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  • Peak pizza? Domino’s boss ousted after launching shift towards chicken | Domino’s Pizza

    Peak pizza? Domino’s boss ousted after launching shift towards chicken | Domino’s Pizza

    The boss of Domino’s Pizza Group who suggested the UK may have reached peak pizza as he expanded the chain into fried chicken has been ousted after tensions with its board.

    Andrew Rennie is leaving after just two years at the helm, and will be replaced on an interim basis by the company’s chief operating officer, Nicola Frampton, while Domino’s searches for a new leader.

    Rennie, who worked for Domino’s for more than two decades, has sought to shift Britain’s biggest pizza delivery company towards fried chicken, telling the Financial Times earlier this month there was not “massive growth” left in the UK’s pizza market. He said chicken was the fastest-growing protein in the world.

    It is understood that there was friction between Rennie and the board over his focus and approach to the business, although Domino’s statement said he was stepping down “by mutual agreement”.

    In September, Domino’s launched its Chick ’N’ Dip brand – which Rennie described as a “bold new chapter” for the group – and is trialling it in 210 outlets in the north-west of England and Northern Ireland.

    While the company is still going to roll it out across its nearly 1,400 branches next year as planned, it sees fried chicken as complementary to its core pizza business.

    Ian Bull, the Domino’s chair, said: “The board believes that there are a number of opportunities to drive further growth and value creation in Domino’s core business. We are focused on identifying the right chief executive to lead the disciplined execution of that growth strategy.”

    Earlier this month, Domino’s, which has 13 million customers in the UK and Ireland, said orders dipped by 1.5% in the third quarter. In August, it warned that the takeaway market had “become tougher” as it blamed weaker consumer confidence in the run-up to Wednesday’s budget and rising wage costs for weaker-than-expected sales and a 15% drop in half-year profits.

    Other pizza operators are also struggling. Pizza Hut announced the closure of 68 restaurants a month ago, after the company behind its UK venues fell into administration.

    Trying to keep up with consumer trends towards healthier eating, Domino’s has launched lower-calorie products, such as its Thin & Crispy range of pizzas below 400 calories as well as plant-based and gluten-free pizzas. A large pepperoni pizza has 2,311 calories. A large cheese and tomato pizza has 2,171, while a small has 909 calories.

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    Frampton has been with Domino’s since 2021, and previously worked for the gambling company William Hill. It is thought that she does not want to take on the chief executive role permanently.

    She said: “We have a number of ongoing growth and performance initiatives that we will be focused on executing at pace.”

    She said these included further work on the company’s supply chain and product development, and its loyalty scheme.

    Domino’s is also without a permanent chief financial officer until 16 March, when Andy Andrea joins from the Irish cider and beer maker C&D Group. Until then, Richard Snow serves as interim finance chief.

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  • Graham Linehan cleared of harassing trans activist but convicted of damaging phone | Graham Linehan

    Graham Linehan cleared of harassing trans activist but convicted of damaging phone | Graham Linehan

    The Father Ted co-creator Graham Linehan has been cleared of harassing a transgender activist on social media but found guilty of criminal damage of their mobile phone outside a conference in London last year.

    The 57-year-old flew in from Arizona…

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  • Turbine plan unveiled at wild goat cull site near Newcastleton

    Turbine plan unveiled at wild goat cull site near Newcastleton

    An 18-turbine wind farm is being planned on hills where wild goats are being culled near Newcastleton in the Borders.

    Oxygen Conservation said the goat cull was to preserve habitats – but it has led to campaigners submitting a petition to the…

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  • Moon phase today explained: What the moon will look like on November 25, 2025

    Moon phase today explained: What the moon will look like on November 25, 2025

    We’re on day five of the lunar cycle, which means the moon is working on getting bigger every night. There will be more coming into view tonight than last, so keep reading to find out…

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  • Immunotherapy Response Linked to Rare Mutation

    Immunotherapy Response Linked to Rare Mutation

    A new study led by researchers at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center shows that a specific subset of mutations in the POLE gene is strongly associated with durable responses to immunotherapy in patients with metastatic 

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  • UK can create 5,400 jobs if it stops plastic waste exports, report finds | Plastics

    UK can create 5,400 jobs if it stops plastic waste exports, report finds | Plastics

    The UK could end its reliance on exporting plastic waste by 2030 to support the creation of 5,400 new jobs and take responsibility for the environmental impact of its waste, according to research.

