🔗 Share this article Peak Pizza? Domino's Chief Executive Departs Following Move Into Fried Chicken. The head of Domino's Pizza Group who indicated the UK might have hit pizza saturation while diversifying the franchise into poultry items has been ousted after conflicts with its board. Leadership Shake-Up The former CEO is leaving after a brief tenure in charge, and will be replaced on an interim basis by the organization's chief operating officer, Frampton, while the pizza giant looks for a permanent CEO. The outgoing executive, who was with the company for more than two decades, had sought to pivot Britain's biggest pizza takeaway chain towards chicken offerings, commenting earlier this month there was not “significant expansion” left in the British pizza industry. He said poultry was the most rapidly expanding food category in the globe. Governance Tensions Sources suggest that there was disagreement between Rennie and the governance team over his approach and direction, although Domino's release said he was stepping down “as a joint decision”. Recent Brand Launch In September, the chain unveiled its poultry offering – which the former chief called a “major strategic shift” for the company – and is trialling it in 210 outlets in the North West region and the province. While the business is still intending to launch it across its almost 1,400 stores in 2026 as intended, it regards fried chicken as an addition to its main pizza offerings. Board Comment Bull, the Domino's chairman, said: “We are confident that there are a number of opportunities to drive further growth and profitability in our primary operations. We are prioritizing selecting the ideal CEO to oversee the careful implementation of that growth strategy.” Market Challenges In the latest update, Domino's, which has millions of users in the UK and Ireland, said orders dipped by 1.5 percent in the third quarter. In August, it cautioned that the food delivery sector had “intensified” as it attributed weaker consumer confidence in the run-up to the government announcement and increasing labor expenses for weaker-than-expected sales and a 15% drop in interim earnings. Rival chains are also facing challenges. Pizza Hut announced the closure of 68 restaurants a last month, after the business behind its British operations fell into administration. Wellness Initiatives Trying to keep up with market shifts towards better nutrition, the company has launched light items, such as its light base range of bakes below 400 calories as well as meat-free and wheat-free pizzas. A big pepperoni bake has 2,311 calories. A big margherita has 2,171, while a personal has under 1,000 calories. Acting Leadership Frampton has been with Domino's since 2021, and was formerly with the gaming group a well-known operator. It is thought that she prefers not to occupy the CEO position on a full-time basis. Frampton stated: “We have a number of active growth and operational projects that we will be concentrating on implementing at speed.” She added these included additional efforts on the company's procurement system and product development, and its rewards program. The pizza chain is also without a permanent chief financial officer until March 16, when Andrea joins from the beverage producer a well-known firm. In the meantime, Richard Snow is interim finance chief.