaurants a recently, after the company behind its outlets faced financial collapse.

Health Initiatives

Responding to market shifts towards healthier eating, Domino's has introduced light products, such as its thin-crust range of pizzas below 400 kcal as well as meat-free and wheat-free pizzas. A large pepperoni pizza has 2,311 kcals. A big margherita has 2,171, while a small has 909 calories.

Acting Leadership

Nicola Frampton has been with the company since the recent past, and had a background at the gambling company a well-known operator. It is thought that she is not seeking to occupy the chief executive role long-term.

Frampton stated: “The company has a multiple current development and operational projects that we will be concentrating on carrying out at a rapid rate.”

She added these involved ongoing development on the company's supply chain and new item creation, and its loyalty scheme.

Domino's is also in need of a full-time CFO until March 16, when Andrea joins from the beverage producer C&C Group. Until then, Snow serves as interim finance chief.