    The report said up to 15 new recycling facilities could be built by the end of the decade, attracting more than £800m of private investment. The increase in capacity would help generate almost £900m of economic value every year; providing at least £100m of new tax revenues annually.

    The report by Hybrid Economics comes as Britain’s plastic exports rose by 5% in 2024 to nearly 600,000 tonnes of waste.

    Exporting plastic creates environmental problems for many countries that receive it, as they do not have the ability to recycle it. It also, the report argues, removes valuable feedstock for a British recycling industry.

    Campaigners want the loophole that makes it cheaper to export plastic waste rather than recycle it in the UK, closed.

    Exports have soared in the first part of this year to Indonesia in particular – a country struggling with an environmental crisis from plastic pollution – amounting to more than 24,000 tonnes.

    The report said that by exporting the unprocessed plastic waste it produces, the UK is evading its responsibility to deal with its own waste and was denying itself an economic opportunity.

    The Guardian revealed last month that, in the past two years, 21 plastic recycling and processing factories across the UK have shut down owing to the scale of exports, the cheap price of virgin plastic and an influx of cheap products from Asia.

    Neville Hill, partner at Hybrid Economics, which produced the report, said the UK was only using half of its potential for recycling plastic waste. He said: “Ending exports of unprocessed plastic packaging waste by 2030 would allow the UK to take control of its environmental responsibilities and seize a clear economic opportunity.

    “Our analysis shows the sector can expand significantly with no call on public funds, provided government sets the right framework.”

    The way payments are made up at present incentivises the export of plastic waste, rather than encouraging businesses to keep it in the UK to be recycled.

    James McLeary, the managing director of Biffa Polymers, which commissioned the report, said the company had recycled 10bn plastic HDPE milk bottles in the last 20 years. He described this as a circular economy success story.

    “The lesson is simple. When the right conditions are in place, UK recycling grows, investment follows and the environmental and economic benefits build year after year. The UK can replicate that success across all plastic packaging and take responsibility for processing its own waste onshore.”

    The report is calling for an increase in the plastic packaging tax, which is imposed on producers who fail to include at least 30% of recycled plastic in their products, to 50% and a total phasing out of exports of unprocessed plastic packaging waste.

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  • From theory to plate: Food fit for the future at BIOFACH 2026

    From theory to plate: Food fit for the future at BIOFACH 2026

    Nuremberg will once again host the international organic community at BIOFACH from 10 to 13 February 2026. The world’s leading trade fair for organic food, BIOFACH provides a comprehensive overview of current developments all along the value…

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  • Huawei’s latest Kirin 9030 processor powers premium Mate 80 smartphones

    Huawei’s latest Kirin 9030 processor powers premium Mate 80 smartphones

    Shenzhen-based Huawei listed the Kirin 9030 as the processor for the 12-gigabyte random access memory (RAM) version of the Mate 80 Pro, while its Kirin 9030 Pro version is built into the 16GB RAM Mate 80 Pro, the Mate 80 Pro Max and Mate 80 RS…

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  • A Solar Gravity Lens Telescope Would Revolutionize Astronomy

    A Solar Gravity Lens Telescope Would Revolutionize Astronomy

    Astronomers in the U.S. and Europe are actively working on a revolutionary new optical telescope concept that…

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  • The Strad Calendar 2026: 1713 ‘G. Schönau’ Antonio Stradivari violin

    The Strad Calendar 2026: 1713 ‘G. Schönau’ Antonio Stradivari violin

    Canimex has been loaning fine instruments to players for more than two decades. The Strad Calendar 2026 showcases twelve of these treasures, including five by Antonio Stradivari, two by Guarneri ‘del Gesù’, two by Giovanni Battista…

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