🔗 Share this article

A chief executive of Domino's Pizza Group who suggested the UK might have reached pizza saturation while broadening the company into chicken products has been replaced after disagreements with its directors.

Leadership Change

The former CEO is exiting after only 24 months in charge, and will be replaced on an acting basis by the organization's operations head, Frampton, while the pizza giant seeks a long-term chief.

The outgoing executive, who served at Domino's for more than two decades, had aimed to pivot Britain's largest pizza delivery company towards chicken offerings, stating earlier this month there was not “huge potential” left in the UK's pizza market. He noted chicken was the most rapidly expanding menu item in the international market.

Board Disagreements

Reports indicate that there was disagreement between the CEO and the directors over his strategy and management style, although the company's announcement said he was leaving “through mutual consent”.

New Brand Launch

In the autumn, Domino's introduced its poultry offering – which the former chief called a “significant new phase” for the group – and is piloting it in over 200 locations in the north-west of England and Northern Ireland.

While the firm is still intending to launch it across its nearly 1,400 branches in 2026 as scheduled, it considers fried chicken as an addition to its primary pizza operations.

Leadership Statement

The Domino's chair, the company chairman, commented: “The board believes that there are a range of possibilities to enhance value and value creation in Domino's core business. We are concentrating on finding the suitable leader to lead the systematic rollout of that development approach.”

Industry Difficulties

Recently, the pizza delivery giant, which has millions of users in the UK and Ireland, said transactions declined by 1.5% in the Q3. In August, it warned that the food delivery sector had “intensified” as it blamed reduced spending in the lead-up to the government announcement and higher payroll outlays for disappointing revenue and a 15 percent decline in six-month income.

Rival chains are also experiencing difficulties. Pizza Hut announced the closing of 68 restaurants a recently, after the company behind its British operations entered insolvency.

Wellness Initiatives

Responding to market shifts towards better nutrition, the company has launched reduced-calorie products, such as its thin-crust range of pizzas below 400 calories as well as meat-free and wheat-free options. A family-sized pepperoni has 2,311 kcals. A large cheese and tomato pizza has 2,171, while a individual has under 1,000 calories.

Interim Leadership

Frampton has been with the company since the recent past, and previously worked for the gaming group William Hill. It is believed that she does not want to assume the chief executive role on a full-time basis.

She commented: “Our team has a several current expansion and efficiency programs that we will be focused on executing at speed.”

Frampton noted these comprised ongoing development on the company's supply chain and new item creation, and its customer retention initiative.

Domino's is also without a permanent CFO until March 16, when Andrea joins from the beverage producer C&C Group. Until then, Snow serves as interim finance chief.