🔗 Share this article Peak Pizza? Domino's Pizza CEO Exits After Pivot Into Fried Chicken. The boss of the UK's Domino's Pizza chain who indicated the UK might have hit peak pizza while broadening the franchise into poultry items has been removed after conflicts with its directors. Executive Change The former CEO is exiting after only 24 months in the top role, and will be succeeded on an interim basis by the company's chief operating officer, Frampton, while the pizza giant looks for a new leader. Rennie, who worked for the company for more than two decades, had attempted to pivot the UK's leading pizza food delivery firm towards fried chicken, commenting earlier this month there was not “massive growth” left in the pizza sector in the UK. He said chicken was the fastest-growing protein in the international market. Governance Disagreements It is understood that there was friction between the CEO and the governance team over his strategy and business vision, although the company's release said he was leaving “by mutual agreement”. Recent Product Launch In September, the chain introduced its chicken-focused brand – which Rennie called a “major strategic shift” for the group – and is testing it in 210 outlets in the north-west of England and Northern Ireland. While the company is still intending to launch it across its almost 1,400 stores in 2026 as planned, it considers fried chicken as a supplement for its core pizza business. Board Statement The Domino's chair, the Domino's chair, stated: “We are confident that there are a series of prospects to enhance value and value creation in the main pizza segment. We are prioritizing finding the suitable leader to oversee the disciplined execution of that development approach.” Market Challenges Earlier this month, the pizza delivery giant, which has a substantial customer base in the British Isles, said transactions fell by one and a half percent in the latest quarter. In the summer, it cautioned that the food delivery sector had “intensified” as it attributed weaker consumer confidence in the period before the government announcement and rising wage costs for weaker-than-expected sales and a 15% drop in interim earnings. Rival chains are also experiencing difficulties. Another major chain disclosed the closure of dozens of outlets a recently, after the business behind its UK venues fell into administration. Health Efforts Trying to keep up with consumer trends towards balanced diets, the company has rolled out light products, such as its light base line of pizzas below 400 calories as well as meat-free and gluten-free pizzas. A large pepperoni pizza has 2,311 kcals. A family cheese pizza has 2,171, while a individual has 909 kcal. Acting Management The interim chief has been with the company since 2021, and was formerly with the gaming group a well-known operator. It is understood that she is not seeking to take on the CEO position on a full-time basis. Frampton stated: “Our team has a number of ongoing expansion and efficiency programs that we will be dedicated to executing at pace.” Frampton noted these involved further work on the company's supply chain and new item creation, and its loyalty scheme. Domino's is also in need of a long-term CFO until the spring, when a new appointee starts from the drinks company C&C Group. Until then, Snow is interim finance chief.