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The boss of the UK's Domino's Pizza chain who proposed the UK might have hit pizza saturation while diversifying the chain into poultry items has been removed after disagreements with its directors.

Executive Change

Rennie is exiting after only 24 months in leadership, and will be replaced on an interim basis by the organization's chief operating officer, Nicola Frampton, while the pizza giant searches for a permanent CEO.

Rennie, who worked for the company for over 20 years, had aimed to pivot the UK's leading pizza delivery company towards fried chicken, remarking in a recent interview there was not “massive growth” left in the UK's pizza market. He said chicken was the quickest rising protein in the world.

Governance Disagreements

Sources suggest that there was disagreement between the CEO and the board over his focus and business vision, although Domino's official statement said he was leaving “as a joint decision”.

New Product Launch

In the autumn, Domino's unveiled its poultry brand – which Rennie called a “major strategic shift” for the company – and is trialling it in over 200 locations in the north-west of England and the province.

While the firm is still planning to expand it across its extensive network next year as scheduled, it regards chicken products as complementary to its core pizza business.

Board Statement

Bull, the Domino's chair, stated: “Directors think that there are a number of opportunities to boost expansion and profitability in Domino's core business. We are focused on finding the ideal CEO to oversee the careful implementation of that expansion plan.”

Market Difficulties

Recently, Domino's, which has 13 million customers in the UK and Ireland, said orders fell by 1.5% in the third quarter. In August, it alerted that the quick-service industry had “grown more challenging” as it blamed weaker consumer confidence in the period before the budget and higher payroll outlays for disappointing revenue and a 15 percent decline in half-year profits.

Other pizza operators are also experiencing difficulties. Pizza Hut announced the closure of 68 restaurants a month ago, after the business behind its British operations faced financial collapse.

Health Efforts

Responding to consumer trends towards better nutrition, Domino's has launched reduced-calorie items, such as its light base range of bakes below 400 kcal as well as vegan and allergy-friendly pizzas. A big pepperoni bake has over 2,300 kcal. A family cheese pizza has over 2,100, while a individual has 909 kcal.

Interim Management

Frampton has been with the company since 2021, and was formerly with the betting firm a well-known operator. It is understood that she is not seeking to take on the chief executive role long-term.

Frampton stated: “We have a number of current growth and operational projects that we will be focused on executing at a rapid rate.”

She said these comprised further work on the organization's supply chain and menu innovation, and its customer retention initiative.

The pizza chain is also lacking a full-time chief financial officer until the spring, when Andrea joins from the beverage producer C&C Group. For now, Snow serves as acting financial officer.