The Board of Directors at Domino’s Pizza appointed Russell Weiner, its current Chief Operating Officer and President of Domino’s U.S., as the upcoming CEO, effective May 1, 2022. He succeeds Ritch Allison, who announced his retirement as of April 30. Allison will also remain on the Board of Directors until the company’s 2022 annual shareholder meeting on April 26. David A. Brandon will also transition from Chairman of the Board to the newly established position of Executive Chairman, effective May 1, 2022. Sandeep Reddy has been appointed as Domino’s next Chief Financial Officer, starting April 1.
“Mr. Allison will continue to provide his guidance and expertise to the Company in an advisory capacity until he retires from Domino’s on July 15, 2022,” the company detailed in the announcement.
Weiner has served as Chief Operating Officer and President of Domino’s U.S. since July 2020. He has overseen the U.S. business and the global centers of excellence teams responsible for marketing, operations, store growth and development, franchise relations, analytics and insights and e-commerce. He joined Domino’s as Executive Vice President – Chief Marketing Officer in 2008.
During this time, the company’s annual U.S. retail sales grew from approximately USD 3 billion to more than USD 8 billion. The store count in the U.S. has also grown over 25% and Domino’s U.S. market share of QSR pizza has more than doubled.
Allison said on the announcement: “Serving at Domino’s for more than a decade, including the last four years as CEO, has been the privilege of a lifetime. During that time, we and our franchises have achieved tremendous growth and today the Domino’s brand is as strong as ever. While there is much that I will remember fondly, I am most proud of the culture that ties us all together […]. With Russell as CEO and with the addition of Sandeep as CFO, supported by the rest of our leadership team, I am comfortable and confident stepping aside, knowing that Domino’s has strong leaders who are passionate and committed to our business. I look forward to watching the Company continue to grow under their guidance.”
The new CEO, Weiner, added, “I am honored to lead this great company and brand that I love. Domino’s became the #1 pizza company in the world through a relentless focus on our customers and every aspect of their pizza experience. That focus is as strong as ever and I am excited to work with our talented leaders, team members and franchisees to deliver the next phase of Domino’s growth. I thank Ritch for his leadership and collaboration and look forward to working with him to ensure a seamless transition.”
About Domino’s Pizza
Founded in 1960, Domino’s Pizza ranks among the world’s top public restaurant brands with a global enterprise of more than 18,800 stores in over 90 markets. Domino’s had global retail sales of nearly USD 17.8 billion in 2021, with over USD 8.6 billion in the U.S. and over USD 9.1 billion internationally. Its system comprises independent franchise owners who accounted for 98% of Domino’s stores as of the end of the fourth quarter of 2021.
Emphasis on technology innovation helped Domino’s achieve more than half of all global retail sales in 2021 from digital channels. In the U.S., Domino’s generated more than 75% of retail sales in 2021 via digital channels and has developed several ordering platforms, including those for Google Home, Facebook Messenger, Apple Watch, Amazon Echo, Twitter and more.
In 2019, Domino’s announced a partnership with Nuro to further its exploration and testing of autonomous pizza delivery. In mid-2020, Domino’s launched a new way to order contactless in the U.S. , via Domino’s Carside Delivery, which customers can choose when placing a prepaid online order.
Photo credit: Domino’s Pizza
