A chief executive of Domino's Pizza Group who suggested the United Kingdom might have hit maximum pizza demand while broadening the franchise into fried chicken has been removed after tensions with its board.
Rennie is departing after only 24 months in charge, and will be succeeded on an temporary basis by the company's chief operating officer, Nicola Frampton, while the pizza giant looks for a permanent CEO.
The outgoing executive, who worked for the company for a substantial period, had attempted to redirect the UK's leading pizza delivery company towards fried chicken, remarking earlier this month there was not “massive growth” left in the pizza sector in the UK. He observed poultry was the most rapidly expanding protein in the international market.
Reports indicate that there was tension between the CEO and the governance team over his focus and management style, although the company's official statement said he was stepping down “as a joint decision”.
In September, Domino's introduced its chicken-focused offering – which the former chief referred to as a “major strategic shift” for the group – and is piloting it in select stores in the North West region and the province.
While the firm is still planning to expand it across its extensive network in the coming year as planned, it regards chicken products as complementary to its primary pizza operations.
The Domino's chair, the Domino's chair, stated: “The board believes that there are a range of possibilities to drive further growth and profitability in the main pizza segment. We are prioritizing selecting the ideal CEO to direct the disciplined execution of that development approach.”
Recently, the pizza delivery giant, which has 13 million customers in the UK and Ireland, said sales declined by 1.5% in the Q3. In the summer, it warned that the food delivery sector had “intensified” as it blamed weaker consumer confidence in the period before the budget and increasing labor expenses for weaker-than-expected sales and a significant fall in half-year profits.
Other pizza operators are also experiencing difficulties. Pizza Hut announced the closure of dozens of outlets a month ago, after the firm behind its UK venues entered insolvency.
Trying to keep up with market shifts towards healthier eating, Domino's has launched reduced-calorie items, such as its thin-crust line of bakes below 400 kcal as well as vegan and gluten-free pizzas. A large pepperoni pizza has over 2,300 kcal. A family cheese pizza has 2,171 kcal, while a individual has 909 kcal.
The interim chief has been with Domino's since 2021, and previously worked for the betting firm a well-known operator. It is believed that she prefers not to assume the top job permanently.
Frampton stated: “We have a number of ongoing growth and operational projects that we will be concentrating on executing at speed.”
Frampton noted these involved ongoing development on the organization's procurement system and product development, and its customer retention initiative.
The pizza chain is also without a permanent finance director until the spring, when Andy Andrea starts from the beverage producer a well-known firm. In the meantime, Richard Snow acts as temporary CFO.
A seasoned gaming enthusiast with over a decade of experience in reviewing online casinos and sharing winning strategies.
